Express Issue 5 Print Final
- 1. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 5 Robert O’Sullivan - Designer UCC Students Union have announced that they will be holding a referendum to decide if and how they will campaign on the the subject of Abortion rights and the Eighth Amendment. The matter was discussed at the end of last week’s Student Council when Students’ Union President Aidan Coffey announced that they had received a petition of 500 signatures from a student calling for a referendum. Some class reps were concerned that the decision to go to referendum was done by SU Exec without consulting Student Council first, but the SU confirmed the referendum was called for by a student petition in accordance with the SU’s Constitution. UCC has a history when it comes to campaigns regarding the Eighth Amendment. In 2009 the “Students For Life” Society was suspended following complaints from students who were not allowed set up a “Pro-Choice” Society. Three years ago Student Council passed a hotly debated motion calling for the Deputy President & Campaigns Officer to “campaign for the provision of abortion services in Ireland.” This mandate had a short timeline of only a month, but was looked at as UCCSU’s official stance on the issue until it and other mandates were deleted under last year’s controversial “Wipe the Slate” motion. On the other side of the issue, the application for a ‘Love Life’ society was rejected by the UCC Societies Guild in 2013/14, with their application going to a court of appeals of all society Auditors. The application was again rejected by this court of appeals, with no new application being made publicly. The petition was reportedly worded in a way that suggests the referendum will be on whether or not the SU should campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, but the Students’ Union are considering a “For, Neutral, Against” ballot system used by other Universities in the past. UCC Students Union to Hold Referendum on Eighth Amendment Campaign UCC Student Council Update Page 4 USI Shouldn’t Run ‘Anti-Mullen’ Cand. Page 8 HAVE I GOT BOOLE FOR YOU: UCC celebrate Boole Day with UCC Minecraft server & campus map (SOURCE: University College Cork) Interview: Duke Special Byline
- 2. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS Inside Today: Student Council Page 4 Star Wars Criminal? Page 7 Opinion: Consent Page 9 Flashback: 1989 Ref. Page 11 Photo Page Page 12 John Caulfield Page 14 Editor-in-Chief: Brian Conmy Deputy & News Editor: Zoë Cashman Deputy News Editor: Chris McCahill Features Editor: Deirdre Ferriter Deputy Features Editor: Katie Jeffers Sport Editor: Neil Willoughby Photo Editor: Emmet Curtin Designer: Robert O’Sullivan Fashion Editor: Jessica NiMhaolain Byline Editor: Xander Cosgrave Fiction Editor: Austin Dowling Humour Editor: Lauren Mulvihill Arts & Lit Editor: Colm Furlong Film & TV Editor: Olivia Brown Gaming Editor: Aoife Gleeson Music Editor: Holly Cooney Comics Editor: Dylan O Connell Editorial team /UCCExpress UCCExpress.ie @UCCExpress 2 | Letters from the Editors The Real World Fear As part of a fairly competitive and intense mas- ters course that prides itself on its high employ- ment rate I’ve been scrambling lately to do up my CV and fill in the same inane application forms every company seems to use. I can now recite my Leaving Cert results from memory for the first time since I did the actual Leaving Cert. In this scramble I met with the careers service in UCC where I had someone look over my CV and offer some quite salient advice. One piece of advice was to highlight my volunteering roles such as Express Editor. The gentleman who was helping me seemed slightly taken aback when I corrected him and told him the Editor position was paid. I’m also sure about 10% of our reader- ship are saying something along the lines “What the hell he gets paid for this?”, sound for that. My point though, not to bury the lead too much, is that in this flurry of applications for “big boy” jobs I lost sight somewhat of the fact that the narrative that exists around college that we’re in anything less than the “real world” is patently ridiculous. While many college students may not face the full bevy of adult worries and problems that our parents, older siblings or “grown up” person we pass on the street a great many face a great number of problems of their own. Mental health issues, physical health issues, addiction, poverty and any number of other issues can hit students the same as anyone over the age of the average college goer. I’m as guilty of thinking this way as anyone, that students can at times have it somewhat easy since we’re not working 9 to 5 jobs and paying a mortgage. What brought it home though is the recent media attention and social media furore that erupted about that particular house party. You know the one. The comments on the video and every article about the video infuriated me, consistently people who are so incredibly out of touch with the life of a student and really just looking for a good moan malign the easy student life of 24 hour drinking and partying. While some live this stereotype most don’t and to tar all students with the same brush is to den- igrate the students like those around me in the Boole Basement as I write this piece and finish editing this issue. Students who are hard at work on their studies on a Sunday. Not to mention mature students, students who struggle with their personal demons every day to get through their degrees and every other student who doesn’t fit into the neat little box of 24 hour party animal gone wild stereotype that the media is entirely guilty of perpetrating. This is the real world. I want to talk about the issue of fear. What’s interesting to me is that aside from the natural fears which are instilled in us since we’re born, such as falling and loud noises, everything else is a social construct. There are more people in this world afraid of public speaking than there are people who fear death. Society is based on the idea of reward and punishment, you are punished and ridiculed for your failures and rewarded for your achieve- ments. That being said, would you truly be afraid of giving that presentation in front of your class if society didn’t make it so you would be judged for delivering a bad one? Something to think about. Why I feel this is worth a mention, is I have a fear of being judged for my writing, which again is a social construct. I am far more likely to write something meaningful and worthwhile if I know that the public aren’t going to read it. In a sense I am like a mountain climber who is afraid of heights, I am a writer who is afraid to write. While it is something that may not occur to us in our daily lives, fear is embedded into every day life in our society. “I don’t want to go to that house party because what if people judge what I’m wearing?”, “I can’t enjoy a chick flick sure the lads’ll only judge me”. A lot of our decisions are based on fear of what society will think. Perhaps it is worthwhile to sit down and think about the fact that if we consciously decide to do the things that scare us, society will eventually not be based on fear, and fear will only reside with falling off a cliff and the latest episode of American Horror Story. Don’t allow your fear to prevent you from succeeding. Brian Conmy - Editor Zoë Cashman - Deputy Editor
- 3. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | 3 Ógra Fianna Fáil Launches Student Loan Policy Boole World Domination for Minecraft Siobhán Maire O’Donnell - News Writer Zoë Cashman - News Editor UCC is building a virtual Boole World based on its iconic Quad for the smash hit video game Minecraft. Accessing Minecraft’s Boole World will position players in the centre of the quad at UCC, from where all three wings of the building are ready to be explored. The construction of Boole World is being supported by Microsoft Ireland. On the launch of the Boole World, Academic Engagement Manager at Microsoft Ireland, Stephen Howell, commented that “Microsoft Ireland is delighted to support this highly innova- tive education project from UCC”. Millions are playing Minecraft at home, whether on computers, consoles or mobile devices. Increasing numbers of classrooms worldwide are using the game as an instruction tool. Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at UCC, Pat- rick Fitzpatrick, stated “when the Boole World has been fully developed we expect that up to 100 users will be able to enter it at any one time”. The Boole World will showcase ex- amples of Boolean logic on Minecraft and is set to prove a valuable resource among teachers signed up for the UCC Brings Boole2School Initiative. More than 50,000 students across more than 30 countries are already signed up to take the lessons. The 3D puzzles to be found inside UCC’s Minecraft world are based on the lesson plans developed by Maths Circles Ireland for Boole2School. A student entering the North Wing through the arch, for example, will find themselves at the start of a ‘logic route’, showcasing examples of simple ON/ OFF logic, eventually moving to a more complex AND, OR and NOT logic. According to Aaron Bolger, a PhD candidate at UCC’s Department of Ap- plied Psychology, who is the architect of the Boole World, states “the route is designed based on the same principles that are used in successful puzzle games such as Lemmings and Portal” “Each piece of logic has a demonstrat- ed example, which the student learns by pulling switches in order to cause a light to turn on. This example is then followed by a short puzzle that can be solved by applying the same logic that was just demonstrated.” Bolger went on to say that “the next example then builds on this, presenting a more advanced concept to the student by building on the knowledge they have just gained. This culminates in a larger puzzle at the end of the route that the student must solve in order to leave, reminiscent of the British TV game show The Crystal Maze”. However, unlike in The Crystal Maze, “In Boole World the student has the fa- cility to teleport back outside the Quad, should they be unable to complete the puzzle. They can also then return to the area demonstrating the logic they may have found themselves stuck on, and retry the puzzle later”. “Once a puzzle has been solved, the inner workings of the puzzle are left exposed to the student. This way, they don’t just solve it and move on; they also get the opportunity to get inside and see how its done. This helps with tying the solution to the logic, and the construction of that logic inside Mine- craft”. The World is set to be equipped with a program that will track the usage of the puzzles, in order to study how well the students learn the presented concepts in the context of the virtual world. The Boole World has been trialled at Micro- soft Ireland’s HQ in Sandyford, Dublin, with a group of students from various schools around Dublin. As dedicated Minecrafters, the students were keen to explore the Boole World and when asked if they learned from the experience, the answer was a resounding “Yes”. On Friday 23rd October, Ógra Fianna Fáil launched its Student Loan Proposal outside Trinity College Dublin at the infamous spot where former Education Minister Ruairi Quinn pledged not to increase third level fees. ‘Last week’s budget was a very disappointing one for young people’ College is an exciting time for students but it can also be a stressful time and often places a lot of strain on families. A strain that is becoming a reality for an increasing number of families, which has also resulted in third level insti- tutions struggling to maintain current standards due to rising student numbers and stagnant funding allocations. Ógra President Éoin Neylon comment- ed, “Last week’s budget was a very disappointing one for young people. There were no positive measures for job activation and the cutbacks to third level supports were not reversed. Fine Gael and Labour have abandoned young people, as was clearly evident when former Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn rowed back on his pledge to not increase third level fees.’ ‘The plan provides students with a loan which is then repaid after graduation on a progressive scale according to their earnings’ Central to the policy is a proposal to introduce an ‘Income Contingent Loan System’ which will allow every student to have access to the financial support they need while also injecting much needed funding into the 3rd level system. Basically, the plan provides students with a loan which is then repaid af- ter graduation on a progressive scale according to their earnings. The plan is designed to control costs so that stu- dents will know the full price of their education upon entry into their degree program. The plan echoes Aristotle’s idea of treating equals equally and unequals unequally. This is the idea that people are in fact perfectly equal, but the circumstances of their life have the capability to render them unequal to others due to no fault of their own. This is being disadvantaged and our ideals of equality in society would bring these people up to whatever may be determined as a standard, such a giving everyone the opportunity to get 3rd level education. Ógra Policy and Campaigns Director Ian Woods says. ‘By spreading the repayment of what are now upfront fees to after gradua- tion, it can be ensured that there are no immediate barriers to entry for students attending college.’ Maintenance loans for living expenses will also be made available as part of the system. The plan thus tackles the issue of equality of opportunity. The income-contingent loan model put forth also addresses the issue of a sus- tainable funding model for the future of the sector. Ógra Policy and Campaigns Director Ian Woods stated that ‘the policy unveiled today will make it more affordable for students to access educa- tion while at the same time ensuring that third level institutions are adequately funded. And will also ‘ensure that Gov- ernment investment in our education system is increased.’ The student loan policy offers a cred- ible solution to address the growing crisis that exists in our higher education system and one which Ógra Fianna Fáil will be campaigning to see included in Fianna Fail’s general election manifesto.
- 4. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS The second student council of the year took place last week on Wednesday the 28th of October. The council held debates on two motions. In the first mo- tion, Deputy President and Campaigns Officer, James Upton put forward to mandate a liaison between the Students Union and the Students for Sensible Drug Policy to be created for UCC. The motion was passed without opposition and was immediately adopted into the policy booklet. James Upton will liaise with the SSDP to create a policy before January 2016. The first emergency motion of the year was also brought before council regard- ing the provision of meeting minutes of SU executive meetings. The emergency motion was put forward by James Mc- Cleane –Fay, and subsequently passed a 2/3 vote requisite to be debated by council. McCleane-Fay argued that due to the fact that executive meeting min- utes are only made available two weeks after the meeting it effectively means that student council is unable to reverse any decision made by the exec until up to 6 weeks after the meetings have taken place. Mr. McCleane-Fay argued that trans- parency should be a key part of the SU; “Currently, decisions could be made by 14 people that impact the entire student body without anyone knowing about it until two weeks later. I find it strange that a sabbatical team that focused so much on transparency during their cam- paigns last year are comfortable know- ing that their power to make decisions on behalf of the student body cannot be called into question or challenged at SU Council, the only forum any student can attend. It’s undemocratic and quite frankly scary.” The motion was opposed by several exec officers notably SU President Coffey, due to questions over the in- terpretation of the constitution. Coffey argued that the two week timeframe for challenging a decision at SU Executive only applied to constitutional interpre- tation, and that the motion was factually incorrect as it falls on the SU President to interpret the constitution in the first instance. Several procedural motions were then proposed. The debate quickly descended into a flurry of procedural motions by both sides seeking to amend the motion, the first of which was requested by Colm Caholane, in which he asked if the SU Executive meetings could be audio re- corded which would reduce the need for approval on the minutes which was not passed by the council. Several procedural motions were then brought forward to remove references of the constitution within the motion, seen as the main source of contention within the motion.SU President Aidan Coffey called a final procedural motion to close the debate. Mr. McCleane-Fay was stunned by this response; “Ultimately it made SU Coun- cil look bad. I mean, here’s a motion that is clearly intended to increase the input class representatives have into decision making and allow them to challenge their democratically elected officers… and we voted to stop discussion for beer and pizza. And as much as I love beer and pizza, I think people were sick of the debate and the red tape the opposition used to com- pletely cloud what was happening.” Plans are underway to continue with the motion, however: “It was quite clearly stated that this debate was suspended, not removed entirely. We’re working on an airtight motion that should make for much easier reading. I suppose I just have to trust that people will see that giving a small group of people unchecked authority over the voice of the student body is a bad idea. And for the record, I think this year’s sabbatical team are outstanding and honestly doing their best; this is for the next five years as much as it is for this year.” On the opposite side President Coffey wished to reiterate that, should any student have any queries with regards to the business of the exec, all they need do is ask him either by phone, email or even by dropping into him in the SU office. He also wished to reiterate that he did not oppose exec meeting minutes being made public, but in fact supported it in the spirit of transparency but wanted to stress that minutes need to be approved but above all accurate, referencing that the usual note taker was absent at the last exec meeting and as such James Upton assumed the role, whom admitted before council that the minutes had not yet been approved and required corrections to them before they could be made public. The council was also made aware that, due to 500 signatures being submitted to the executive regarding repealing the 8th amendment, a referendum within the college will take place. All of the details have yet to be