SHAG - CIT Students Union
Transcription
SHAG - CIT Students Union
CIT Students’ Union Magazine Volume Fifteen, Issue 2 15th-17th Oct S.H.A.G. * Week 2013 Sexual Health, Awareness & Guidance Week Also in this issue: • S.H.A.G. Week Schedule • Volunteer Abroad • Special Features •S tudent Protest •S ports & Socs •P hoto Gallery and much more... *S.H.A.G. stands for Sexual Health, Awareness & Guidance J1 USa 2014 thousands of Memories... One J1 Summer Win a J1 programme, flights, insurance & accommodation! Visit www.j1.ie to enter t: 1850 518 472 Sayit travel, 76 Grand Parade, Cork CIT’s Club for 2013-14 is the Savoy. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.30pm. See you there! For class parties, contact the SU office for the best deals. Email: event@cit.ie Contents CIT Students’ Union, Bishopstown, Cork. Tel: 021 433 5274 E: supublications@cit.ie facebook.com/CITSU Twitter.com/CITSU Web: www.explicit.ie expliCIT Production, Design & Advertising Keith Brown CIT Students’ Union President - Danny O’ Donovan supresident@cit.ie VP Education - Rich McCarthy sueducation@cit.ie VP Welfare - Ciara O’Connor suwelfare@cit.ie Projects Officer - Aaron Dennehy suprojects@cit.ie Communications Officer - Michael Linehan sucommunications@cit.ie Entertainments Officer - Dean O’Doherty suentertainments@cit.ie Entertainments Manager - Mick O’Mahony Event@cit.ie Advertising Opportunities CIT has almost 17,000 full and part-time students with over 1,500 staff. Why not use expliCIT to promote your business to this large audience? Copy deadlines, advertising rates and technical specifications are available from our website www.expliCIT.ie or upon request from the Publications Office. expliCIT magazine is published monthly by CIT Students’ Union. The views expressed in the magazine are those of their authors and are not necessarily those of CIT Students’ Union. All articles and pictures are the property of their respective owners and should not be reproduced without their permission. . *S.H.A.G. stands for Sexual Health, Awareness and Guidance 4 SU Officers’ Address 6 SEX Thats right, we said the ‘S’ word! 8 S.H.A.G.* Week Timetable 10 STi’s... get the facts, not the sti 12 Photo gallery 14 Special feature Turn that face- book addiction into your most powerful weapon 15 Vote for your main rag week charity for 2014 16 CIT Societies Volunteer Abroad program 18 The Intern The College Project 19 Student Protest 20 Socs news 21 Sports news S.H.A.G. Week 2013, stars the Gummi Bear Kama Sutra. (No Gummi Bears were eaten in the production of this issue) 22Wisdom of the world 22 crossword Hard cash prize on offer. Delivered entries into the Students’ Union office 23 CIT Freshers Week review Winner of last issues Crossword: Colin Long, BS3-C 3 Students’’Union Of f icersss Addre Dear all, The first few weeks have been absolutely crazy. With the budget been held earlier, there was fierce pressure on the Union to coordinate and mobilize students very early in the year. That time of the year is crazy enough with Freshers week and all the usual chaos that goes with everyone settling in, not to mention throwing a protest on top of it. We suspect that the government may have scheduled this way in other to weaken the student movement but on the contrary, I’d like to thank everyone who came on and showed your support on the day. The shouting and roaring that was done on the day was very loud and condemning and the fact that CIT students made the Irish Times, The Examiner, RTE six one news, Evening Echo, RedFM and 96FM would support that case. Note of importance. There have been lots of negotiations regarding the academic calendar so please see below some important changes. Finally I would just like to bring to your attention that some drunken student fell into my car on Tuesday night and caused a nice amount of damage. He woke up the morning after with a sore head and he’ll have sore pockets by the time I’m finished with him. Moral of the story is there are some stupid ass drunk people around the place at the best of the times. Don’t be that person. Danny O’ Donovan 4 Welcome to S.H.A.G. Week So you have just settled back into college and I hope you are enjoying it. There has been lots of stuff happening with the Good Start Programme, Freshers Week, S.H.A.G. Day, protests and lots more. Now it’s time for S.H.A.G. week. There are lots of fun activities, events and information stands in the main Corridor from the 14th to the 17th October. This is the first of the Welfare campaigns that I will be running this year, and it’s a really exciting week. S.H.A.G. stands for Sexual Health and Guidance and this week I aim to run an interactive campaign so that you can get educated on sexual health, and to promote GREAT SEX! “Only one in five Irish men and women say one of their major sources of sex education was from school. A huge forty one per cent said they got most of their knowledge from friends and peers, thirty five per cent said they turn to books for insight, thirty one per cent look to magazines and twenty seven per cent got their education from mainstream television programmes.” This comes from the Durex Sexual Well-Being Survey 2012. This is why S.H.A.G. week is such an important week and such a great opportunity to be involved, Look out for the exhibition in the main corridor from Tuesday to Thursday and our timetable of events which will be going on during the week. There will be giveaways, competitions, games and workshops so get involved! Also, the Welfare crew will be around during the week with Welfare Bear and Super Sperm so keep an eye out for them too and get a picture with them. Remember to stock up on condoms that will be given out free during the week. Don’t forget we will have off-site campus days the following week. Have a great week, enjoy it and practice safe sex! If you have any questions or want to get involved with the Welfare crew please don’t hesitate to contact me: E: suwelfare@cit.ie Tel: 0214335273 Ciara O’Connor Vice-President Welfare. Important Academic Calendar Amendments 2013-14 (Exams) Semester One Day Month 14-21 December Event Examinations Semester Two Day Month 06-08 January Event Examinations Hi all, My name is Dean O’Doherty and I’m your Entertainments Officer for the academic year 2013/2014. I Hope everybody enjoyed the many events of Freshers W eek, and now that people have settled in. I understand that many of you are interested in organising class parties etc. I am here to assist in that matter whether you want to go bowling, paintballing, go karting, to a bar or anything wacky you can think of, I am here to help. I can be contacted via email at dean.odoherty@mycit.ie with any queries. I will do all within my power to accommodate your needs. If you have any ideas of events for the year or RAG Week, I would love to hear them. Regards, Dean O’Doherty Class Rep Elections Since the start of week two the Union Officers have been visiting first year classes to host the formal elections of Class Reps. We were met with immense enthusiasm and competition from a high standard of candidates. For those elected congratulations, you just opened a door to an endless world of opportunity. Make sure to register at: citsu.ie Voter Registration On Wednesday 25th and Monday 30th September the CIT SU in conjunction with USI ran the voter registration stand in the main corridor with enormous success. The aim of the strategy was to get students signed up to SERD (Student Elector Registration Database) that will contact students directly about elections and referendums. For students to legally register to vote they completed the form sent to them and followed the instructions provided. Student Apologises for Reckless Behaviour... The Students’ Union organised an event whereby damage was done on the day and a subsequent event had to be cancelled. The type of damage that was done was scandalous and it will not be tolerated. The apology below was volunteered and for that reason leniency was shown and it was decided that this issue would be resolved as locally as possible. The apology was accepted with a commitment from the student to contribute to the wellness of the community in CIT via involvement in Students’ Union activities. “ Dear Students of Cork Institute of Technology, Please accept my deepest and sincerest apologies for my actions in regard to the damage I caused to the bus on the Seisúin Mór event which was so kindly organised on the 23rd September 2013. It was not my intention to embarrass or give any representatives of the Students’ Union a bad name. I sincerely regret partaking in inappropriate actions which caused extensive damage to the bus; this was extremely disrespectful and was caused by a