1. Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 3
Zoe Cashman - News Editor
UCC has been named The
Sunday Times University of
the Year for a record-breaking
fourth time in The Sunday
Times Good University
Guide 2016, with Maynooth
University coming runner-up.
UCC follows up its triumphs
in 2003, 2005 and 2011, with
the guide commenting that
the college has a growing
international reputation based
on its high performance in
research, attracting students and
staff from around the world.
College President Dr. Michael
Murphy welcomed the
announcement, commenting
âWe are very pleased to have
been named University of the
Yearforafourthtime.Thisaward
recognises UCCâs tradition
of independent thinking,
exceptional student experience,
considerable track record for
innovation and particularly our
rate of graduate employmentâ.
Murphy concluded that âit is
also a welcome recognition of
the hard work of staff, students
and all those who contribute to
our successâ.
This year, the college
was recognised by a new
ranking system initiated by
the EU Commission. The
U-Multirank, which assesses
1,200 universities and higher
education institutions in 83
countries, placed UCC at the top
of the table. The ranking system
was measured by the grading of
30 different headings, in which
UCC got 21 A grades out of the
30 headings.
One of the main factors in
UCCâs success is its ability to
generate research income. It is
the top institution nationally for
this, generating the equivalent
of more than âŹ120,000 for
every member of academic
staff in research income, a
total of âŹ83.9m last year. The
investment has paid off as UCC
is now placed 52nd out of 750
leading universities, based on
research papers published in top
academic journals.
The college also has the best
progression rate from first
to second year of all higher
educationinstitutionsnationally,
just a 7% drop out rate.
(continued on page 2)
UCC Named University of the Year 2015
NetSoc Launch New
Societies Website
Page 3
A Look at Mental
Health Supports
Page 10
OLYMPIC GLORY: UCC honours three athletes who competed in Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 PHOTO: Tomas Tyner
Interview:
Gavin Dunne of
âMiracle of Soundâ
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2. Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS
(cont. from front page)
It also has one of the higher proportions of students from disadvantaged backgrounds (21%). UCC has
also seen its graduate employment rate improve, only 6% of 2014 graduates are actively looking for
a job compared to 7.6% last year.
Alastair McCall, Editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, stated that âUCC has won our
award on more occasions than any other university in Ireland - and with good reason. It displays an
academic restlessness that keeps it striving for the constant improvement that maintains its position
ahead of many of its peers, both nationally and internationallyâ. McCall concluded by saying âStudents
at UCC get a great deal - and they know itâ.
StudentsâUnion President,Aidan Coffey, is delighted at the news, but also stated that âItâs now essential
that UCC builds on this momentum and justifies its place as university of the year by addressing key
issues affecting students such as the library, increasing common spaces for students and allocating
sufficient resources for essential students services, such as health services and counsellingâ.
The Sunday Times Good University Guide is now in its 14th year of publication. It provides the
definitive rankings for Irish third-level institutions together with profiles of each institution, and a view
from students of what it is like to study there. It also contains the first full listing of 2016 courses and
first-round entry points required to get into these courses.
Inside Today:
UCC Fall in QS Rank Page 4
Grad. Employment Page 6
Elderly In Ireland Page 8
Mental Health Page 10
Harry Potter Photos Page 12
Special Olympics Page 15
Editor-in-Chief: Brian Conmy
Deputy & News Editor: Zoe 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 OâSullivan
Fashion Editor: Jessica NiMhaolain
Online Editor: Afraic OâRiordain
Byline Editor: Xander Cosgrave
Fiction Editor: Austin Dowling
Humour Editor: Lauren Mulvihill
Arts & Lit Editor: Colm Ferlong
Film & TV Editor: Olivia Brown
Gaming Editor: Aoife Gleeson
Music Editor: Holly Cooney
Comic Editor: Dylan O Connell
Editorial team
2 |
Letter from the Editor
As An Editor...
For those unfamiliar with the inner goings on of
the Express, arenât you lucky, but also I guess
itâs important to clarify something. I read every
word that goes into this newspaper and mag-
azine as well as every word that goes online.
While I might not pick up every spelling, gram-
mar or factual error at the very least I give every
piece a certain level of thought about whether or
not Iâm comfortable standing by the content of
the article.
This becomes difficult to do when it comes to
slightly more opinion based articles, a few more
of which feature in this issue when compared to
previous publications this year. One in particular
gave me more than a moment of pause, a quick
desire to find a replacement piece, a less quick
desire to do a slight rewrite and eventually an
acceptance that opinions other than my own
should have a place to be expressed. Particularly
when they are expressed in good faith and with-
out ill intent as I believe this article in particular
was.
So with that in mind I hope if youâre reading
this you realise that the Express can be a place
for you to try and express opinions perhaps less
seen in the mainstream. College, as we always
hear, is a place to find yourself and if part of
that is airing a belief, a thought or a desire you
donât see articulated elsewhere then we welcome
your attempt to do so. If not in print then online,
a platform weâre trying with great attention to
grow. In fact our website had its greatest week in
history based on the success of one article before
we had to close it for maintenance for a few
days. Timing is everything after all.
If you, like I did this week, ever feel challenged
by anything you see in this paper and wish to
air your thoughts please feel free to contact us
through Facebook, Twitter, our website or by
email at editor@uccexpress.ie. A letter to the
editor doesnât have to be done by post anymore.