finalised and are expected to be announced at the next student council. When asked whether the referendum would be a straight “Yes or No”, officers Coffey and Kennedy responded that there would likely be a “Neutral stance” option also on the ballot paper. The issues of how the referendum would be run will likely be discussed at the next student council. The Union of Students Ireland has criti- cised Senator Ronan Mullen’s recent in- terruption of the same sex marriage bill as it passed in the Seanad. It has said it will consider running someone against him if he continues to represent these hateful views. The USI has also stated that Mullen’s comments on abortion have been unfounded and inaccurate. On Saturday the 26th September over 10,000 women joined the March for Choice in Dublin. Despite this, Sena- tor Mullen commented on the “grizzly realities” of abortion and stated that “the momentum to further legalise abortion in Ireland is largely a media swell rather than any ground swell, as the rather modest turn out at the protest showed”. Mullen was elected to the Seanad in the NUI constituency in July 2007. Every University and college across Ireland that held a referendum on their stance on the subject of same sex marriage voted yes. USI president, Kevin Dono- ghue, criticised Mullen saying “he is no stranger to controversy”. “But his uncompromising, enduring an extremely vocal views on major social and political issues such as same sex marriage, civil partnerships, abortion and his opposition to the Children and Family Relationships Bill are extremely damaging and hurtful to young people. His association with the Iona Institute, who rely on invalid interpretations of data to back their claims, reduces his credibility as a public representative” Before the same-sex marriage referen- dum was passed, Mullen commented that it would mean redefining the family, the key argument to the No side. “What marriage is about is the state supporting the particular relationship between men and women because that provides the context that people want that works best for the bringing up of children”. Donoghue went on to say “Not repre- senting the people who elected him is disrespectful and undemocratic. His recent comments are inaccurate, inhu- mane, crass and cruel. The USI repre- sents 354,000 students across Ireland and because the NUI and Trinity vote for 6 of the Seanad seats, we do not want to be affiliated with hateful views that are contradictory to what we sup- port and believe in. Because of this, we will consider running someone against Senator Mullen if he continues to repre- sent hateful and outdated views”. 4 | Council Update: SSDP, Emergency Motion & the 8th Amendment USI to Take A Stand Against ‘Hateful Views’ Chris McCahill - Deputy News Editor Zoë Cashman - News Editor
- 5. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | 5 Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee Role for UCC Lecturer A Quiet Revolution: UCC Honour Education Stars Heather Déiseach - News Writer Zoë Cashman - News Editor Dr. Aine Ryall a lecturer in UCC’s School of Law has become a member of the Aarhus Convention Compli- ance Committee. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matter (the Aarhus Convention) was adopted in 1998. The treaty was adopted in the Danish city of Aarhus and is legally binding upon the states that have become parties to it including the European Union. Dr. Ryall currently teaches and re- searches environmental law, European Union law and tort law at the School of Law. She holds a PhD from the Europe- an University Institute, Florence. She is also a barrister and was called to the Irish Bar in 1995. Her research interests are primarily in the fields of internation- al and EU environmental law, in par- ticular access to environmental justice, implementation of the Aarhus Conven- tion, environmental impact assessment, access to information and environmental law enforcement. The provisions of the Aarhus Conven- tion are broken down into three pillars: access to information, public participa- tion in decision-making and access to justice. The Compliance Committee has nine members; these members serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their respective home countries. The Compliance Committee has been in place since October 2002. The Committee oversees how State Parties implement their obligations under the Convention. It operates on a “non-con- frontational, non-judicial and consulta- tive” basis and its primary objective is to assist the Parties to comply with their Convention obligations. The Parties to the Convention regularly address issues of compliance on the basis of the Committee’s reports. The compliance mechanism may be triggered by a Party making a submission, the secretariat making a referral to the Compliance Committee or member of the public making communications concerning a Party’s compliance. The Committee may also examine compliance issues on its own initiative and make recommendations. The CEO of a non-profit organisation which is aiming to educate a billion peo- ple around the world for free is among those who were awarded honorary doctorates by UCC yesterday November 2nd. According to CEO of edX, Anant Agarwal, Online education for students is the single biggest shake-up in edu- cation since the printing press. edX is a massive open online course provider founded by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which of- fers free classes from top universities to anyone in the world. Named in Forbes’ list of top 15 education innovators, Agarwal taught the first edX course on circuits and electronics from MIT, which attracted 155,000 students from 162 countries. A successful serial entrepreneur and winner of MIT’s Smullin and Jamieson prizes for teaching, Agarwal has served as the director of CSAIL, MIT’s Com- puter Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and is a professor of elec- trical engineering and computer science at MIT. ‘Scientific American’ selected Argawal’s work on organic computing as one of 10 world-changing ideas and he holds the Guinness World Record for the largest microphone array. Many countries have adopted the open source platform edX, allowing anyone to use its infrastructure to launch their own massive open online courses (MOOCs), including France, China and Saudi Arabia. Currently, edX has more than five million students from every country around the world. American computing pioneer, Donald Knuth, known for his greatly influential multi-volume work The Art of Comput- er Programming, which has sold over a million copies, and quirky sense of humour, will also be conferred with a Doctor of Science. American Scientist including the book among ‘100 or so Books that shaped a Century of Science’ and The New York Times referred to it as “the profession’s defining treatise”. Bill Gates commented that “If you think you’re a really good programmer, read Knuth’s Art of Computer Program- ming… you should definitely send me a résumé if you can read the whole thing”. Knuth’s YouTube video ‘My Advice to Young People’, in which he encourages them to follow their instincts rather than the herd, has racked up over 230,000 views. Speaking ahead of the bicentenary of George Boole’s birth, Knuth commented that “George Boole’s 200th birthday is especially important to me because I’ve used his name more than 700 times in The Art of Computer Programming, as well as 150 times in other books” “In most cases, I’ve been discussing ‘Boolean’ this or ‘Boolean’ that, based on concepts named after him. But there are also more than a dozen instances where I have referred directly to George Boole himself. I share his great love for using algebra to understand complex ideas”. Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at UCC, Desmond MacHale, has been teaching for over forty years at UCC and said “Working with wonderful students and having a great relationship with my colleagues has been precious”. He wrote the first biography of George Boole. Since 1976 MacHale has written over forty books on humour, four on the film The Quiet Man, and has merged humour and mathematics with books of lateral thinking puzzles. MacHale also founded the Irish Association of Non-Smokers, spending 25 years as a counsellor help- ing people to quit cigarettes, “I’d like to think I’ve saved thousands of lives doing that”. On the significance of receiving his honorary doctorate on the bicentenary of George Boole’s birth, MacHale said “the world has finally come to realise the genius of George Boole. Everyone in the world now has heard about George Boole and his link with Cork; he pro- duced some of his greatest work here”. Sr Mercedes Desmond has championed science education in Ireland for over 60 years. Sr Mercedes was professed as a Sister of Mercy in 1944 and despite never studying science in secondary school, she enrolled to study Physics at UCC in 1945. In addition, she studied astronomy and chemistry. Sr Mercedes was assigned to St. Aloysius School in Cork City in 1949 where she taught Physics, Chemistry and Maths. After her appointment as principal of the school in 1978, enrolment rose to 1,200 students, becoming the largest all-girls secondary school in Ireland. In 1962 Sr Mercedes was among those who founded the Irish Science Teachers’ Association. She immersed herself in science education at local and national level, organising courses for science teachers. She will be conferred with a Doctor of Education.