lapse of judgement on my part. I have learned my lesson and I can assure you it will never happen again. I also wish to offer my voluntary services to assist the Students’ Union in any way I can over the academic year. I really hope you can accept my apology and I will not repeat this type of behaviour again. Yours sincerely, A remorseful student Over 700 students signed up meaning we all now have an even stronger voice when tackling rising fees and grants cut. More proof that students do vote, students care and should be looked after not exploited. SUSI Campus tour On Thursday 26th September the CIT SU invited John Conroy, Head of Communications at SUSI, on campus to assist any students with questions they had about the grant landscape and help those with cases left unresolved. Mr. Conroy managed to settle over twenty five cases on the day as well as countless answered queries. A massive relief all round! ” We know that the individual involved wasn’t alone so please if you are reading this, use this opportunity to come forward. We have leads and they are being followed. All the best, Danny O’Donovan 5 SEX! That’s right, we said the “S” Word S afe sex means condoms and health checks and information and access to contraception. Safe sex means choices; knowing what your choices are and having access to those choices. As individuals we can prepare for all these but largely sex is something that happens between two or more people. So the reality is, most of the safe sex actions you want to take, depends on someone else’s cooperation. So safe sex depends on communication and consent. Everyone, both male and female should carry condoms, but not just carry them. USE them and practice safe sex. Negotiating safe sex is not just about contraception, it starts with consent. If you haven’t negotiated consent safely then you are at risk of not only of not protecting yourself fully but also of committing rape and sexual crimes. Agreeing to kiss someone, go home with them, get into bed with them, doesn’t mean you’ve consented to sex. Even if you’ve agreed to have sex, you may then decide you don’t actually want sex; that means there is no longer any consent.If someone hasn’t the capacity to negotiate consent then it is unsafe for you to assume you can get it. That means if someone is too young, is too drunk, passed out, or you have control over them in a way that limits their ability to give free consent, then they can’t consent. So carry a condom, get tested regularly, educate yourself about STIs and contraception but first learn to listen and respect. Because the risk you run if you don’t pay attention and respect your partner is that you will commit a sexual crime. And the implications of that crime will not be something you can fix with a course of antibiotics. Choose Contraception! Simply put, the only way not to get pregnant, or contract a STD or STI is Abstinence - i.e. not having sex. If you do make the choice to have sex, be responsible and practice Safe SEX. What is Safe Sex? Safe sex means enjoying sex to the fullest without transmitting, or acquiring, sexually related infections. When it comes to STD’s and STI’s, sharing is NOT caring. Be responsible and use condoms. Contraception is often something both guys and girls might not know much about. Here in the Welfare Office I can provide information on contraception options. Practice safe sex, use condoms. We have condoms available in the Students’ Union office at a low cost price. A lot of people may call for a chat or 6 to buy stationery so there is never a need to feel embarrassed calling in. Be proud of yourself for being so responsible. Ireland has moved a long way from when condoms became legalised in the 1980’s, a lot of people are now aware of many types of contraception, but are we aware of the variety that’s available. When making contraceptive choices it is always a good idea to talk to a GP/ Doctor about it, I am delighted I did and now I have found the contraceptive I am most comfortable with. Various options work for different people. It is important to choose contraception that fits your body, situation and lifestyle. First of all ONLY abstaining from (avoiding) all sexual activity or contact offers 100% protection from STIs and pregnancy. Female Condom Condoms act as a barrier by preventing the male’s sperm from fertilising the females egg, preventing pregnancy and STI’s. Its effectiveness depends on careful and consistent use, it is 95% effective. It is a thin polyurethane sheath, with two rings, which lines the vagina. Condoms can also be used with hormonal contraceptives for additional protection. Male Condoms Most common form of contraception used by 18-24 year olds. This again is a barrier method that a male uses to help prevent pregnancy AND sexually transmitted infections. A thin sheath is rolled onto an erect penis before sex to prevent sperm from entering the vagina. They are 98% effective with careful and consistent use and can also be used with hormonal contraceptives for additional protection. The Pill 45% of women aged 18-24 who use contraception use the pill. One of the most popular form of female contraception, however it does not protect you against STI’s so be sure to use a condom. There are two types; the combined pill and the progestogen only pill (mini-pill). The combined pill contains two female hormones, oestrogen and progestogen. It’s a highly effective contraceptive, but you need to make sure you follow the instructions on the packet very carefully because if you miss a pill you may not be fully protected and you could get pregnant. The progestogen pill contains progestogen only. This pill is suitable if you cannot tolerate oestrogen. There can be some side effects with both types of pills so it is important to find one that suits you. It is also important to know that if you have a stomach bug, are vomiting, or are taking other types of medication, the effectiveness of the pill is reduced considerably. Consult with a doctor if you are worried about any of these. The Patch This thin patch contains estrogen and progestogen. It sticks to the skin and can be put on the stomach, thigh, buttocks or upper arm. It is not transparent, so this method is visible. The hormones are released continuously into the bloodstream through the skin. You wear a new patch each week for three weeks, followed by a week’s break. The contraceptive patch has very high reliability when used properly. Vaginal Ring The vaginal ring is a small flexible ring that contains estrogen and progestogen, it is inserted into the vagina by the woman and is kept in place for three weeks; it is then removed for a one-week break. Following the week break, a new vaginal ring is inserted. It is 99% effective when used correctly and does not protect you from STI’s. The Implant The implant is a small flexible rod which is placed just under the skin on the inside of the upper arm of the female. It releases progestogen, which stops ovulation. It is 99% effective, however like the pill, it does not protect against STI’s. It lasts for up to three years and must be inserted and removed by a doctor. The implant is suitable if you want long-term contraception and wish to avoid taking or using a contraceptive daily. Injectable Contraception The injection contains the hormone progestogen, which is released slowly into the body to prevent ovulation. It is given by a health care professional every twelve weeks. It is over 99% effective but does not protect you from STI’s. The Coil The Coil is a small plastic and copper device that is put into the womb. It is 98-99% effective and works by stopping the sperm from meeting the egg. It can stay in the body for Gummi Orgy! S.H.A.G. Week 2013 * 15th-17th Oct Timetable up to eight years and works as soon as it is inserted. However it does not protect you from STI’s. Diaphragms/Cap This is a barrier method that the female fits inside her vagina to prevent sperm reaching the egg. A flexible rubber or silicone device, which is used with spermicide to destroy sperm, is inserted by the female herself. This method of contraception can be reused but it does not protect against STI’s. It is 92-98% effective with very careful use, but there is a high failure rate with less careful use. Emergency Contraception (Morning-After Pill) If you’ve taken a chance or your contraception has failed, you could be at risk of getting pregnant. Emergency contraception is more effective the sooner you take it after having unprotected sex. This should only be used in an emergency. It is not suitable for regular use. It can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, but it’s best to take it as soon as possible after having risky or unprotected sex. It is very effective and is available from every pharmacy without prescription. It is important to understand that after taking this for the first time, its effectiveness is reduced greatly with every use so avoid taking it unless it is actually an emergency. Tuesday 15th October Dirty Laundry Exhibition – Main Corridor – All Week How many Condoms in the Jar – Competition All Week Main Corridor S.H.A.G. Week Treasure Hunt – All Week How to Get Ahead in Bed Workshop with Dr. Siobhán O’Higgins. 