UCC Declared Top University in Ireland
Brian Conmy - Editor
3. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | 3
Netsoc Launches New Societiesâ Website
Survey Reveals Driving is a âmustâ for Graduate Jobs
Zoe Cashman - News Editor
Chris McCahill - Deputy News Editor
A recent survey of 1,500 secondary and
third level students and graduates,
conducted by Enterprise Rent-A-Car,
found that 85% of second and third
level students believe that being able to
drive is an essential skill required for
employability. Of the students surveyed,
over half (52%) had already applied for
jobs where driving was a requirement,
while 42% felt that not having a full
licence reduced their employment op-
portunities. The survey also found that
more females than males felt discour-
aged to apply for jobs where driving
was a requirement.
Furthermore, 85% of those surveyed felt
that not enough emphasis was placed
on learning how to drive in second and
third level education. 47% said they
learned to drive at the legal age of 17
and fewer than 31% had taken the test
at 18.
The survey also discovered that third
level students are learning to drive at
a younger age compared to those who
graduated in 2010. More than half of
those currently attending third level in-
stitutes learnt how to drive at the age of
17 compared to less 32% of graduates
of more than 5 years.
âIndependenceâ was noted as the most
common reason for learning to drive
(68%), while âa good skill to haveâ was
second (32%). A more practical concern
such as âLack of public transport routesâ
(32%) was the other major motivating
factor, while motivation from parents
and friends accounted for 19% and 8%.
The survey also identified cost as being
the largest obstacle for those who did
not already have a licence with 57%
citing that it was âtoo expensiveâ.
This research comes at a crucial time
when more and more companies require
their graduate employees to have a full
driving licence, according to Leslee
OâLoughlin, Group Human Resources
Manager at Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
âAs the class of 2015 get ready to take
the next step on the education ladder,
they will be assessing all the options
open to them and the skills they may
require in their future endeavours. It is
important for students to understand
the value driving has as a skill and how
much emphasis is put on this skill in the
career they wish to pursueâ.
Loughlin concluded that âby not being
able to drive many candidates are ruling
themselves out of a number of positions
before the application process has even
begun. To an employer a candidateâs
ability to drive can demonstrate their
willingness to learn new skills and their
motivation and dedication to succeed.â
Last Wednesday, the Networking, Gam-
ing and Technology Society (Netsoc)
launched âLowdownâ, a new solution
for keeping track of UCC Societiesâ
events.
Boasting a weekly email newsletter and
integrations with calendar apps such
as iCloud and Google Calendar, the
innovative project âLowdownâ provides
a solution to finding out about societiesâ
events easily.
âItâs about building in to the systems
people are using alreadyâ, commented
developer and Netsoc finance officer
Colm Cahalane. âwe take our event data
directly from Facebook and organ-
ise it into a neat little website to help
people find out about events theyâll
loveâ. Organised under the slogan
âItâs everything you love in one placeâ,
âLowdownâ represents the first of a
series of Netsoc open-source projects
for the year.
Cahalane went on to say that âWeâd
love to get more students interested in
developing applications and services
with us to help make the college a better
place. Weâve made all the code for this
project available on our Github page,
and weâre accepting contributions to
build on it even furtherâ.
Auditor Evan Smith excitedly com-
mented that âWeâve joined Irelandâs
inter-societies network and set ourselves
up in the Cork Internet eXchangeâ. He
went on to state their aspirations for
the coming year, stating that âThis year
weâre hoping to give student developers
a place to practice, play and explore.
Thanks to donations from our sponsors
in CIX, Nova Broadband and Team-
work.com, and the support of other
societies in Intersocs, weâve been able
to set up quickly!â.
The UCC Netsoc is a small but rapidly
growing student society, and the only
technology-focused society on campus.
Their mission as a society is to help
breed and explore a curiosity in all
technologies.
Having released a statement of intent
this summer proudly declaring âwe
wont stop until every student on campus
benefits from what we have to offerâ,
UCC Netsoc has been going from
strength to strength. Future plans for the
society include giving students access
to web-space, virtual machines, version
control and file storage/backup. You can
find âLowdownâ online on
http://lowdown.netsoc.co/.
Enterprise survey reveals 85% do not think enough importance is placed on driving in schools and universities
4. Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS
UCC Sees Narrow Drop In QS World Rankings
Blind Musicians Get Helping Hand
Stefan Stewart - News Writer
SiobhĂĄn OâDonnell - News Writer
UCC has performed generally well
in the QS World University Rankings
2015. This twelfth edition of QS rank-
ing places UCC at 233rd out of 891
institutions included, in comparison to
2014 where UCC positioned 230th out
of 863.
Published since 2004, the QS world
university ranking is an annual league
table of the top universities in the world.
Compiled by the QS Intelligence Unit in
close consultation with an international
advisory board of learning academics,
the QS World University Rankings
continue to be widely referenced by
prospective and current students, uni-
versity professionals and governments
worldwide.
The purpose of these rankings is to pro-
vide a global comparison of universities
and their success against the notional
mission of remaining, or becoming,
world-class. Criteria of the rankings
are based on four key pillars, research,
teaching, employability and interna-
tionalization. These are selected using
a methodology of six key indicators:
academic reputation (40%), employer
reputation (10%), and faculty student
ratio (20%), citations per faculty (20%),
international students (5%) and interna-
tional faculty (5%).
UCC have managed to improve its
position in Natural science (from 273 to
246) and has held its position in Social
Sciences & Management (311). Howev-
er, it has fallen back in Life Sciences &
Medicine, Engineering & Technology
and Arts & Humanities.
Within this Irish context, UCC ranks 3rd
of the eight Irish institutions, staying
ahead of NUIG, DCU, UL, Maynooth
and DIT by a considerable margin. TCD
still leads the Irish pack at 78th but has
also declined slightly in the rankings.
Commenting on the result, UCC
President Dr Michael Murphy stated
that âFollowing eight years of budget
cuts, UCC is not only holding its own in
trying economic times, it continues
to do more with less to exemplary
standards. While experiencing a mar-
ginal drop in position, weâve seen
improvements across certain key met-
rics, including academic and employer
reputation â.