- 6. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS6 | On the Current Crop of Republican Presidential Candidates Eoin Doyle - Features Writer The race for the Presidency of the United States is an interesting beast at the best of times. With an extreme- ly large amount of candidates for the Republican nomination alone, all of whom are interesting and at times eclectic characters, it can be difficult to keep up with who exactly is running, not running, maybe running or running but you didn’t realise was running. The campaign to be part of a campaign next year is already causing some candidates to drop out, notably Rick Perry and Scott Walker for the Republicans, and with only 13 months until the election that these candi- dates aren’t officially a part of yet, now seems like an appropriate time to see how things are shaping up for the GOP. As we draw closer to 2016, the publicity train accruing around the race for GOP nomination has allowed the candidates to address each other and the nation as a whole in live televised debates. These debates for the most parts have been long, drawn out processes void of any real discussion or, at times, facts. All in all the course of action for most if not all candidates was to make accusations surrounding each other, the Demo- crats, the Supreme Court and Planned Parenthood (a programme which specialises in affordable women’s healthcare). Of course it would be naive to assume that people running for political office would be above acting politically, however the length at which many of the candidates went to create sound-bites that could be used on further news coverage led to a number of inaccuracies, bent truths and in some cases flat out disregard for factual information. Multiple times dur- ing the debate it was obvious that candidates used this tactic, not to further debate, not to disprove the assess- ment of others, but to provide such sound-bites. Take, for example, Governor John Kasich’s statement that he “couldn’t think of one person who doesn’t want to defund Planned Parenthood”, despite the fact that mul- tiple polls found that, amongst voters, Planned Par- enthood was more popular than John Kasich. Another example of this disregard for truth came when Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, challenged Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to watch footage of Planned Parenthood heads allegedly stating that they make profits of off the sale of foetal tissue removed during abortions. Fiorina gave an impassioned speech about the matter but failed to mention the fact that investigators had found there was probable cause to believe the footage was doctored These along with a long list of assertions made by Donald Trump, such as his attacks on illegal im- migrants: “they’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume are good people”, are part of a worrying trend in American politics. The problem with this current scenario is that you routinely find that candidates making false claims, telling half-truths that are twisted to make the can- didates seem like they were far more correct in their assumptions that they actually were. This is happening in an age where information is at our fingertips to an extent never seen previously and yet that fact doesn’t deter candidates from making false claims. There seems to be a large disconnect between the GOP and reality at times. And despite the fact that many con- servatives can agree on the policies of a candidate, surely it would do nothing but harm to a candidate to be found openly lying to the voters. The candidates themselves are an extremely polaris- ing group. From the brash, confident and often times obnoxiously loud presence of Donald Trump to the still, quiet, borderline lifeless mannerisms of Dr. Ben Carson. The strange concoction of personalities has many political analysts stumped as to the popularity of such candidates. Between the 15 Republicans who are currently running, there are many things that perhaps would turn voters away. Let’s take a look at some of these leading candidates and their issues. Firstly you have Jeb Bush, has to overcome the fear among many that the Bush’s are establishing a presidential dynasty. There is a fear that three Bush’s in 25 years would lessen democracy. This hasn’t stopped him from being a strong front runner, although his polling numbers have gone down significantly as of late. Donald Trump is still the leading candidate for the GOP if polls are to be believed. What started out as a satirist’s dream is now turning out to be a force of nature cam- paign-wise. The real question is whether he is too aggressive to be a president and there are also questions surrounding his tax policies. Ben Carson emerged as a strong contender out of nowhere leaving many baffled as to why. He has an even stranger tax policy to Trump and his droning voice may turn people away. Carly Fiorina has to put the fact that she was at the helm at Hewlett Packard one of its worst periods as well as her failed senate candidacy in 2010 behind her to stand a chance, also her overly aggressive stance against Planned Parenthood could damage her chances with women voters. Marco Rubio is looked at by many as a likely top contender due to his youth and appeal to the Latino community. However he has been attacked on his record as a senator, missing many important votes while running for president. John Kasich is a likely running mate with his often mentioned Reagan-esque quali- ties, however there are many who would argue against his claims of how successful his financial budgeting history has been. Rand Paul is a highly controversial figure as his extremely libertarian outlook has angered many who avail of state provided programmes such as Medicare, Medicaid and social security. Ted Cruz, like Rubio, appeals to the Latino voters with his Cuban heritage, but many question whether his lack of likeability will be his undoing. Mike Huckabee’s complete opposition to the separation of church and state, his opposition to LGBT rights over the years and the issues surrounding his state’s (Ar- kansas) education policies, which have seen the state ranked 49th in percentage of bachelor’s degree graduates and 50th in advanced degree graduates, may cost him dearly with younger voters. Chris Christie is unlikely to win due to his unpopularity in his own state. Christie has been seen as brash and obnoxious by many during his governorship of New Jer- sey, vetoing many bills which had the support of the majority of New Jersey voters. There are also a number of smaller candidates who don’t have a hope of winning. All in all it must be said that the Republican Party may not be as likely to win the race next year as they seem to be.
- 7. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | 7 Is Emperor Palpatine a War Criminal? With Unlimited Power... The Dark Side is a Matter of Perspective Rob O’Sullivan - Designer Xander Cosgrave - Byline Editor With the imminent release of the first instalment of the new Star Wars trilogy two Express editors battle it out to find out, once and for all, if the ‘big bad’ of the Galaxy Far Far Away is a war criminal. I base this argument in a mixture of both fiction and reality: there are some facts in reality that are relevant to supporting arguments made based on fiction (and likely vice-versa) and it is, I believe, a fair assumption that we are making this argument from the point-of- view of one outside the medium, those enjoying the fiction, as opposed to one making the case in-universe in front of some Star-Court. While most of the Emper- or’s crimes were done indirectly to hide his Sith iden- tity, we know it was him pulling the strings behind the scene. In the Universe, the equivalent to a war crime is a “Crime Against Civilisation,” the accused being tried in front of the Galactic Senate which, with the Emper- ors’ stranglehold on the Senate, makes his trial in-Uni- verse impossible, I will admit...however, as stated, this is not the circumstances in which I make my case. ...bloody hell, that’s incredibly nerdy. Well, in for a penny… Point Number 1: Actions During the Trade Block- ade of Naboo. As much as I hate to acknowledge the prequels, to win this argument I will gladly remember midichlorians in all their splendor. The trade block- ade in itself does not quantify a war crime, but what happens at the very beginning of the film does. In an attempt to solve the blockade the Senate sends two Jedi, Qui Gon Jinn & Obi Wan Kenobi, as peaceful ambassadors to the Trade Federation. Upon their arrival, the Jedi are poisoned and their ship blown up. Being the protagonists, the Jedi survive, but the attempted assassination of peacekeeping ambassadors which is entirely orchestrated, as we later find out, by the Emperor quantifies as a war crime. Point Number 2: Clone Army & Order 66. I believe that genetically breeding an army of killing machines, intended only for war, qualifies as a crime of war. The army, began by Palpatine behind the guise of Hego Damask, was bred to be just that: an army. While there could, in theory, be some wiggle room when quantify its status as a war crime, as the soldiers do have a de- gree of free will, this goes out the window when Pal- patine reveals Order 66. The clones were engineered with a bio-chip embedded in their brains that, when the order was given, they were to kill all Jedi on sight. This genocide of a religious order of peacekeepers itself justifies my claims, but on top of that the soldiers pulling the trigger did not have a choice to reject their orders. This action, this breeding of a genocidal kill- squad, earns Palpatine the title of war criminal. Point Number 3: Alderaan. “While Coruscant has always been considered the heart of the Republic, to some extent, Alderaan has been its soul.” Out of the prequels and into A New Hope, we meet the first Death Star. If building something called “the Death Star” isn’t considered a “Crime Against Civilisation” then maybe either we should look at changing the rules, or the Empire should think of better names. In all seriousness (he says in the article debating politics in Star Wars) the order to construct such a method of mass death is a war crime, even if this hasn’t been the case in reality in the past. This point highlights the key of making this argument in a vacuum outside of the universe: history is written by the victors, and the victors rarely paint themselves as criminals. At the end of the films as we have them now, the Rebels haven’t won: the Empire trundles on. Back to the point at hand, Palpatine, through Grand Moff Tarkin, ordered the destruction of the peaceful planet of Alderaan without prior warning; millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. And this is a crime of war. If I haven’t convinced you with these points, then just look at that robe... crime against fashion at the very least. Is Emperor Palpatine a war criminal? I’m going to say no, sure he may have done things that are potentially a bit dodgy, but they hardly constitute war crimes. It’s important to note here, war crimes are defined as serious violations of the law of war, we know there are tribunals and the like in Star Wars, so we’ll frame it around those laws. It’s important we remember this, because so many people do such awful things in Star Wars, the bar for a war crime is fairly high. You have things like blowing up planets, murdering entire races, and wiping out sectors and solar systems as sort of the baseline to look at. It’s a wonderful setting for some- thing whose creator will constantly talk about it being for kids. Let’s look at what could be most directly linked to him, which is order 66, where he had the clone troop- ers kill all Jedi. First, the Jedi are legitimate military targets, everyone of them is a commissioned officer in the Grand Army of the Republic. So his most singu- larly direct action, one thing we can definitely pin on him, isn’t that bad, because it’s hardly a war crime to shoot the officers of a force that are trying to kill you, and indeed, he only made the call after the Jedi attempted to quite clearly launch a coup against him. Not in the Stalin way of being slightly worried about everyone trying to kill you and launching a purge, but in the guys showing up to your office with weapons to depose you and you having very good intelligence saying they all want to kill you sort of way. Maybe a bit heavy handed a response, but hardly a war crime. Maybe, you could say that putting a chip into each of the clone troopers heads that forced them to obey orders without being able to stop and think about them is a war crime. Since the technology used here was ap- parently commonplace, and the troops of choice were clone soldiers and sentient AI, there’s a question about the ethics of using controlled sentient weapons, but everyone in Star Wars seems to be completely okay with it, so probably not a war crime. Indeed, when the galactic government is totally in favour of using these clones, he’s probably not breaching any law to consti- tute being a war criminal. Next up, we have the Death Star, the battlestation of ultimate destruction. Firstly, he never got a chance to use it himself on anything aside from a few test worlds. It was Moff Tarkin who actually blew up a populated world, and in this case Moff’s have fairly autonomous control of what they do, Palpatine simply directed them in broad strokes, and we clearly see in the film that Tarkin takes it upon himself to blow up a peaceful world. Probably a war crime, but Palpatine didn’t do it, and we can’t really see what his response may have been, because afterwards, Tarkin is promptly killed. Palpatine probably wasn’t a great guy, but at no point do we see him do something that is a war crime, unlike the Jedi, who use indoctrinated child soldiers, and are definitely war criminals.