12-1pm and 1:30pm to 2:30pm. Meeting Room 1. Limited Seats. If you would like to attend email: suwelfare@cit.ie with your name and preferred time. Free lunch provided. Wednesday 16th October Dirty Laundry Exhibition – Main Corridor – All Week How many Condoms in the Jar? – Competition All Week Main Corridor S.H.A.G. Week Treasure Hunt – All Week Thursday 17th October Dirty Laundry Exhibition – Main Corridor – All Week How many Condoms in the Jar? – Competition All Week Main Corridor Durex Sexual Health Magician – 1pm. Common Room S.H.A.G. Week Treasure Hunt – All Week S.H.A.G. Night at the Loft 8pm and The Savoy from 11pm During S.H.A.G. week make sure you take the time to visit the stands and talk to the professionals who are on hand to give you advice about contraception. This week is a great opportunity to educate yourself about sex and how to practice safe sex. There will be a big supply of free condoms given out during the week be responsible, practice safe sex and use condoms! Useful Contacts: The staff in the Medical Centre are happy to help you with any queries you may have or advice you may need - 021 433 5780. Call up to my office in the Students’ Union, call 021 433 5273, or email suwelfare@cit.ie www.thinkcontraception.ie www.cura.ie www.sexualhealth.com Censored *S.H.A.G. stands for Sexual Health, Awareness & Guidance 7 Treasure Hunt Heres what you have to do: Share the S.H.A.G. Week Timetable on your Facebook page (2pts) Get a photo with the Welfare Bear (3pts) Practice using Condoms! Take a look at the following guide on how to put on a condom. Five Easy Steps to using a condom 1. Check the packaging has the CE mark and the condom is within the expiry or ‘use by’ date on the packet. 2. Carefully tear open the very top of the pack, making sure the condom is not torn (do not use your teeth) and take out the condom. 3. Check that it is the right way up, with the roll outside. 4. Pinch the teat at the top of the condom to expel any air inside the condom (to stop it bursting) and unroll the condom down the base of the penis, still holding the teat at the top with your other hand. 5. After sex, withdraw while penis is still erect, holding the condom at the base of the penis. Then remove the condom and tie a knot in it. Wrap it in tissue and put it in a bin. Never use a condom or dam after its expiry date. Ensure the condom or dam has a kite or CE mark and never use a condom or dam more than once. 8 Get some information from the various info Stands in Main Cor ridor and get a photo reading the information at one of the stands (4pts) Get a picture with you favourite piece of underwear in the exhibition in main corridor (3pts) Get in a sex position with our Super Sperm (4pts) Look up Think Contaception.ie and play the games (3pts) Find out what a Dental Dam is (5pts) Get a condom from Ciara, Vice President Welfare (3pts) Demonstrate putting a condom on a Banana (5pts) 15th-17th Oct * S.H.A.G. Week 2013 Terms & Conditions of play 2-4 members per team. Must get photograhic/video evidence or screenshots with the sheet as evidence of each task to CIT SU Office or suwelfare@cit.ie by Thursday 17th at 3pm. Prizes include: Sexual Health Hamper, Lots of Condoms, and much more! *S.H.A.G. stands for Sexual Health, Awareness & Guidance How To Make A Dental Dam A dental dam is a think sheet of latex used as a prophylactic device during oral sex 1. Check the expiry date on the condom and carefully open wrapper and remove the condom. 2. W ith a scissors, cut off the tip and the base of the condom. 3. T hen cut down the length of the condom. nroll the condom into a rectangular shape and 4. U you have an effective dental dam. “ Classic quotes Treasure Your Health Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions. ~ Woody Allen There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of your own sex. People should be very free with sex, they should draw the line at goats. ~ Elton John Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature. ~ Marilyn Monroe I like threesomes with two women, not because I’m a cynical sexual predator. Oh no! But because I’m a romantic. I’m looking for “The One”. And I’ll find her more quickly if I audition two at a time. ~ Russell Brand Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power. ~ Oscar Wilde Bishopstown: Tel. 021 4343344 Fax. 021 4348215 Mon - Fri: 9am - 9pm Sat: 9am - 6pm Wilton Shopping Centre: Tel: 021 4341800 Fax: 021 4341872 Mon, Tues, Wed & Sat 9am-6pm Thurs & Fri 9am-9pm Sun 12pm-6pm 10% Student Other branches at: South Douglas Road Ballinlough Road Supervalu, Grange, Douglas Elmwood Medical Centre, Frankfield at all our branches www.osullivanspharmacy.ie Discount Stockists of: Medicines, Cosmetics, Health, Foods & Photographic Services. Big Lancome promotion in our Wilton store for the month of October Don’t knock masturbation — it’s sex with someone I love. ~ Woody Allen No vouchers, no gimmicks, spend your money your way! Filthy CIT P eople are appalled when they come across filthy spaces, crying out in disbelief - who could do this? Sadly, the answer is you. The Common Room is uncomfortable and revolting with rubbish everywhere. The Nexus is filthy with rubbish all over the floors and seats. The surrounding areas of the Student Centre are filthy with rubbish, cigarette butts, gum and spit all over the ground. Do we have any respect for the cleaning and maintenance staff in CIT, who work tirelessly to ensure our campus is clean and comfortable - a place for everyone to enjoy? They have a lot to do, so we should show them that they are appreciated and put our rubbish in the bins provided by your college. While we’re at it, maybe we could pick up other peoples rubbish when we see it? The sad truth is we don’t. An attitude of ‘someone else will do it’ seems to permeate throughout CIT. Guess What? This is your wakeup call, THEY WON’T! O’Sullivans Pharmacies litter around campus will happen when there “is Less a change in attitude about responsibility for the rubbish. No one wants our campus to look like a pig sty and with minimal effort, it can look so much better Danny O’ Donovan, SU President ” person, is responsible for taking car of his or her “ownEach rubbish. The campus is ours. It should be something we can be proud of ” Rich McCarthy, VP Education “ We’re in need of a culture change where everyone takes pride in and responsibility for the state of the campus Ciara O’Connor, VP Welfare ” The worst affected area is your Common Room which WILL BE closed until such time as people learn to respect their surroundings and the people who try to facilitate the running of this service. 9 STI’s Get the facts - not the sti STI’s - what are they? Ok so we hear the letters STI a lot when we talk about sexual health, but do we really know what they are, or how they can affect us. Well in last year alone Gonorrhoea has spread rapidly among the young population of Cork, especially among students. Shocked? A lot of people are, a lot of people think sure “I’ll never get one, I’d know if I had one”. In fact this statement is very untrue. There are a lot of people walking around with STI’s who haven’t got checked. It is important to get checked in an STI clinic on a regular basis, especially if you are sexually active with more than one person and you do not use a condom during sex. Also remember that STI’s are not just spread through vaginal sex, they can be spread through oral and anal sex also. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) include bacterial infections like Chlamydia and Syphilis, parasites like public lice (crabs) and viral infections like HIV, Hepatitis and Herpes. It’s important to seek help if you suspect you’re suffering from an STI so that treatment can start and the impact it has on your life can be minimised. STIs can make you feel sick, can scar you physically, can leave you infertile or even kill you if left untreated. You can’t tell by looking at someone whether he or she has an STI or not. The only way to know you or your partner’s status is to get tested. HIV testing and STI screening are confidential and are often available free-ofcharge. Regular screening for yourself and your sexual partner is recommended. Different types of STIs need different kinds of treatment. Many are easily treated, like chlamydia and gonorrhoea, but some (like HIV and herpes) are incurable. This means you can treat some of the symptoms, but you can’t remove the virus from your system. If untreated, some STIs can cause problems with menstruation, pelvic pain and infertility. Get your facts right • You can get an STI the first time or anytime you have sex • You may not know if you have an STI • You may not be able to tell if your partner(s) has an STI • You can catch an STI more than once • You can be infected with more than one STI at a time Tips on how to avoid STI’s • |Always use a condom, and put it on properly. Practice put on condoms by following instructions on the pack. • If you realise you have some unusual sores, rash, bumps or discharge ask your doctor to check or else make a visit to your local STI clinic • Don’t feel embarrassed talking about, safe sex and STI’s The greater number of partners you have the greater chance you have of coming into contact with a person with an STI which you can then pick up. How would I know I have a STI? You might know. A lot of STI’s have no obvious symptoms, so neither you nor your partner may be aware that you are carrying an STI. If you are sexually active it is important to have regular check-ups. Some STI’s can have serious long term implications such as infertility, complications in pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease. Get checked regularly! Chlamydia Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs in the UK and is easily passed on during sex. Most people don’t experience any symptoms so are unaware they are infected. In women, chlamydia can cause pain or a burning sensation when urinating, a vaginal discharge, pain in the lower abdomen during or after sex, and bleeding during or after sex, or between periods. It can also cause heavy periods. In men, chlamydia can cause pain or a burning sensation when urinating, a white, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis, and pain or tenderness in the testicles. It’s also possible to have a chlamydia infection in your rectum (bottom), throat or eyes. Diagnosing chlamydia is easily done with a urine test or by taking a swab of the affected area. The infection is easily treated with antibiotics, but can lead to serious long-term health problems if left untreated, including infertility. Rude 10 Genital warts Genital warts are small fleshy growths, bumps or skin changes that appear on or around your genital or anal area. They’re caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). ouch! The warts are usually painless, but you may notice some itching or redness. Occasionally, they can cause bleeding. You don’t need to have penetrative sex to pass the infection on because HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact. Several treatments are available for genital warts, including creams and cryotherapy (freezing the warts). Genital herpes Genital herpes is a common infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), which is the same virus that causes cold sores. Some people develop symptoms of HSV a few days after coming into contact with the virus. Small, painful blisters or sores usually develop which may cause itching or tingling or make it painful to urinate. After you’ve been infected, the virus remains dormant (inactive) for most of the time. However, certain triggers can reactivate the virus, causing the blisters to develop again, although they’re usually smaller and less painful. It’s easier to test for HSV if you have symptoms. Although there’s no cure for genital herpes, the symptoms can usually be controlled using antiviral medicines. Gonorrhoea Gonorrhoea is a bacterial STI easily passed on during sex. About 50% of women and 10% of men don’t experience any symptoms and are unaware they’re infected. In women, gonorrhoea can cause pain or a burning sensation when urinating, a vaginal discharge (often watery, yellow or green), pain in the lower abdomen during or after sex, and bleeding during or after sex or between periods, sometimes causing heavy periods. In men, gonorrhoea can cause pain or a burning sensation when urinating, a white, yellow or green discharge from the tip of the penis, and pain or tenderness in the testicles. It’s also possible to have a gonorrhoea infection in your rectum, throat or eyes. Gonorrhoea can be easily diagnosed using a urine test, or by taking a swab of the affected area. The infection is easily treated with antibiotics, but can lead to serious long-term health problems if left untreated, including infertility A sexual health check-up includes: • For men o STI screening o Testicular checks o Prostate screening • o o o For women STI screening Smear tests Being breast aware What to expect when going for an STI screening. For one reason or another you have decided that you need to have an STI check. This maybe because you have had unprotected sex as a one night stand or during a relationship but whatever your reason you are making the right decision. The idea of going to a STI clinic can be a daunting one if you don’t know what to expect. This is going to lay out what you should expect if you go to have a test: he doctor will talk to you about your 1. T sexual behaviour and what you are worried about (taking a history). They may ask you some potentially embarrassing questions, it is important that you answer these as accurately as you can as it will help the professional decide what tests you may need. 2. T here are a number of different tests that you may have to have done. Some of these will be swabs and some of these maybe blood tests. Some of the swabs that you have done may be able to be done by you were as others might have to be done by a nurse or doctor. This is something that you can ask about if it would make you feel more comfortable. For some STIs there may be the options of urine test (especially if you are male). These are the three main types of test 3. T he examination will be slightly different for men and women. Women The examination that you have as a woman will be similar to a smear test. You will be asked to lie down on an examination table with no clothes on below the waist, though there will be a paper sheet covering you. The nurse/doctor will then ask you to pull your heals towards you and let you knees fall apart. At this stage they may feel around your groin area, this is to see if you have any swollen lymph nodes (these are small glands which get swollen when you have an infection). They will then examine your external genitals with a gloved hand and cotton swab looking for genital warts, genital lice or discharge. The next thing that they have to do is an internal examination, for this they will need to insert a speculum which is a small plastic instrument which holds the walls of the vagina apart. The insertion and opening of this speculum shouldn’t hurt if it does let the doctor/nurse know. Swabs will then be taken from the top of the vagina for Chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and from the walls for yeast, bacterial vaginitis and trichomoniasis. Finally the nurse/ doctor will examine you with an inserted lubricated finger and some pressure on your lower stomach. That is the end of the internal examination. If you’re not experiencing any symptoms, you’re likely to just have swabs taken, and depending on your clinic you may be able to do it yourself. Men The examination for a man is a lot simpler. You will be asked to lower your underwear to you mid-thigh/knees and then lie down on an examination table. The doctor/nurse will examine your groin and feel for lumps or pain in your testicles. Next are the swabs/urine tests. If you have been experiencing symptoms then you may have to have a swap done. This will involve the swab being placed around the exit of your urethra and slightly inside to test for gonorrhoea and Chlamydia this maybe a bit uncomfortable but shouldn’t hurt. Before you attend your appointment you will be asked not to urinate for two hours before you test this will be asked for now there maybe a slight burning sensation if you have had a swab. Where can I get a check up and who can help? Regular sexual health check-ups are important to help ensure you can continue to have and enjoy a healthy sex life. If you are not in a relationship or sexually active at present, it is still important to look after your sexual health. STI Screening means you are being tested for a full range of Sexually Transmitted Infections at the same time. A screening usually includes blood tests and swabs. STI screening is free at an STI/ GUM clinic. You will need to make an appointment for most