Ben Sowter, Head of Research at QS,
stated that âConsidering the strong rep-
resentation of Irish universities per-cap-
ita, one ranked university per 130,000
people, Irish universities are akin to the
Irish Rugby Team; remarkably competi-
tive given their population, funding and
resources; and consistently so.â
In the global context, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) is rec-
ognised as the worldâs top university
closely followed by Harvard (2nd) and
the university of Cambridge and Stan-
ford University (3rd=). The National
University of Singapore (12th) is the
leading Asian institution while Nanyang
Technological University (13th) takes a
quantum leap from last yearâs position
of 39th.
Being blind or visually impaired has
never been an impediment for the
musically gifted. The great Irish harpist,
Turlough Oâ Carolan certainly never let
it hold him back. The beautiful music
of blind harper Oâ Carolan might have
been lost forever had it not been for Ed-
ward Bunting, who transcribed the mu-
sic at the Belfast harp festival in 1792.
The music is still being enjoyed thanks
to Buntings endeavours which shows
us the importance of having a written
tradition as well as an aural tradition.
A new handbook âHands On: Feel the
musicâ devised by UCC music lecturer
Dr Eva McMullan- Glossop sets out to
help this generation of blind musicians
read Braille music so that they can
further their music education at second
and third level. Oâ Carolan and other
18th century harpers came from an aural
tradition but music notation is a critical
element of music education today.
âHands Onâ is an exciting and welcome
project for UCC which has one of the
most progressive Disability support
services in the country and also has the
largest number of visually impaired stu-
dents registered at third level in Europe.
The handbook explores new methodolo-
gies that will provide the music teacher
with relevant information to make mi-
nor adjustments to the existing frame-
work and improve music education for
both the student and the teacher.
McMullan highlights the importance of
forethought, preparation and planning
on the part of both the school and the
student before course work begins. She
believes that Braille is the way forward
for blind students. âA Braille music
system will allow blind musicians to
read and write music more quickly and
easily than other systemsâ. This project
strives to create an environment which
is accessible to both visually impaired
and sighted students.
Robert Creed, one of Dr. McMullanâs
former students, who is also a tradition-
al musician taught her a lot. Namely, the
difficulty for visually impaired students
studying musical notation. Creed recent-
ly received a first class music degree
and not only has he achieved this but
he has also written a poem about the
experience of being a blind musician.
Inspired by the commemoration for
the George Boole bicentenary, he also
composed a piece in his honour and
performed it accompanied by UCC PhD
student and harpist Fiachra O CorragĂĄin.
As well as articles and resources, Dr
McMullans handbook contains a num-
ber of interviews one of which is with
Robert. He tells her the positive impact
music has had on his life. He would
suggest that âmusic should always be
accessible to blind and visually im-
paired students and particularly at all
levels of the education system.â
Both the aural and the visual elements
are important. The more that visually
impaired students develop their aural
skills, the more they can integrate into
a social setting, which can have a huge
impact on their musical development
as well as their social integration and
confidence. In the interview Robert pin-
pointed a poignant message, which cap-
tures the message âHands Onâ upholds:
âvisual impairment can be transcended
by music.â
4 |
7. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, October 6th 2015
Breakdown of Employability in UCC By College
Students With An Undergraduate Degree
Students With An Postgraduate Degree
Graphs & Figures taken from âUCC Career Services Report 2013/14,âavailable from the UCC Careers Service website
| 7
8. Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS
The Uncomfortable Truth About the Elderly in Ireland
Diarmaid Twomey - Features Writer
Much has been said and written about the effects the
rise of individualism and consumerism have had on
morality, principles, and basic manners in contempo-
rary society. Many equate the apparent rise in modern
day ailments such as crime, mental illnesses, and
addictions, as well as the overall increase in societal
âmoral decayâ, with the replacing of the traditional
community, in many instances held together by a col-
lective religious belief, by a religion of greed and ne-
oliberalism. Whether those arguments stack up or not
is debatable, nevertheless, one would find it difficult
to counteract an argument that some deeply unsavoury
traits are packed away in the arrival luggage of neolib-
eralism and individualism.
âOur elderly shaped the Ireland we live in
today and their hard work is responsible
for many of the services and social benefits
we take for granted todayâ
Mahatma Ghandi once said, âA nationâs greatness is
measured by how it treats its weakest memberâ. While
we could all argue about what individuals collectively
form the weakest group within society, I donât think
anyone could deny that our elderly would make the
shortlist. Our elderly shaped the Ireland we live in
today and their hard work is responsible for many of
the services and social benefits we take for granted
today. At the very least, they should have our respect,
but in reality are deserving of much more, not least our
concern for their welfare.
A fortnight ago I found myself bearing witness to the
harsh reality of contemporary societyâs abandonment
of care and compassion for their weakest members. On
a packed double decker, with a seating capacity of at
least 100, I found myself sharing a space with a group
of passengers, seemingly absent of any resemblance of
awareness of the toll that standing in a bus could have
on a frail, elderly man. Without rehashing the exact
sequence of events that took place, not alone could
the sight of a struggling elderly man not convince
anyone to give up their seat, but a publicly voiced
request did not move anyone either. In retrospect, the
situation could have been handled much better by me.
Perhaps asking individual passengers to give up their
seat would have been more successful, and may have
ensured I wasnât risking embarrassing the elderly gen-
tleman. All that aside, this wasnât about me. This was
about the forty plus people in the direct line of sight of
this elderly gentleman being so socially unaware, that
they could not recognise an elderly man struggling
to merely hold his footing. But perhaps worse than
that, they remained collectively silent when this manâs
plight was publicly pointed out to them. Not a single
person moved.