- 8. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS8 | Opinion USI Should Not Run an “Anti-Ronan Mullen” Candidate Likely Candidates for the ‘Anti-Mullen’ Nomination Stephen Spillane - Political Activist Stephen is a former member of the USI LGBT Campaign from 2005-2006 and has been heavily involved in the Irish political system for the greater part of a decade, most recently during the Marriage Equality referendum. Phil Brooks looks towards the Seanad elections and picks his top picks for the USI ‘Anti-Mullen’ nomination The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) announced on Tuesday October 27th that they would consider running a candidate against Senator Ronan Mullen in the National University of Ireland (NUI) Constituency “if he continues to represent hateful and outdated views”. Since first being elected to the Seanad in 2007, Senator Mullen has not changed his views on any of the issues that USI oppose him on. From LGBT rights to abortion, Senator Mullen is the rival to USI and will continue to be despite any threats from USI. In the most recent Seanad Elections in 2011, Senator Mullen topped the poll with 6,459 votes (19%) and was elected to the first seat. Twenty-Seven candidates con- tested that election. Why do USI think that a candidate backed by them would damage Senator Mullen? Senator Ronan Mullen is one of the most visible and active Senators among the University Senators. His run in the 2014 European Elections in the Midlands-North West Constituency where he received 36,326 votes has certainly raised his pro- file. That is more than the total number of voters in the 2011 NUI Seanad Election which totalled 33,831. He played a high profile role in the No Side of the Marriage Equality referendum, taking part in many Television and Radio debates, further raising his profile. While he failed to get elected and the no side lost the referendum, no damage was done to Senator Mullen and further entrenched him as a strong candidate in the eyes of his voters. Senator Mullen is a well-financed candidate and according to his Standard’s in Pub- lic Office returns for 2014 he received €25,500 in donations from eleven individual donors. USI will find it hard to campaign against a candidate with such a large war- chest and a core donor base. By running a candidate in an already crowded field, USI too could damage other progressive candidates such as Senator John Crowne. Senator Crowne who came 2nd in the 2011 election with 4,703 votes (14%), narrowly beating Feargal Quinn’s total of 4,591 (13%), could see his vote share decline if the USI was to run an an- ti-Mullen candidate. This of course could see Ronan Mullen easily returned to the Seanad as his opposi- tion is split. David Barrett PhD student in Irish Politics in Trinity College Dublin says, ‘The USI and Mullen are targeting completely different constituencies. It suggests a misunderstanding of why people vote the way they do to think that suggesting that Mullen is hateful will somehow persuade his voters to switch to a candidate expressing the opposite view than what they have been voting for, for years. The USI would likely draw votes from those who never supported Mullen, which would not hurt his re-election prospects but would help him solidify his place as a likely poll-topper.’ With many USI Colleges outside the NUI Constituency including large colleges such as TCD and the institutes of technology, as well as UCD remaining outside of USI, plus a lack of an effective alumni contacting system, instead being dependent on its member unions, would make it very difficult for the USI to effectively chal- lenge in the NUI Constituency. If the Government passes the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amend- ment) Bill 2014, which is still at draft stage, to legislate for the Seventh Amend- ment passed in 1979 to extend the franchise of voters in the University Panel’s then the USI may have a hope, until then, any action taken by the USI to run another candidate in the NUI panel would surely backfire. The USI would be far better off working with established candidates such as Sena- tor John Crowne or working with organisations such as the National Youth Council of Ireland to run a candidate in the NUI Constituency and ensure another progres- sive voice in Seanad Eireann at the expense of one harking back to a different Ireland. Laura Harmon: The favourite for the USI nod is former President (and former UCC student) Laura Harmon. Rumoured to be running for the Dail for Labour following public success during the Marriage Equality referendum, Ms. Harmon is the antithesis of Mr. Mullen in almost every way, and would be a very electable candidate for the NUI seat. While this comment is speculative, it is believed by most that Ms. Harmon is the current forerunner in the minds of USI Officer Board. Lynn Ruane: The current Trinity College Students’ Union President is a bit of a dark horse for the USI nomination, but isn’t when it comes to the Seanad itself. A former participant in Senator Katherine Zappone’s ‘An Cosan’ programme, Ms. Ruane is expected to follow in Ms. Zappone’s footsteps in entering the upper house of the Oireachtas. An able political activist with an inspiring story, it’s only a matter a time before she is elected to government, and would be a smart choice for USI if they want to unseat Mr. Mullen. Kevin Donoghue: Current USI President and NUIG graduate, Mr. Donoghue is also indeed a likely candidate for the USI nod. Being a USI ‘BMW Regional’ Officer and a native of the re- gion, he would be an apt replacement for Mr. Mullen in the Seanad. Seen by some as a moderate in student politics when it comes to tact, Mr. Donoghue could be a more attractive candidate to older voters than others. It’s unlikely, in my opinion, that Mr. Donoghue will be the candidate because...well, it’s a bit gauche to nominate yourself, isn’t it? Honourable Mentions: Senator Averil Power, Annie Hoey (USI), Glenn Fitzpatrick (USI), Rory O’Neill (Panti Bliss), Cian Power (USI), Joe Kennedy (UCCSU)
- 9. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | 9 Opinion ASK ME If I’m ‘Asking for it’ Siobhán Maire O’ Donnell - UCC Express Contributor What can we do? Let’s be real, we’ve never had a class on how to say no to men but we know the drill. Don’t wear something that’s too revealing or too tight, it’s either boobs or legs. Don’t go to the bathroom on your own or walk anywhere alone at night, don’t accept drinks from strangers and always be ready to defend yourself with your stylish weapon of choice-your river island clutch bag, standard. In short, society teaches: don’t get raped, rather than don’t rape. The Rape Culture in Ireland has been much-publicized recently as a result of the Ask Consent Campaign. Around Cork there are Billboards emphasising the best and only way to prevent rape- to ask. Rape culture tells us that guys have a right to get mad when a girl doesn’t want to sleep with him, because she kissed him and was flirting or dancing provocatively. All of these are used to justify the notorious dismissal: sure look, she was asking for it. There is a consequential pressure on women to watch our actions. It leaves us feeling like our social and physical safety is dependent on other people’s impres- sion of how “good” and unassuming we are being as we walk down college road or Highfield Avenue to pre drinks on a Tuesday or Thursday night. The premise that if a woman was more modest or ‘proper’ she would not have found herself in that situation leads people to blame victims and ignore the responsibility of the men who are raping, harassing and objectifying women. Our Society constantly says it’s just the ‘lad culture’ that men cannot help them- selves, especially after a few pints from catcalling, or groping people or worse. Lads will be whatever they want to be. And we have the power to decide what that is. There is one message that I feel every guy should hear. If your with a girl on a night out there is one simple thing you can do: ask her Ask if she’s okay with it; ask her if she wants to do this. It’s simple. You already asked her name, what course she’s doing and if she’d like you to get her a drink, it’s only one more question and possibly the most important one. Furthermore, we need to change our view as a Society. This means both sexes male AND female. During the discussion of Rape culture there is a tendency to turn into a man-hate argument, when in fact women need to radically change how we view women who have been victims of rape. If I were to ask you what you thought the ‘ideal jury’ would be for a rape trial you would probably tell me that a ‘female dominated’ jury would be the best, right? Well surprisingly preliminary findings of Rape Attrition study at NUI Galway found in a six year study (2000-2005) on the outcomes of sex crimes in the Central Criminal Court, in that time female-dominat- ed juries failed to convict a single person of rape. Of course this is not to say that every female-dominated jury won’t convict not at all, it’s just an interesting point. As women we tend to try to distance ourselves from the victim. Every woman does it. You try to pinpoint something about that girl that caused her to be raped because we don’t want to believe it could happen to just anyone. We don’t want to believe it could happen to us. In the confrontational, brilliant and bold new book ‘Asking for it’ written by Louise O’ Neill, the fictional character, 18 year old girl Emma O’ Donovan is raped at a party by the towns local heroes, it shows how the victim of rape is often portrayed: “They are all innocent until proven guilty. Not me, I am a liar until I am proven honest.” This pretty much sums it up. It explains why the figures put forward by Rape Network Ireland (RCNI) show that 80% of all sexual violence victims do not report to the gardaí. If a girl doesn’t think she is a ‘perfect victim’ because she left the nightclub with him or because she had been drinking they will not report it for fear they won’t be taken seriously. A British University student who sparked controversy with his response to an invite to a consent classes Firstly on a national level, section 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 governs the law of rape in Ireland. Central to our laws on rape is the idea of consent. For example, we have to ask if the consent was given voluntarily. De- spite being an essential ingredient to the offence in this context it has not yet been defined by legislation. Accordingly, judicial analysis offers our only guidelines on what consent is. When consent has been defined in England, Scotland, Australia, Canada and most common law jurisdictions it makes little sense that we do not have a clear statutory definition. In 2003 Rape crisis Ireland A new sexual offences Bill has been published as of September 2015. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015 is a welcomed piece of legislation. It sets out new offences to protect children against child grooming and online predators, sets the age of consent to remain at 17 with an add- ed two year proximity clause, however it still does not define consent. RCNI have been advocating for the Bill to include a positive definition of consent and add- ing an open list of situations in which there is no consent before it is passed. This would only serve to provide clarity have positive reverberations in this area of law. We can do a lot more within our college as well. Many Universities in the UK and the US have introduced mandatory workshops that deal with consent. On one hand it represents some sort of social and moral failure that some students beginning their Third-level education have to take a course to have boundaries around sexual consent explained to them. However, if it is the step needed to change attitudes then it is certainly something we should be lobbying for UCC to consider introducing. If we look at other gender equality campaigns that have blown up in the last few years such as the ‘free the nipple’ movement and the ‘Slutwalks’ in America and now the Ask Consent Campaign here we can see that there is change in the air. Our sexuality has been for years taken away from us and sold back to us by the media. It’s time we take it back. And with regards to sex if you think she’s asking for it- just ask!
- 10. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS10 | Opinion Dropping Out Diarmaid Twomey Disclaimer: The below opinion piece does not represent the view of any Express editors nor the Express itself. Apart from a few small edits for spelling and grammar the piece has not being altered to change the tenor or tone of the piece, to correct factu- al errors or in any way alter authorial intent. It is presented here to offer another view on a topic the Express has previously covered, recent comments made by Dr. Michael Murphy about the possible value of some current students leaving college to pursue establishing their own enterprises and create jobs. Pack up those bags folks. End of semester exam and assignment worries, be no more. Word has come through that you’re not wanted around here anymore. Who does this advice come from? A doctor, no less. But not only a doctor who enjoyed the fruits of an education which he now would prefer you didn’t have, but it is the same doctor who, by now, must only be pre- siding over our university in name. Yes, our very own Dr. Michael Murphy needs you creating jobs, and not blocking up the hallways of his college, fooling yourself into thinking that an education is something to value and cherish. There’s tax to be paid, and six figure salaries to sustain, don’t be so selfish. I’ve often wondered about the hypocrisy of a state which has waxed lyrical about how smart their economy is, while systematically ensuring that the education required to become a cog in the wheel of this now infamous ‘smart economy’, becomes ever less attainable. It seems word has trickled down from the highest parts of government to our very own university presi- dent, a man who no doubt knows all too well the value of an education. As a consequence, we have gone from a narrative that only recently suggested the only purpose of third level education should be to make you ‘job ready’, to one where a university president is now suggesting that you shouldn’t even be arsed with an education full stop. Quite an evolution of thought process in such a short space of time it must be said. ‘What better way to disincentivise binary thinking around professional and personal development post-secondary education, than to suggest more limited notions of people’s worth outside of the mainstream academia which UCC offers, eh?’ Of course, there are elements of truth to what Dr. Murphy says; he argues that a university education does not suit everyone. This is very true; aca- demia does not play to many people’s natural strengths, however his asser- tion that he is somehow being outspoken and innovative is nothing short of comical. What better way to disincentivise binary thinking around profes- sional and personal development post-secondary education, than to suggest more limited notions of people’s worth outside of the mainstream academia which UCC offers, eh? If academia isn’t for you, best get out and make a job and forget about trying to make use of your natural talents. He goes on to suggest that if you fail at business, you can just saunter back into education again. It’s all so easy isn’t it? I am not sure if Dr. Murphy ever had a busi- ness fail or studied as a mature student, but neither are very easy. I should know, I have done one and am in my third year of trying to complete the other. But even aside from all that, his greatest folly was in his omission of one enormous, yet critical detail; enrol once, the state picks up the tab for your ‘free education’, enrol a second time, the fees are your responsibility. I know of someone who is paying close to €10,000 per annum because of this conveniently omitted detail. A nominal amount for a doctor or univer- sity president perhaps, but not for a young adult trying to start their career, believe me. ‘This represents yet another shock wave in a roll of seismic tremors that have been shaking the foundations of our once valued, albeit briefly, education system’ But there is a wider and more worrying point to all this. This represents yet another shock wave in a roll of seismic tremors that have been shaking the foundations of our once valued, albeit briefly, education system. Make no mistake about it, the Irish education system is being systematically attacked by a political movement that for whatever reason, looks to undermine it at every opportunity. Since 2008, the ‘contribution’ required on behalf of a student to enrol or remain in our ‘free’ third level education system has almost quadrupled. In 2012, a bonus scheme was introduced to unfairly reward leaving cert students who took higher level maths extra CAO points; a move that blatantly undermines the idea of an equitable education system which impartially rewards and caters for all our young people. Why? Well, simply put, there’s nothing more effective at garnering action from our gov- ernment, than having some tax avoiding multinationals throw their toys out of the pram. Sher why not totally change the value of our education system on the whim of a few CEO’s? It’s not as if education is about anything other than making yourself ‘job ready’ for some companies who would leave our shores at the drop of a hat, or the suggestion that they pay a fair level of tax. But it didn’t stop there; most recently in 2014, the Department of Education attempted to degrade the Junior Cert by passing the responsibility of exam marking to the student’s individual teachers, thereby removing the external examinations board involvement. Can anyone honestly see these changes as enhancing our education system in any way? ‘These may seem like minor shifts, especially when the PR trains of government roll into town. But collectively, they mark a dangerous precedent in the development, or regression in this case, of our education system’ Of course in isolation, these may seem like minor shifts, especially when the PR trains of government roll into town. But collectively, they mark a dan- gerous precedent in the development, or regression in this case, of our edu- cation system. This government has presided over the reintroduction of fees via the hiking of student contribution charges, the dumbing down of the Jun- ior Cert and the creation of an inequitable Leaving Cert system in order to suit vested, private interests. Now we have people who should be champions of third level education and all it can offer our young, asserting the complete opposite. Why? It’s time to get off the fence and be honest with the youth of today. Either their future lies within a ‘smart economy’ in which education is valued, equitable, enriching and worthwhile, or, we train kids from the age of 5 to be ‘job ready’ and forget everything else education offers us outside of monetary gain, and call it what it is, the dumbed-down, ‘cheaper for those who have already ascended the ladder’ economy. Fine Gael, Labour and Dr. Murphy may not think the youth of today deserve a free, balanced and equitable education, but even they know you deserve the truth, so you need to start demanding it.