clinics, unless they provide a drop-in service The Medical Centre here in CIT provides a STI screening service every Tuesday with Dr. Emma and is only €10 with student card. If you are sexually active or if you think you may have an STI go get a check up and ,make an appointment. When you are in the waiting room no one knows you are getting an STI screening as there are other nurses and doctors present who deal with other issues so don’t be afraid. Book an appointment for a STI checkup in CIT’s Medical Centre by calling in or phoning 021 4335780. No need to feel embarrassed, they have seen it all before! Remember: It is good sexual health practice to get a STI check regularly. GUM/STI Clinic This is located in the South Infirmary, Victoria Hospital, 021 496 6844. It offers a free service. Both the examination and treatment are free. You are not asked for your name and are identified by a number so it is completely confidential. The testing may take up to 2 hours and you do have to disclose your sexual history, but don’t worry they are completely professional and have heard and seen it all before! Sexual Health Centre This is located near the Mercy Hospital, 16 Peters St., 021 427 5837. It offers services such as pregnancy testing, counselling for unexpected pregnancy, HIV support, and training and support on sexual health and drugs. Services provided here are free. Visit www.sexualhealthcentre.com Youth Health Service 73 Shandon St., 021 422 0490. This service is for people under 21 years. Services offered are free STI screening and medication. They also offer free contraception. There is a waiting list so book ahead if you want to have a check-up. 11 Photo Gallery PHOTOGRAPHY BY CIT SU & MARTIN DUNNE the Freshers Week ‘Average Joes’ win 150 ent! Thanks to all Soccer Tournam pated! students who partici CIT SU GOODYBAGS HAND OUT DURING REGISTRATION WEEK 2013 FRESHERS BALL 2013 FRESHERS BALL 2013 FRESHERS BALL LL 2013 FRESHERS BA 2013 FRESHERS HYPNOTIC FUN DURING FRESHERS WEEK! STYLISH SAVOY! 12 2013 FRESHERS BALL CIT SU’S CLUB, SAVOY. CHOOSE SKINT TUESDAY OR FRANTIC THURSDAY RAGGERZ MARKS HIS BINGO CARD DURING FRESHERS WEEK FUN AT THE SAVOY BALL The year so far in pictures... 2013 FRESHERS BALL Wow! We had a proposal on campus in CIT! Two past students who first met while studying Social Care here in CIT...she said YES! CONGRATULATIONS TO Niall Sexton and Aisling Rowe. May they have a long and prosperous future. MUNSTER BANK OF IRELAND’S ROADSHOW HAD T VISI A RUGBY PLAYERS paying K! HYPNOTIC FUN DURING FRESHERS WEE 2013 FRESHERS BALL NG HYPNOTIC FUN DURI K! EE W RS FRESHE good start RAGGERZ ENJOYS a HYPNOTIC FUN DURING FR ESHERS WEEK! KEEP IT LOCAL AT THE LOFT DURING FRESHERS WEEK 26 CIT SU’S CLUB, SAVOY. CIT SU’S CLUB, SAVOY. CHOOSE SKINT TUESDAY OR FRANTIC THURSDAY 13 S Turn that Facebook Addiction into your most powerful weapon ocial Media is everywhere these days – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Snapchat and many more. Chances are every student in CIT is using at least one of these technologies to communicate with friends, procrastinate during study time or maybe upload a picture of every single thing you eat. Often, Social Media gets a bad reputation from the press, parents and even the odd lecturer. Us students though who have grown up in the midst of the technology era are well aware of the many benefits that Social Media has to offer; messaging friends for free, keeping up contact with people who have emigrated, creating online photo albums to remember your mental holiday in Magaluf. The list goes on. Have you ever considered that your obsession with Social Media can be used as a powerful tool to launch your professional career? Yes, you read that last bit right, and no I’m not crazy. Let’s say for example, you are running a college event and you would really like a high profile guest-speaker to give a talk, maybe even a celebrity. You now have the option of tweeting to that person’s official Twitter account, and already you have opened the channels of communication between you and someone that you would not have dreamed you would ever get to interact with. This may not necessarily mean that they will respond to you or even notice your message among the 1000’s they are getting everyday but at least there is a chance. The point is that Social Media is removing barriers to communication so fast that you can very easily put yourself within big players within the industry of your particular field of study. You can also showcase your talents more effectively and to a wider audience that may result in you landing your dream job. A well run professional social media account might be the difference between you being head-hunted for that high-paid jobs that all your peers want, or struggling to make it through several stages in a traditional graduate recruitment that might not necessarily stimulate the skills that you possess. Though Social Media originates in the technology industry, the benefits are there for students of all disciplines. For example, if you are a culinary arts student, who dreams of being a chef at an exclusive restaurant there are a number of ways you can make this a possibility with Social Media. You can post pictures of your fine cuisine up on Instagram and your own twist on recipes up on Pinterest to create a unique online portfolio. You can then share the links to these profiles through other Social Media sources like Twitter and Facebook. Compliment this with an online CV on LinkedIn and you are giving yourself the best possible chance as more and more employers begin to rely on Social Media for recruitment purposes. As well as this, you can directly target your desired employers through their Company pages and the personal profiles of HR Managers for these companies. This is just one example of how Social Media can be used to your advantage to build your career and stand out from other students and graduates. As well as this, students who have been elected Class Rep or are involved in Clubs and Societies can promote events through social media. This can be a less costly method and a more time-efficient way of promoting an event, rather than the traditional methods such as handing out fliers and hanging up posters. For any students who are interested in developing their Social media skills to help promote events or showcase their own talents to potential employers, I will be organising Social Media Events this year including talks by experienced Social Media professionals. I will also be constantly sharing information regarding helpful events and workshops run in Cork to help students sharpen their Social Networking skills and build a professional online image to give them the best possible start and potentially help them skip a few steps on the Job ladder. If you are wondering where I will be sharing this information, clearly this article was lost on you! Michael Linehan, CIT SU Communications Officer 14 Vote for your main RAG WEEK CHARITY 2014 The students and staff of CIT are asked to select a main beneficiary of the funds raised during Rag Week 2013. There are four options to choose from and you can vote for your favorite on www.facebook.com/citsu. All students will receive an alert via email to their ‘myCIT’ accounts when voting becomes live. This article details the four charities so please read carefully before making your selection. Please like us on facebook and share the posting to encourage as many people as possible be participate. (Approximately 50% of funds raised during CIT Rag Week 2014 will be donated to the main charity and the remaining will be divided out amongst other Charities in much need of funding). Pieta House is a Suicide and Self-Harm Crisis Centre, offering a confidential, free-of-charge counselling service. Their mission is to reduce the number of deaths by suicide, to reduce the number of people engaging in self-harm and to bring about social change. Pieta House provides a free, therapeutic approach to people who are in suicidal distress and those who engage in self-harm. Pieta House, The Centre for the Prevention of Self-Harm or Suicide officially opened its doors in January 2006. Nearly eight years later, they have seen and helped over 6,000 people, and opened up two Outreach Centres, and three other Centres of Excellence in Dublin, Limerick and Roscrea. A centre is due to open in Bishopstown in Cork in the coming months and fundraising is vital to ensure this centre in Cork stays open. http://www.pieta.ie/ Childline Many children are dealing with a living nightmare at home with very few options of support available. Childline provides a 24 hour listening service for all children up to the age of 18. Childline seeks