Was this a unique experience for this man? Sadly it
seems to be just a snapshot of the harsh reality of the
lives of elderly people in our society. In the time since
that incident took place, a photo of an elderly woman
in her eighties begging on the streets of Dublin has
been hitting headlines across Ireland. What is her
plight? Winter is arriving and she needs to beg to get
the money to be able to heat her home in Finglas.
What an absolute indictment of Irish society, and of
you and I for allowing this to happen. Has the Ireland
of 2015 no shame?
âAll economic indicators seem to suggest
that the ravaging of the most vulnerable in
society has been a successâ
In the 4 years since we elected Fine Gael and Labour
to power, they have been at pains to hammer home
their message of ârecoveryâ to us. Pain has been
experienced at hugely varying levels of severity, yet
it has all been âworthwhileâ. Anyone you talk to these
days speaks of the familiar light of prosperity, which
supposedly is coming firmly into our view again. All
economic indicators seem to suggest that the ravaging
of the most vulnerable in society has been a success.
But how do we measure success?
The experience of that elderly man aboard the 208
hugely concerned and angered me, but in reality, that
bus trip is nothing but a depressing metaphor for the
elderly in our society. In 2013, the current government
imposed cuts to phone, medical and energy supports
for the elderly. In 2014 they cut housing aid for the
elderly, as well as mobility aid. Can you call a
government that has systematically attacked the most
vulnerable, in this case the elderly, by the implemen-
tation of deeply regressive budgets a success? Has
the welfare of our most vulnerable and needy become
subservient to economic success and greater accessi-
bility to material things? Has neoliberalism eradicated
all traits of collective responsibility from the social
conscious? Sadly, I am beginning to think that the
answer to all the above questions is yes.
At what point did the elderly become a burden to our
fast paced and materialistic lives? Michael D Higgins,
Mary Robinson and David Norris are all well-known
Irish political figures, in their seventies, still contribut-
ing to the etching of the contemporary Irish and global
social landscape. When they move aside will they not
be deserving of a comfortable seat aboard the bus of
Irish society or will all their hard work be forgotten for
the sake of your five minutes of repose?
In 2013, the CSO released statistics about the elderly
in Ireland, combined with predictions about the future
age profile of the Irish population. In 2013, there were
just under half a million elderly people living in Ire-
land. By 2046, they envisage there to be just shy of 1.5
million. We are lucky enough to live in a free society,
ironically contributed to, and brought about by people
like the elderly man I spoke of earlier in this piece.
Because of this freedom, people are entitled to not
care about the elderly, and most certainly not obliged
to give up their seats for those more vulnerable than
they are. But what you, I, and they cannot ignore is
cold hard facts. The phrase âone paycheque awayâ is
often bandied about when people discuss the realistic
proximity of homelessness and joblessness to all of
our lives. The proximity of our elder years is even
closer. One day, in the not too distant future, we will
all be elderly people, and we may too be in dire need
of a comfortable seat aboard Irish society. If you are
unable to care for an elderly person for compassionate
reasons, do it for selfish one. Youâre just a few birth-
days away.
8 |
9. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, October 6th 2015
Drug Reform: One of Many Needed Law Reforms
SeĂĄn Kelliher - Features Writer
Casually walking through Tralee Town Park, on the
grey pavement I observe many things including leaves,
the odd decapitated flower and drug paraphernalia. It
is not a rare sight but not a common one either, just the
odd syringe here and there. After âyokeapocalypseâ
several months ago, many Kerry people from Tarbert
to Rossmore Island and from Ballyferriter to Rathmore
emerged from their fallout shelters and were surprised
to not find scenes reminiscent of Mad Max. Personally,
I was not surprised the whole incident has reinforced
by belief in the need of drug law reform.
In my estimation we need decriminalisation. Before
you begin to pound on your keyboard frantically to
write a letter to the editor, one must understand though
we use decriminalisation and legalisation interchange-
ably, they are not the same. Decriminalisation does not
mean drug users get away with impunity, but possess-
ing miniscule amounts of drugs would no longer mean
the holder would receive a criminal record or a prison
sentence.
Portugal is a role model for drug law reform. In June
of 2001 Portugal decriminalised all drugs, adopting a
harm reduction policy. Instead of putting drug addicts
in prisons they were sent to mandatory classes to help
them cope with addiction. In the late 90s Portugal was
going through a serious drug problem. Rates of HIV/
AIDS infections were increasing drastically, before
1991 there were 73 newly infected drug users with that
figure soaring to 505 new cases of infection in 1994.
This number has decreased to an average of 56 a year
between 2001 and 2012. Similarly we can observe
downward trend of those seeking Hepatitis C & B
treatment in drug programmes, despite the number of
those seeking drug treatment increasing.
The main reason disease rates plummeted was due to a
highly publicised needle exchange programme. Such a
programme will not just save lives in Ireland but also
save money for the government. The average hypo-
dermic needle costs the HSE .86c meanwhile the daily
cost for a HIV patientâs drugs costs the state âŹ45. In
Portugal the average heroin addict uses needle ex-
change programmes every 3 days, this brings their cost
per a year to the state around âŹ105.85, nothing com-
pared to the âŹ16,425 annual cost per a HIV patient. It
only makes sense to implement more needle exchange
programmes here in Ireland to aid in cutting down on
transmission rates of certain diseases.