- 11. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | 11 Every issue the UCC Express team look back at our own print history and pick out some...interesting bits from papers’ past. Disclaimer: We present these excerpts unedited, to highlight how much has changed since they were first published. FLASH BACK< On this page you can see the entire arc of an on campus referendum on the issue of disseminating information about abortion. These are all taken from two issues in 1989’s The Gazette, the earliest mention of abortion I can find in our Express archives. To be quite clear here, in 1989 UCC students voted apparently largely in favour of not even allowing the dispersal of information related to abortion on campus, never mind actually drive the Student’s Union to advocate for women’s reproductive rights. This is obviously important in light of the fact another referendum will occur on our campuses this year, a referendum to do just that and force the SU to take action by calling on the Government to arrange a referendum to appeal the 8th. Make no mistake on this, the failure of this 1989 referendum to pass, the flippant remarks made about the referendum’s failure and the attitudes I’ve seen this year by some students on abortion are emotive issues for many and this campaign will be a gruelling one. It is one worth fighting for though. We cannot let another referendum of this ilk fail. Real lives are on the line every day until the 8th amendment is repealed. Watch this space.
- 12. Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS12 |
- 13. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | 13
- 14. The Interview: John Caulfield, Cork City Manager Dylan O Connell - Comics Editor In advance of the FAI Cup Final against favourites Dundalk, our own Dylan O Connell had a chat with Cork City FC manager John Caulfield about the club, the city and the state of the beatiful game itself. For more information on Cork City FC, go to www.CorkCityFC.ie. EXPRESS: So John, with the buzz about the FAI Cup final next Sunday, how’re you feeling? JOHN CAULFIELD: I feel okay yeah, we’ve had a few knocks so we’re hoping this week they might clear up absolutely our form in the last 12-14 days you know we won away at pats and Bohs and drew with Dundlak which where three high intensity games which where needed, you know he challenge next week is that next week, Dundalk are overwhelming favourites they won the league by a mile this year they are expected to win while our form dipped in the last few months you know when people look back where to we have been and we need to put in a massive performance next Sunday, if we do then we win the cup and if we don’t we lose. Simple as. EX: Are you trying not to let it set into your players that they’re playing on the big stage, the Aviva Stadium, and how are you preparing for the game? JC: There’s two ways to look at it. You can be overwhelmed and not preform and go there an embrace the occasion. As footballers say this is where I want to be and this is where I want to play and this is where I want to be. People react differently. I was hoping with-... I’m hoping that we can go into the occasion and soak up in the atmosphere, and the fact that we avebt that we played there before, but we do have a few experienced guys but as the same time we go into the occasion and soak up the atmosphere and hopefully soak it up. EX: How did you find the change, from stepping up from UCC and Munster Senior League to League of Ireland? Like in the space of five weeks at the club you were bringing in gate respites of over 5,000 along with galvanising the City and club which was shown on Monday Night Soccer as well as with all the City tops around the City! JC: It’s obviously different, like I was with amateur football at Avondale where I won national cups and then I stepped up to UCC where I won the Collingwood Cup. The big difference is that these guys are getting paid. These guys are professionals and train every day to make their living and as well as that it is the highest level in the country with the opportunity to play European football. I suppose it’s the chal- lenge coming in was huge, and John Cotter coming in, but my knowledge coming in of the League OF Ireland Is huge from a player and watching. Whenever your in the top level of non-league with UCC and Avondale, and with the highest level at City, you’re still dealing with people and you have to treat them with respect and with dignity. The main difference is that these guys are getting paid and playing at the highest level. When we first came in that was the prioty; to try and galvanise these groups of players and the team. We had a phenomenal season this year, we’re second again unfortunately but that’s where we have been at, Dundalk have pushed the bar high. But we are in a cup final and qualified for Europe two seasons in a row. This is a building process and we’ll be stronger next year and we’re hoping to drive the club on. Win or lose next Sunday, if we win it would be a fantastic occasion for our support- ers, but the important thing is that we drive on and were back here next year. EX: Is this the biggest game of your managerial career? JC: As a manager? It’s hard to know/ I’m suppose it’s the fact that it’s the cup final in the Aviva. I suppose from a public perspective and a supporter’s perspective it’s brilliant from a supporter’s point of view. I haven’t really thought of that to be hon- est. I came in here to do a job. To revive the club and bring back the glory days and bring the club back to the glory days and back in Europe. EX: Do you think a UCC League of Ireland team would be sustainable? JC: The problem with that, from a UCC point of view, they would have to put in phenomenal finance. You’re not going to compete with the Munster Senior League sides. When you look at UCD, half of their team hasn’t been in UCD. When UCD have done well in the Premier Division they have had a lot of outside players, or players who have been in UCD have then taken on in a full time capacity. There is a misconception that they have a team of students. A strong indicator of this, the gap between senior league and the premier division is massive, when the college here won the Collingwood this year, they played Dundalk in the League Cup a month later and Dundalk felieded 11 changes from their change. UCC had their full strength Collingwood team and Dundalk felied their second team, and the score line was still 5-0. The differences are you go up is the speed, the strength and the quality of players. EX: Do you even think that a second team in Cork would be sustainable on the same scale of Cork City FC? JC: No chance, I would say no chance, simply because, from an outsider’s view before I took the job; Cork is a sports mad City everyone follows everything; Soccer, rugby, hurling, football and everyone wants to win. Everyone follows the winning team. It’s different to other counties. So from my POV, when we were doing really well we can bring in 5-6 thousand supporters. Our crowds where down to 1,200 people and sixth in the table. But if you’re not competing for the top you won’t bring in the supporters. EX: Sure John, I remember I met a Pats fan up at a comic convention last August and he was telling me that two years ago Pats played Dundalk for the title and Dundalk sold out their allocation. The game ended 1-0 to the Saints, and the fol- lowing week Dundalk where back to crowds of 400 again. JC: What we have in Cork we have a massive following, but a lot of people only come for the big occasions, like football, soccer, Munster and only go to the big games. Like we don’t have the fan base for 5 and 6 thousand each week but what we do have s a dedicated fan base. So that is why a second team would not be sus- tainable for a second team. I don’t know how a second team could survive. EX: Would you like to see a more expansive league though, with more teams from the west of Ireland as opposed to a Dublin dominated league? Or do you think that with Dundalk, City, Shamrock Rovers and St. Pats all getting money now from Europe, do you think that they could take off and leave the other teams behind? JC: Unfortunately n Ireland professional players are only played 24-30 weeks of the season. That’s why so many go to England. They sign for Championship and League One clubs. Shamrock Rovers, Pats, can’t pay players in the off season. Ideally a 52 week season would be brilliant. While you’re right about the team win- ning the league and getting more money, we all need to compete 14 | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | UCC EXPRESS