to empower and support children using the medium of phones and information technology. The phone service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Childline receives thousands of calls every year. Currently Childline answers over 800,000 call a year but the fact is that one out of every three calls are missed due to lack of funding. Young people contact the service for a wide range of reasons such as bullying, sexuality, everyday chat and lots of other issues. Childline believe that no child in distress should be left waiting for help. Childline is 100% funded by donations. See http://www.ispcc.ie/ childline and www.childline.ie Penny Dinners was founded during Famine times as a soup kitchen and is one of Cork’s oldest caring organisations (founded in 1840). Everyone who calls to the Centre is given a hot nourishing midday meal. In addition, their clients get sandwiches and fruit to take away as an evening meal. Their aim is to provide a warm, dry place to sit and eat, with a welcoming atmosphere, no questions asked, no judgments made. Regardless of ability to pay, all are welcomed with courtesy. There’s an open door and a warm welcome. They never judge, they serve. They are open 7 days a week all year including Christmas Day. They are currently serving well over 1000 meals per week, compared to around 150 a week two years ago. Their volunteers come from all walks of life; nurses, truck drivers, scientists, general operatives, musicians, teachers, students, solicitors, unemployed people, retired people, clergy and so on. The volunteers are from many nationalities and have many different religions or none; but what we all have is empathy for our fellow human beings, a willingness to offer a hand in support . Their income comes from individuals, companies, and local organisations and these donations are what enables the continuance of the service. See www.corkpennydinners.ie 2009 whose aim is to help deal with the issues of depression and suicide in Ireland. Some of their objectives are: To set up educational workshops for the purpose of creating public awareness and understanding of mental health, depression and suicide. To set up relevant community committees which are identifiable in local areas. To act as facilitatory centres for anyone in crisis. To facilitate training of volunteers in programmes which help identify people at risk of suicide and steps to be taken in these circumstances. Suicide Aware is a Cork based Voluntary Organisation founded in June Suicide Aware also assist those suffering from bullying. http://www.suicideaware.ie/ €9.99 up to 3 toppings 4 Star till 4 - 7 dayS a week •€1 delivery Charge •€2 delivery Charge after 12 midnight • douglaS 021 489 5577 • mCCurtain St. 021 450 6666 • waShington St. 021 4274555 • wilton 021 454 6666 T&C: *Up to three toppings. Please mention offer when ordering. Only with valid student ID. Not valid with any other offer. Valid for a lmited time only and at participating stores. 15 Fact file Tanzania Population: approx. 35 million Languages: Swahili but English widely spoken Religion: Christian 45%, Muslim 35% Area: 945,000 km2 (14 times the size of Ireland) Mara Muller Tolk Fact file Malawi Population: approx. 15 million Language: English Religion: Christian 83%, Muslim 13% Area: 118,000 km2 Fine Art and Design student Teaching & Education, Tanzania & Malawi, Africa. Volunteered With: Help2Kids www.help2kids.org B efore I left I knew that I was going to experience many things that I would not be prepared for, so I prepared myself for being unprepared. It was all I had imagined and so much more. I was met at the airport by Jacob, the Help2Kids driver, who drove me to the Friendly Gecko Guest house, my home for the next four weeks. Due to his very limited English and my exhaustion after the flight we spoke little. This gave me time to stare awestruck out the window trying to take in everything from the meter high stacks of eggs on the back of bikes to the old men playing Bao in the shade of a tree, all the while trying not to get unnerved by the erratic driving and the people trying to sell me all sorts through the car window, jabbering away in Swahili. I arrived at the Gecko House mid afternoon where Jessica, the help2kids coordinator for Tanzania, greeted me. They drove me out to the orphanage in the rickety old help2kids bus. This is where I would spend my afternoons for the next four weeks, playing games and doing arts with the children. Twice a week Massias, the gardener/ guard, drove us to the beach where the children always enjoyed a splash around in the water for hours. It was a pure joy spending time with the children, they were always full of smiles and ready to give and take all the love going around, laughing as I swung them around again and again and again… some things never get old! The day started early leaving the house at 8.00am, taking the bajaji (like a tuck tuck) or cycling to Wamato School. We taught everything from English and maths to arts and biology. We had no books to teach from and the children only had one copybook for all subjects. This was challenging as we had no guidance from the teachers and didn’t really know what the kids had already covered. It was a fun experience though and we always made great use of the art materials. Wamato is the only free school in Dar, the children only have to buy a uniform and a copybook but 16 some of them have to walk over an hour to get there. When the time came to leave, although it was devastating leaving the children knowing I may never see them again, I was also excited to move on to the much more rural village of Lifuwu in Malawi. On the way to Lifuwu we stopped in Salima, the next bigger town, where we were advised to buy any food we wanted for the week as the market in Lifuwu is… well let’s just say, it is small. If you can’t make a dinner out of tomatoes, rice, beans, eggs and mustard leaves you may run into trouble. Needless to say we got quite creative. So once we had acquired all the essentials we continued on. Arriving in Lifuwu was like stepping into a different world altogether. There’s no electricity in the village, all the water is collected from the pumps, and the cows and goats roam around free being followed by young boys with sticks. We were welcomed into the community instantly. The children would stand at the fence every day calling our names, looking for a ball or just in need of some attention. Meeting the children you were sure to be asked the same questions every time; what’s my name? (very confusing until you realise that, of course they meant what’s your name?) If they forgot your name they just go through all the volunteers names until you react to one of them, or just say ‘Eway’, meaning ‘you’. The nursery in the morning was often the highlight of my day. We sang songs throughout the day, songs that will forever be playing in my head. During lesson time the children would all try to sit as close as possible to me, even if that meant sitting on my foot or holding my hand, they were happy. Porridge time was heartwarming watching groups of three or four all pouring their porridge into one bowl and sharing it. They have so little but yet they find it in them to share. In the afternoons we facilitated sports and games at Kesembe Primary School and twice a week we held an arts corner and English corner. It was always challenging not only explaining a new activity but doing it with a huge language barrier, but we usually got by with the help of the older Children. I developed a very close relationship with one of the families who took me out farming with them one morning. They showed me how to weave a grass mat. I was also lucky enough to be invited into their home for lunch on my last day. It was amazing being properly immersed in their lifestyle and seeing how they live their lives daily. As we drove down the bumpy old track to Lifuwu turn off one last time, Lafana, one of the girls from the school, stood and waved goodbye and as the tears rolled down my cheek I knew in my heart that it would not be my last time in Africa. It has certainly been the single most rewarding experience of my life. It has given me a whole new outlook on life and has made me a much stronger and more confident person. For more Information on the CIT Volunteer Abroad program can help support you take part in a volunteer abroad experience please attend an information evening, 12th November from 5.30pm in the Student Centre Graduation Ceremony Meals Graduation Special Menu for €21.95 per person! Advance booking is recommended. Call 021 - 434 6755 to reserve your table. Starters Fresh Soup of The Day © Served with homemade brown bread. Golden Fried Garlic Mushrooms