Decriminalisation also saw a 20% decrease in drug
related deaths in Portugal between 2001 and 2012. Ire-
land on the other hand tragically has the third highest
drug related death rate in Europe. The reason why our
drug policy fails is obvious; we treat drug addiction
as a criminal issue and not a health one. Hypotheti-
cally, if we decriminalise drugs we remove the stigma
attached to drug addiction thus allowing drug addicts
to seek help without been forced to by the state. This
is visible in Portugal where initially the rate of those
going to rehabilitation cases on their own accord was
quite low with a gradual increase as the years went on.
However for me the most the compelling argument for
decriminalisation is the fact it takes power away from
criminal gangs. Last year alone criminal gangs made
a âŹ60 million profit according to the GardaĂ. More
information from the Guards can show us that 20% of
this revenue is used to fund human, trafficking thus
this forces individuals who suffer from the mental
illness that is addiction to fund the enslavement of
people in the sex industry. Gangs also bring with them
increases in other criminal activities. The shooting of
Christy Kane on the UL campus by a rival drug dealer
brought this to the forefront of the media.
We as a nation must understand that the current system
in place in Ireland in regards to drug policy is failing
us from Ballymac to Ballymun. This is in part due
to fact we are sending drug addicts to prisons whose
cultures feed addicts into a cycle of destructive drug
fuelled lifestyle and refusing to actually address the
problem at hand. Also if we were to actually punish all
users of drugs we would have to arrest 23.4% of 18-24
year olds due to cannabis use. Looking at the size and
profile of the Irish prison population from the 1960s
onwards, Liam Herrick of the Irish Penal Reform
Trust (IPRT) noted that it had increased from less than
500 in 1960 to nearly 4,500 today, and that there was
a particularly rapid increase in the first decade of the
new century. He argued that this increase was partly
due to the introduction of mandatory drug sentencing
in 1999. He pointed to two statistics supporting this
assertion:
âBetween 2005 and 2009, the number
of charges brought by the GardaĂ in
most categories, e.g. theft and burglary,
remained static but drug supply offences
doubled.â
âOver the same period, the number of
short-term sentences and life sentences
remained stable but the number of
3 to 10-year sentences increased
substantially. He linked this to an increase
in the number of circuit court and high
court prosecutions of drug offenders re-
ceiving 3 to 10-year sentences under the
Misuse of Drugs Act (1977)â
Further statistics on those who are sentenced show the
majority are not really criminals. 1/3 of those serving
jail time had no prior convictions and over 3/4 of them
were never in the prison system prior to their sentenc-
ing. Also of those sentenced 68% are also alcoholics
and 2/3 suffer from depression, bipolar disorder or
other mental illnesses. Meanwhile those who sell nar-
cotics only make up 10% of those convicted for drug
offences.
Decimalisation will help the economy not just because
of decreased healthcare costs as the rate of diseases
caused by infected needles will plummet but taxes
raised from drugs will also can be put into the econ-
omy to help those with addictions. The money saved
on prisons cost would also greatly benefit society, the
average cost to the state of a prisoner in Ireland is
âŹ150,000 a year. According to estimates by the IPRT
2000, 2600 prisoners were convicted for personal drug
use or possession for drug use, this means that if we
decriminalised drugs on average we would save âŹ3900
million a year.
The evidence is clear that our âWar on Drugsâ is not
a war on drugs but a war on addicts and it cost our
society both financially and morally.
| 9
10. Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS
Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Support on in Ireland & on Campus
Katie Jeffers - Deputy Features Editor
Last month marked World Suicide Prevention Month,
with September 10th being highlighted as World
Suicide Prevention Day. The aim of this month long
campaign is to raise awareness and get people talk-
ing about an issue that we find difficult to discuss or
comprehend that some people reach such depths of
despair they see suicide as a solution to their problems.
Suicide awareness is a topic to be broached with great
care. It is an issue that has been increasingly affecting
the lives of the people of Ireland. It has become every-
bodyâs concern rather being the distant, and at times,
taboo subject of the past.
An estimated 495 people died by suicide in 2014
(CSO via Connecting for Life, 2015) compared to 195
road traffic deaths in 2014 (garda.ie). According to
Connecting for Life, Irelandâs national strategy to re-
duce suicide from 2015 to 2020 25% of people in Ire-
land will use a mental health service at some stage of
their lives. Research also shows a strong link between
mental health difficulties and death by suicide. In
higher income countries such as Ireland, mental health
problems are present in up to 90% of people who die
by suicide. This an extensive plan to tackle suicide in
Irish society: âa better understanding of suicidal be-
haviour, support communities to prevent and respond
to suicidal behaviour, provide targeted approaches for
those vulnerable to suicide, present improved access,
consistency and integration of services, achieve safer
and higher quality services, to reduce access to means
by which to commit suicide and finally, gather better
data and researchâ. I feel that it is encouraging that
government is taking suicide prevention so seriously.
The fact that they have put together such a lengthy
document outlining their position and plan of action on
this topic is heartening. This is a pretty comprehensive
list of goals, and if achieved, will significantly help
raise awareness and ultimately, hopefully reduce the
number of suicides committed in Ireland. I mean, isnât
that what everyone else wants at the end of the day?
There are many extremely valiant and successful
efforts to both improve suicide awareness and help
reduce the number of incidences of suicide in Ireland.
These range from nation-wide campaigns to local
suicide awareness groups distributing flyers through-
out their respective communities. All of this is helping
to somewhat normalise the conversation and in turn
encourage people to share their struggles with their
inner demons. Services to aid this effort are becoming
increasingly accessible. For example, Console, whoâs
Cork base is on Perrott Avenue just of College Road,
launched a 24/7 text helpline and in a recently re-
leased infographic this service has proved to be hugely
beneficial. It outlines that Console have received over
4,000 texts this year, 62% of which were sent by men.