- 15. Continued from the Back Cover... Honours Even in Tight Queen’s Clash Neil Willoughby - Sports Editor Monday morning saw the dead rubber third place play off between UCC and QUB. Inclement weather conditions meant the pitch at Garyduff was unplayable and thus the tie reverted to penalty stokes. Despite valiant efforts from rookie goalkeeper Jack Cherry, he was unable to prevent the Ulstermen sneaking it 5-4. Despite the disheartening nature of UCC’s exit from the competition the side saw of Trinity at the Mardyke arena by a goal to nil in the opening round of the Irish Senior Cup on Saturday. The ladies took on DIT in their opening match and started out with a good confident performance. UCC came out 4-0 winners with goals from Rachel Foley, Sarah Browner, Kate Harvey and Captain Nicola Kerr. Their next game was later that day and versus the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. UUJ’s unrelenting frantic and fast-paced approach was too much for a tired UCC in the first half seeing the Cork side 2-0 down at the break. Irish international Megan Frazer extended the reigning champions lead in the opening exchanges of the second half with Antonia McGrath getting a consolation goal back through a short corner in the closing minutes but the game ended 3-1 to the visitors. UCC qualified through the pool stages as runners-up and were drawn to take on UCD in the semi-final. The teams were evenly matched in the first half, but the Dubliners proved to have too much experience in their side as they ground out a 2-0 victory to progress to the final. UCC will hope to get revenge when they meet again in the EY league later on in the season. UCC’s next and final game was the 3rd place play off against Queens University Belfast, seeing a mirroring of the Men’s 3rd place play-off take place. A goal from Rachel Foley and a cleanly taken short corner from Clodagh Moloney saw UCC take a 2-0 lead into the 2nd half. However, UCC were Fatigued causing problems for Phil Oakley’s team. QUB capitalised on missed tackles and got the 2 goals they needed to tie the game to bring the game to penalty strokes after a scoreless extra-time. Sarah Wrixon performed very well between the sticks and coolly taken strokes from Saoirse O’Leary, Clodagh Moloney, Antonia McGrath and Emma Barber was enough for UCC to take the Bronze medal home. On Saturday the ladies got their revenge as they defeated Queen’s 5-3 in the Irish Senior Cup opening round with Kate Harvey, Toni McGrath, Rachel Foley all scoring while Sarah Browner earned a brace. The impressive victory came without captain Nicola Kerr who suffered an injury in training during the week. UCC men’s first team took on Queen’s University, Belfast in round six of the Ulster Bank All-Ireland League division 2A on Saturday. The contest was tense and hard-fought from the opening few minutes with both sides desperate to get the win and the four points to get their season back on track. The sides came into the match separated by just one point on the League table, with UCC holding a one point advantage, both teams winning two from their opening five encounters. UCC attacked menacingly from the early stages and it paid dividends as Tim Clifford went over ten minutes into the clash to give College a 5-0 lead after a missed conversion from Full-Back Kevin O’Keeffe. QUB stacked on the pressure as they looked to reply on the scoreboard. They quickly built up a dominant lead through three quickly taken scores including two converted tries and a penalty, adding another three points just before the interval. UCC managed to keep themselves in the game, crucially scoring just before half- time to gain confidence heading into the second half. This time Kevin Slater touched down, again O’Keeffe failing to add the extras. The second half began much the same as QUB again got over the line to bring their lead out to seventeen points at 27-13 as College replied with a penalty from O’Keeffe’s boot. UCC continued to fight seeing Conor Barry make his way over the try line, this time O’Keeffe made no mistake and gave UCC the valuable two additional points to make the gap just seven points with twenty five minutes to go. The match continued at its high intensity pace with many turns yet to be taken in a thrilling encounter marked with expansive and threatening rugby. UCC enjoyed a purple patch following Barry’s try and quickly added two more tries, both converted, to give themselves a 34-27 lead with ten minutes to go. The dream comeback was on the cards, but QUB were determined to get something from the game having dominated for much of proceedings, getting their just reward in the dying moments along with the conversion to draw the match at 34 all. The scoreline stayed there as both sides took home two points for the draw and an additional four try bonus point. The result marked UCC’s best result on the road this season as they took away three points from a possible five to get their season back on track fol- lowing good home form along with disappointing results away from the Mardyke. UCC currently see themselves sitting in fifth position in the table with a total of fourteen points after two wins, a draw and four bonus points behind rivals Naas RFC by a point. Malone and Banbridge sit in theird and second place respectively on twenty points while Cashel RFC, who defeated UCC by a point in round four, sit on top with a haul of twenty-one points. In other news the women’s rugby team earned their first league win of the season to complete a successful week- end for UCC. The women comprehen- sively defeated Waterford IT by 51-7 in a dominant and impressive display with captain Lane leading the way and earning the player of the match award. Sports News In Brief: Darts UCC’s first team enjoyed a 3-2 victory over The Huntsman Bar with Martin McGregor, Mark O’Shea and TJ Kenneally all winning their clashes to continue their recent good league form. UCC’s second team were on the wrong side of the same scoreline as the Beergarden took the plaudits despite wins from Podge Haughney and John McCarthy. | 15UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, November 3rd 2015
- 16. The Mardyke Arena played host to the Irish Hockey Inter Varsities over the October Bank Holiday weekend as the competition returned to the rebel county. The men’s side where hoping for a repeat of the last time the tournament came Leeside, when they emerged victorious in 2012. Trinity College, Dublin were the opposition in their opening encounter with tensions already high after these sides were set to face each other in the Irish Senior Cup 1st round which took place in Cork on Saturday 31st of October. Not only the college rivalry but familial rivalry as the Chambers and Colton families each having one son on either team. The pace of the match reflected that it was always going to be a heated contest. Also, as anticipated a physical affair played out with UCC’s unrelenting intensity and pressure from the start proving too much for Trinity to handle. Goals came from Gary Wilkinson, Andy Colton, Wesley Brownlow and a brace from Fionn O’Leary to give UCC a resounding 5-0 victory. The following morning, UCC’s second and final pool stage match was against a very strong University of Ulster, Jordanstown side. Each team knewtheirplaceinthesemi-final was assured after both ensured victories over Trinity. However the spoils for top spot and a more favourable semi-final proved incentive enough for both sides as they played out a thoroughly competitive encounter, with the game being played at a frantic pace. UCC managed to lead UUJ 3-2 going into the closing stages of the game, edging the contest just. In particular Andy Colton’s dominant performance in midfield ensured UUJ’s international contingent remained subdued. However, a controversial decision saw UUJ awarded a penalty corner, giving UUJ a lifeline which they duly converted in the dying embers of the game. The 3-3 draw afforded them top spot in the group via goal difference. Laterthatevening,UCCplayed DIT in the semi-final looking to build on their impressive opening performances. The match was end-to-end from the very start providing great entertainment for all in attendance with DIT edging it with a goal late into extra time. That was after summer signing, Sam Grace coolly converted a penalty corner in the last play of the game to take the game into extra time. The 5-4 result was disheartening for UCC as they again conceded late in the match and also due to UUJ easily dispatching of a weak Queen’s University Belfast side by 7 goals to nil in the other semi-final. However, despite the end result Coach Neil Welch remained extremely impressed with the quality of performance UCC brought throughout the competition. (continued on page 15) InterVarsity Disappointment for UCC Inside Sport Page 14 Tuesday, November 3rd 2015 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 5 ABSOLUTELY HOCKEYED: Andy Colton carries the ball into Trinity’s half for UCC Men’s Hockey Club (PHOTO: Paul Colton) Fred McElroy & Clodagh Moloney - Sports Writers PREVIEW: EXPRESS INTERVIEWS CORK CITY BOSS JOHN CAULFIELD AHEAD OF FAI CUP FINAL CLASH ucc sport