Lightly breaded mushrooms, served with seasonal leaves & garlic mayonnaise. Seared Beef and Blue Cheese Salad Seared Beef with Cashel blue cheese, potato wedges, cherry tomatoes and roasted red onions in a sharp citrus dressing McCarthys Wings Tossed in our famous Louisiana sauce, accompanied by a blue cheese dip and celery sticks Mains Baked Fillet of Atlantic Salmon © Served with a white wine veloute. Penne Arriabatta Penne Pasta cooked in a spicy cherry tomato sauce, finished under the grill with melted buffalo mozzarella Rib-Eye Steak © Served with carmelised onions and sautéed mushrooms. Accompanied by homecut chips. Moroccan Chicken Supreme © Pan-fried Chicken supreme served with goats cheese and stir fried vegetable infused couscous. All main courses will be accompanied by seasonal vegetables & mashed potato. Desserts Tom’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Accompanied by butterscotch sauce & vanilla ice-cream. Death by Chocolate Warm chocolate gateau with chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. Apple and Blackberry Crumble Served with whipped cream or ice cream. Followed by tea or coffee €21.95 per person For class party packages please contact the Students’ Union or Cillian at 021-4346755 17 The intern O The College Project ne of the hardest parts of any college course is when you reach the point where you’re expected to take everything you’ve learned and apply it in the form of a large scale team project. For most students this is the first college experience that comes close to what real life work environments will be like. Being an intern of just less than three months experience, I don’t exactly have a wealth of experience in managing large projects but what I can offer thus far is some rather useful advice for any first and second year BIS students who have yet to face the horrible eventuality that is the Third Year Cross Modular Project. If you are a first or second year BIS student, you will have heard many horror stories about the project and unfortunately most of them are true. But here is the good news, you will emerge from the project alive (hopefully), stronger, better equipped to handle future projects and with the right to boast about what you went through in the same sort of nostalgic way that a hardened war veteran would describe what it was like “back in Nam”. The following is not just a survival guide but a way to ensure that you and your team gain a competitive advantage and save yourself from the common pitfalls which are often learned the hard way. It can be applied to other projects also as it is what I believe is a general best-practice approach to managing a college group-project. Choose your team early – It’s a well-known fact that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Planning who you will be teamed up with is a must! From first and second year projects you should by now know who to team up with and more importantly who not to team up with. I cannot stress the importance of making the right choice of team members, it is absolutely imperative to your success. Forget friendships and go with the people who you know will give the project they’re all. Don’t get me wrong, it is important that you get along and communicate with each other effectively, because you will spend a lot of Year 3 semester 2 with each other, all day, every day. You will need to have the kind of professional relationship that will stop you from murdering each other in a stress / caffeine induced rage when stuff goes wrong, which it will… a lot. My project team was formed before third year had even started as a strategic conversation in Havana’s smoking room over a few Jaeger-bombs with a classmate who I worked well with on a former project and it turned out to be a strangely sensible move. Start Early – Stating the obvious, I know but you would be surprised by how hard it is to force yourself to dive into something where you have absolutely no idea how you’re going to do it. We met up for the first official meeting, one week into the January break and continued this for the rest of the month on a weekly basis. In January I would recommend getting all the design and analysis documents done. It will probably only be a first draft but have them done so that you can ask for feedback as soon as you go back in February and get them complete and out of the way. Remember 18 that analysis and design diagrams are used in real organizations as high-level maps of the system that can be understood by people who don’t have a technical background, so keep them simple and don’t try to perfect them because chances are when you go back in February you will more than likely be told by your lecturer that there are mistakes. Trial and Error - The thing you will have to accept is that you will make mistakes, lots and lots of mistakes, so treat the project as an iterative process. Whether it be your database design, coding or project management documents, aim to get a good version of the particular milestone done as quickly as possible so that you can get feedback from your lecturer. Trust me, there will be a huge queue waiting to ask them questions so it is in your own interest to be able to say that all you need help with is for them to tell you whether or not that you are headed in the right direction. Just like anything else, the key to mastering these milestones is repetition, repetition, repetition; then repeat this step again. You just have to accept the fact that if you want to do well, you will constantly be redrafting documents and hunting bugs in your code. Treat each milestone like a sprint in which you attempt to get it working as quickly as possible with the view of coming back to it once completed to fine tune it for submission. Document Control – As mentioned above, if you are aiming to do well you will never be handing up a first draft. I will never forget the shock of getting half marks in one of our database design handups after we had been fully convinced that it was at least 1H worthy. Turns out we had handed up a version that was weeks old and had undergone a complete re-vamp since. Set up a file-sharing facility for you and your project team. We used Dropbox because it is free and easy to use but other ones are also good like Google Drive. Just be careful because the danger with cloud based file sharing is that you could be working on a document at the same time as someone else on the team and this is when mistakes happen. Since working at Trustev, I have learned two handy tips to avoid this: 1. D esign a set folder structure. For example in your e-business folder you might have a Coding sub folder and separate sub folders for each design document. Also create a sub folder called Drafts. Any document which is not ready to be submitted should be saved in this draft folder and in the name of the document include the word draft, what it relates to and the date it was last updated. When the final draft is approved for submission, move it into the relevant folder and rename it without the word draft. This will avoid you handing up incomplete work. 2. A ssign Work. Make sure that before you head away from college at the end of the day to work from home that you have a brief meeting describing what work each person will do for the evening. This will avoid duplication and overlapping work on the same item. Commit yourself – By mid-March the project will be done and trust me the time flies once the January break is over so don’t fall into the trap of procrastination. Make a commitment to give it your all over the 7 or 8 weeks between coming back and presenting the project. It might mean a few 12 hour days in college but it will all be worth it when you know that you guaranteed yourself the best grade possible in the toughest year of the course. Work Together – Particularly in this project where there is a mix of technical and written based work to be done, the temptation is often to let the people who are good at coding to do all the coding and then let the people who can’t code to do all of the Project Management and design documents. Firstly, it is a requirement that each member must contribute equally to each part of the project. If you don’t, you will get caught out on the day of the presentation by a question about coding. Secondly, it is much easier to identify solutions if you are all working together as a team. When we got to the hard-coding of the system, we were often all huddled together around one computer trying to figure out how we would make write the database queries and build each page. It is a lot easier and quicker to overcome problems with four different peoples’ input on the problem. Once you start to successfully build some of the