This just goes to show that men, who are notorious
for not discussing their mental health, find this a more
accessible form of help. Though it is important to note
that all groups and demographics are vulnerable to
mental health difficulties and suicide. This is a huge
leap forward in providing easier, less daunting meth-
ods of support. Other more convenient, more modern
forms of assistance and advice are the yourmental-
health.ie website, #littlethings on Twitter and especial-
ly the Pieta House website (pieta.ie), which provides a
six-step-plan on how to help someone who is feeling
suicidal.
On campus, the SĂMH society in conjunction with
Pieta House have recently circulated flyers outlining
the âsigns of suicideâ. These are:
sleep disturbance, isolation, giving away
possessions, no interest in anything and
speaking of no future.
The HSE also provide suicide prevention information.
They offer courses called Reaching Out, SafeTalk and
ASIST, aimed to tackle general awareness, alertness
skills and intervention skills respectively. These have
been seen as greatly informative and useful by partic-
ipants. The attempt to reduce the stigma surrounding
suicide and ultimately mental health has seen the
emergence of creative forms of normalising the sub-
ject. My favourite example of this is First Fortnight.
First Fortnight is a festival started in 2009 which is
held, appropriately, during the first fortnight of the
year, across Dublin consisting of music, film, theatre,
spoken word, debate and visual art events. Its aim is to
challenge mental health prejudice through the crea-
tive arts. Hopefully First Fortnight will establish itself
nationwide in the future as it sounds like a fresh, new
approach to tackling the taboo surrounding mental
health and in turn, suicide.
Fortunately for the students of UCC, the standard of
mental health and suicide prevention services here
on campus have been maintained and improved over
the last few years. When speaking with Dr Michael
Byrne, Director of Student Health and Wellbeing, on
this issue he was delighted that the high number of
face-to-face appointments provided by his department
was able to be maintained this year. He also highlight-
ed the progressive and multi-faceted approach the
university is taking in tackling mental health issues.
UCC Student Health and Wellbeing is equipped in the
methods of, physical therapy, face-to-face meetings,
online support and treatment and are branching out
into bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is a new, innovative
treatment for various mental health difficulties via
different prescribed readings depending on the issue
at hand. The Student Health and Wellbeing Service is
working in collaboration with the Boole Library to
launch this on campus in the near future.
Dr Byrne also informed me that there is a lot of back-
ground and pilot work currently taking place in UCC.
It is here that the website ifightdepression.com was
piloted. It is an EU initiative to promote and increase
awareness of depression and suicidal behaviour, by
providing information about depression and its conse-
quences, and informing people about the causes, signs
and symptoms of depression in order for them to learn
how to recognise it. The National Suicide Research
Foundation is also based here in the university. Profes-
sor Ella Arensman is the Director of Research for the
NSRF and is also President of the International Asso-
ciation for Suicide Prevention. Her research with the
NSRF into the causes of suicide, self-harm and related
mental health and social factors in Ireland, from the
perspectives of psychology, psychiatry, medicine, so-
ciology, epidemiology, public health, biostatistics and
health services research have been vital in the fight
suicide. It is marvellous the the university is getting
behind such a worthwhile cause that is benefiting both
the student body and the population as a whole.
The sizeable issue of suicide and mental health
difficulties here in Ireland is progressively being
downsized, however, it is going to take a considerable
amount of time to eradicate it completely. Thankfully,
the awareness of this topic has been raised significant-
ly over the last few years. This awareness and pro-ac-
tiveness desperately needs to be maintained. Weâre in
it for the long haul, but it is undoubtedly worth it.
If you have been affected by any of the subject
matter discussed in this piece, the Samaritans
are here to help. Their 24/7 phone-line is open
to everyone, the number to which is: 116 123
10 |
11. UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, October 6th 2015
As you can see here, the Express has evolved in a number of
ways over the years, most notably in tone. Going through over
two decades of past papers seeing the change in what was and
wasnât acceptable is fascinating at times and mind boggling
at others. More often than not when looking back we have to
genuinely ask one another if the piece in question is actually
some kind of parody or satire the meaning of which has been
lost to the ages. One thing is for sure though, nowadays if the
Express published anything that was widely deemed offensive
in any way a note sincere apology would be expected and in
many cases given and if an editor was accused of drug use in
writing for the paper then... Well. I actually donât know what
would happen. Maybe weâll find out this year. As long as we
donât mention that alcohol exists as anything but a force for
evil in the world then weâre usually cool.
| 11
Every issue the UCC Express team look back at our own print history
and pick out some...interesting bits from papersâ past.
Disclaimer: We present these excerpts unedited, to highlight how much has changed since they were first published.
FLASH
BACK<
14. Mixed fortunes for UCC Hockey at the Mardyke
Freshers Find Form to Knock Avondale Aside
Fred McElroy - Sports Writer
Neil Willoughby - Sports Editor
(cont. from Back Page)
The best goal scoring opportunity fell to
the visitors, Aisling OâLeary was well
place on the line to do just enough to
clear the ball to safety. It was not until
long after this that the Dublin side found
the net to opening goal the scoring with
Emma Smyth finishing from close range.
They had a chance to double their lead
soon after but goalkeeper Sarah Wrixon
was at hand to defuse the situation. The
score remained 1-0 until half time.
Poor second half defence from UCC saw
theDublinersmakeit2-0throughCaptain
tJulia OâHalloran. Nicola Kerr rallied her
teammates and they very nearly got one
back as Kate Harvey found herself One-
on-One with the keeper. Sadly it was not
to be as the Leinster side countered for
their third of the afternoon before a very
unfortunate deflected Own goal made it
4-0. There were strong performances
from freshers Saoirse OâLeary and
substitute goal Kate Murphy. Coach
Phil Oakley will want to work on a few
things this week before the Ladies travel
to play Ulster Elks on Saturday 10th.
Men 1st XI 6-1 Limerick
Ladies 1st XI 0-4 Railway Union
Under the mid-autumn sunshine; a new
season dawned for UCC Soccer on
Saturday as the Freshers soccer team
took on Avondale United in the open-
ing round of fixtures of the 2015-2016
Munster Senior League.
It was hotly contested from the very
beginning with both sides not afraid
to attack aggressively from early on
in the fixture. Avondale had sever-
al early chances including one close
attempt which was well kept out by
UCC keeper Tomas Walsh in the early
exchanges. Following this College grew
into the game pouring the pressure on
the stretched Avondale defence. UCC
enjoyed their first real chance with not
even 5 minutes on the clock when Ryan
Tobin carefully won a free which acted
as a catalyst for the hosts. The attempt
at goal going just wide of the posts.
UCC responded well to this, forcing
three early corners. Sean O Cadhlai im-
pressed from the wing powering several
dangerous crosses into the box, only
to have them cleared. The Avondale
defence continued to keep UCC attack
at bay with good scrambling at the back.
UCC continued to pile on the pressure
yet again, this time Evan White won a
free-kick for the hosts in a good posi-
tion, again the attempt going wide.
Leading from the back, the
side sparked to life through many clever
link ups in defence led by centre back
Paudie OâConner opening a few chanc-
es for the hosts. None came to fruition
as the Avondale keeper continued to go
untested. It was not until the half hour
mark when UCC drew first blood.
A misplaced ball in defence was in-
tercepted by Tomas Sutton and with a
cool head slotted the Striker slotted the
ball home past Avondale Keeper Jim
Keating to give UCC a 1-0 lead. Avon-
dale responded well, with a succession
of good chances of their own, but yet
thanks to the well-organised and stur-
dy defence of David McGuire, Jeff
OâBrien, Sean OâCadhlai and Paudie
OâConner, each ball was cleared well
before Avondale had time to convert
them. UCC finished the half the strong-
est as Conor Kelly ran on to a through
ball to finish with a cool head to double
the hosts advantage.
In the second half, an early Avondale
break was yet again thwarted by centre
back Jeff OâBrien; who remained a rock
in defence for the college. However, at
the 50th minute mark, Avondale winger
Luke Mager burst through the defence,
only to have his shot saved by a resilient
UCC keeper Tomas Walsh. UCC kept
up their aggressive and attacking style,
giving Avondale no time to settle on
the ball. Periods of procession from the
midfield partners of Sean Sexton, Jere-
my Goldsmith and Ryan Tobin contin-
ued to frustrate the visitors, however the
Avondale defence kept them at bay. On
the 65th minute UCC added a third with
a break of the ball down the left hand
side opening up the Avondale defence.
Winger Conor Kelly went alone and
outwitted the Avondale defence before
drilling the shot home. For the
remainder of the half UCC remained on
top, with the best and final chance of the
last third coming from winger Conor
Kelly again, with a free kick 30 yards
from goal swerving around the wall and
into the back of the net before keeper
Jim Keating could step off his line;
finishing the score at 4-0 to the hosts.
14 |
UCC FC 4 - 0 Avondale
Tuesday, October 6th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS
15. UCC Honour Special Olympic Athletes
Bonus Point Victory Sends UCC RFC into Fourth
Neil Willoughby - Sports Editor
Neil Willoughby - Sports Editor
Last week UCC honoured several ath-
letes who represented the College and
Ireland at this yearâs Special Olympics
in Los Angeles. Sean Coleman, a cur-
rent UCC student and UCC graduates
Aoife OâSullivan and Colm Monaghan
were welcomed to the College alongside
their families on Wednesday to mark
their achievements.
Sean Coleman won a silver medal
for swimming coming second in the
25m Backstroke and in the 25m Free-
style. Coleman managed to knock an
impressive five seconds of his personal
best in the 25m Freestyle to collect his
second medal at the games. Coleman
also competed in the Irish Swim Relay
team.
Aoife OâSullivan was another to
perform very strongly as part of Team
Irelandâs nine strong Gymnastics squad
earning herself three medals including a
Gold and well as two Bronze medals.
Colm Monaghan helped Team Ire-
landâs soccer team to an impressive fifth
placed finish. The side lost out in their
opening group game against Bangla-
desh, but a series of strong results saw
them finish the tournament well. Re-
public of Ireland international and LA
Galaxy striker Robbie Keane was on
hand as an ambassador to all of Team
Ireland, mainly sticking to his expertise
with the Soccer team.
UCC President Michael Murphy and
Director of Sport and Physical Activ-
ity Declan Kidney were in attendance
to congratulate the three athletes and
discuss their experiences of the Special
Olympics. All three athletes have been
involved with the Universityâs CCL
(Certificate in Contemporary Living)
course with Coleman currently enrolled
and Monaghan and OâSullivan having
already graduated.
It total Team Ireland had eighty eight
athletes competing at the Special
Olympics in Los Angeles supported by a
coaching team of forty. The massive ef-
forts of the athletes and volunteers paid
off hugely with Team Ireland coming
home with forty one placement ribbons
and eighty two medals in total. The
medal haul included twenty six Gold
medals, twenty eight Silver medals and
twenty eight Bronze medals. The games
also spurred on Team Ireland athletes to
best thirty one personal bests.
or email Editor@UCCExpress.ie
UCC RFC continued their impressive
start to the season running out 33-21
winners against Malone at the Mardyke
on Saturday. The rich form the side
enjoyed at the end of last season which
saw them take sixteen points from
a possible twenty in their final four
matches is emerging once again as the
side have earned two wins from their
three fixtures so far. Saturdayâs win
against Malone sees UCC move up
to fourth in the AIL Division 2A table
with a game in hand over league leaders
Banbridge RFC. The bonus point on top
of their win proving crucial as the extra
point earned from the fixture moves
them to fourth position rather than sixth
place.
UCC ran in a total of four tries with
Second-Row Guillame Bobroux cross-
ing over the whitewash after just five
minutes, Kevin OâKeeffe adding the
conversion. OâKeeffe also converted a
penalty before Number 8 Edward Earle
got his name on the scoresheet, OâKeef-
fe again proving his accuracy from the
boot to give UCC a 20 - 7 lead at Half-
time.
OâKeeffe knocked over another penal-
ty minutes into the second half before
Winger James Kiernan touched down in
the 61st minute. Out-Half Tim Clifford
got over the line five minutes later to
secure the fourth try and the bonus
point for College before a late Malone
onslaught proved to be too little too late.
Full-Back Kevin OâKeeffe put in a
good performance from the tee con-
verting two of the tries as well as three
penalties, giving UCC some valuable
extra breathing space on the scoreboard.
OâKeeffeâs consistency in front of the
posts will be vital to any chances UCC
have of earning promotion this year
with the margins between wins and loss-
es proving very tight. UCCâs win over
Skerries in round one by just a single
point is the perfect example of this
showing kicking to often be the differ-
ence between four points and one bonus
point for losing within seven.
Malone are among the favourites
to challenge for promotion this season
having been demoted from AIL Divi-
sion 1B last year making UCCâs win
all the more impressive. Malone were
perhaps unlucky to come away from
the Mardyke with not even a losing
bonus point after suffering six injuries.
However, this victory as well as the
bonus point win is a clear sign of UCCâs
strong ambition for the season ahead
with Loose-Head Prop Charlie Slowery
adding to this suggestion, âWe are get-
ting better every week, but there is still
a lot more work to do. The aim is not
just promotion, we want to win the (AIL
Division) 2A league also.ââ Promotion
remains a very real possibility for UCC
in a very competitive division. College
will be hoping to maintain their 100%
home record throughout the season
to give them as much of a chance as
possible of promotion and potentially
even the chance to lift the Division 2A
trophy.
Crucially the win also moves UCC
level on points with third placed Naas
RFC while College maintain a game
in hand over the Kildare side. Naas
remain the only team to defeat UCC in
the league this season coming out 34-27
winners at home last weekend in a hard-
fought encounter. UCC will be looking
to keep it that way as they head to New
Ormond Park next Saturday to take on
Nenagh Ormond.
UCC team v Malone RFC:
1 - Charlie Slowery 2 - Dan Healy
3 - David Jackson 4 - Ben Mitchell
5 - Guillame Bobroux 6 - Conor Oâ Brien
7 - Cathal Gallagher 8 - Edward Earle
9 - Charlie OâRegan 10 - Tim Clifford
11 - James Kiernan 12 - Kevin Slater
13 - Paul Kiernan 14 - Cillian Ansbro
15 - Kevin OâKeeffe
UCC RFC 33 - 21 Malone
| 15UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, October 6th 2015
16. The Mardyke played host to two
matches this Saturday as the
Menâs1stteamtookonLimerick
HC and the Ladies welcomed
Railway Union in their first
home game of the inaugural
EY League. The ladies were
hoping to reenact their opening
performance of the competition
where they came out 4-0 victors
over Greenfields of Galway.
The men opened proceedings
on Saturday afternoon looking
to make it 8 points out of a
possible 9 in round 3 of Munster
Division 1. It didnât take long
for the college to continue their
impressive form so far this
year. Early on UCC opened the
scoring through Shrew Power
with an impressive snapshot to
beat the keeper. Stuart Miller
doubled the lead soon after with
a clinical reverse shot.
Sluggish defending from
Wesley Brownlow led to
Limericks only goal of the game
as they narrowed the margin to
2-1. UCC otherwise looking
comfortable and controlled at
the back. Stuart OâGrady was
quick to reply to the Limerick
sides opener with an identical
strike to Millerâs goal to see the
hosts go in at the break with a
3-1 lead.
The second half did not see
UCC let up as Shrew Power
scored his second, Quercus
Scholar Sam Grace seeing off
the game with a goal of his own
before Greg Chambers roofed
a reverse into the top of the
net making it 6-1. In particular
Dan Moore put in an impressive
performance from between the
sticks with Peter Coulter too
performing well in his outfield
debut. The students struggled
with their short corner routines
scoring only 1 from the 6. This
will definitely be an area that
coach Neil Welch will want to
improve on before travelling
to Limerick next weekend for
a tough fixture versus Catholic
Institute.
At 3 Oâclock it was time for
the main event of the day as
the ladies took to the pitch.
The opening few minutes were
a cagey affair with both teams
enjoying prolonged periods
of possession as they tried to
work their way into the game.
Emma Barber proving to be a
key defensive player for UCC
from early on in the game. The
first quarter ended scoreless
with neither side having many
chances.
UCC started the second period
the stronger and created several
chances. The best of which saw
Alex OâGrady finding herself
some space on the right flank
before crashing the ball into the
circle with Niamh OâLearyâs
deflection glancing across the
face of the goal. OâGrady was in
the spotlight again shortly after
at the other end of the pitch as
she fouled a Railway forward
to concede the first Short corner
of the game. The Dublin side
unable to convert their chance
on this occasion.
Mixed Fortunes for UCC Hockey
Inside Sport
Page 14
Fred McElroy - Sports Writer
PREVIEW: UCC SOCCER
FRESHERS TAKE ON
AVONDALE A
(Continued on page 14)
ucc sport