first pages, you can then use them as a template for others and begin delegating the coding among different people in the project group. It was only after completing the project that I realised how valuable the whole process had been. You are forced to work proactively and also communicate with your fellow group members to ensure that they work in a similar fashion. You really are thrown into the deep end with this project but hopefully these steps will be a helpful guideline to any student who isn’t sure how they are even going to go about starting the Cross Modular Project. While this advice is the result of one specific project, these pitfalls and solutions become relevant to all BIS students in all colleges who will experience similar situations when it comes to managing group projects. Michael Linehan is a 4th year BIS student who worked his placement at Trustev. See more at: http://press.trustev.com/intern-lifethe-college-project/#sthash.pHwvWMGq.dpuf Michael Linehan By: Michael Linehan Tues 1st OCTober Could you survive on €33 a month? – We Can’t. Thousands of students took to the streets of Cork City on 1st October in a peaceful protest against further hikes in fees and reductions in grants. Student life has always brought with it connotations of cash strapped erudite people scrimping to get by. However living in overcrowded houses unable to throw together a meal is imagery that is more closely associated with the tenements of the early 20th century than a life conducive to study. Try as they might – students simply cannot make ends meet. A student living in Midleton may receive a grant as low as €33.89 per month – a monthly commuter ticket from Midleton costs €110.00, leav- ing a shortfall of €76.81 even before purchasing college material or food. Last year, CIT Students’ Union invited a voluntary organisation to speak to students about budgeting techniques. The organisation awkwardly responded that they could not teach students to budget as they have NO MONEY to budget. The government had committed to cuts to education of €44m in 2014 but this figure has risen to €100m. This increase has been associated with the need to find an additional €40m for payments to victims of clerical abuse under the redress scheme. How many more governmental fiascos must the educational sector endure? Students, on the protest sent a strong message to government that they firmly oppose any attempt to make further cuts to the maintenance grant. The government and Minister Quinn must be made aware that students will not take this lying down, and will take their opposition to the streets. CIT Students’ Union President, Danny O’Donovan, said: “Austerity, in whatever form it takes, is something that affects us all. Today we not only protest on behalf of students but on behalf of their families who are baring the burden of unsustainable cuts to grants and hikes in fees. Today students had their voices heard. 19 Live CIT Love Societies IDEA Hub Firstly, we would like to welcome all the new 1st year students to CIT along with those of you returning to resume your position on the academic ladder. A new Enterprise intern has taken up residence in the Rubicon Centre for the coming year. Wesley Connolly Tong graduated from Recreation and Leisure in 2012 and progressed to complete an honours degree in Business Studies in 2013. Wesley has just begun a Research Masters in the field of Social Marketing. Student enterprise has been established to promote, develop and sustain enterprise among students in CIT. The interns are committed to helping students find out more about enterprise and to encourage participation. Throughout the college year, they hold many events and competitions on and off campus. The Idea Hub is the society set up in CIT to establish contact with the students. We had a presence in the CIT Sports and Societies Day held in the Student Centre on the 19th of September. We managed to gather eighty two students to sign up for the Idea Hub society. We informed the students about the benefits of joining and the support that is available to them. Stay up to date with us by Liking our Facebook page and Following us on Twitter. •www.facebook.com/theideahub • @ideahubsoc Should you have any further queries you can contact Ciara or Wesley by Email: Ciara.Lavelle@cit.ie Wesley.connolly-tong@cit.ie CIT Cancer Society Balloon Release Tuesday 22nd October @ 1pm (Forecourt, outside Student Centre) In memory of all those loved ones, no longer with us. 20 First session out with all the new members of CIT Photography Society, night shoot of Cork City. New members welcome.It’s not too late to join. Meetings Mondays 6p.m in B132. International Student Society (ISS) The ISS committee would like to welcome all new and returning society members to an exciting year filled, with a number of trips open to International and Irish students. The ISS would like to extend a special welcome to the forty Brazilian students studying here at CIT within the “Science without borders” program. Recently the ISS conducted a walking tour of Cork City, followed by a visit to some of Cork’s finest pubs. Upcoming events include a trip to Killarney and Kerry on the 5th and 6th of October. Followed by a two night three day trip to Galway from the 26th - 28th of October. The ISS will host weekly events and activities open to all students of CIT. Join the ISS and stay CIT Cancer Society A New Society, with a difference for the academic year 2013/14. The CIT Community consists of 17,000 students and over 1,500 staff if we were all to pool our resources together, we can raise much needed, vital funds for cancer charities and institutions throughout the country. ASK NOT WHAT CIT CAN DO FOR YOU BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR CIT. The society will zone in on three key areas, the main being fundraising via college wide events etc., and will also include two initiatives, which will eventually, while being incorporated into the work of the society, be standalone branches of it; these being Cancer Awareness and Bereavement Support Initiatives. Bereavement Support Initiative… Talk to a fellow student that can relate to what you’re going through. YOU’RE NOT ALONE! Important to note that this is by no means a counselling service or aims to serve as a substitute for one. Benefits of joining this society: • Get involved with and learn how to organise events • Get to know how the CIT Community works and become a bigger part of it • ‘Feel Good Factor’ of raising much needed funds tuned to our Facebook page and your email for weekly events and special offers only available through the International Student Society. Joel, Vice Chairperson for a good cause • Possibility of joining a volunteer programme at Marymount Hospice • Fantastic to have fundraising experience on your CV • Make a difference to people’s lives (the most important of all) Possible Beneficiaries of the Society: Irish Cancer Society, Cancer Research Ireland, Marymount, ARC House Cancer is something which affects everyone in some way or another throughout the course of their lives; why not try to make a difference in some way or another? #TogetherWeCan I hope that this Society really takes off this year, it’s for such a good cause and is something that is very close to my own heart and I feel has much potential. CIT students and staff, I urge you on behalf of the Society to please get one hundred percent behind it. Let’s set the foundations this year and hopefully watch it grow into something which will not only be a base to continuously generate much needed funds for cancer institutions but also offer a much needed support network for everyone in the college affected by in any way by this utterly cruel disease. May it stand as a tribute to all family members and friends of all the students and staff in CIT, past and present, currently fighting the disease or those loved ones sadly no longer with us. Sláinte, Shane Falvey (Society Founder) CIT Sport Basketball Another sporting year for CIT is beginning and I advise everybody to get up and get involved whatever your taste. Anybody interested in playing basketball, training is Mondays and Wednesdays at 1pm in the sports hall. We are very fortunate to have Lehmon Colbert coaching us this year. Lehmon had a very successful college career with Jacksonville University in the Atlantic Sun Conference. He averaged 28.7 minutes, 12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Lehmon impressive displays earned him the following awards during his college career: Second Team All-Atlantic Sun 2010, Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team 2009 and Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen Team 2007. Lehmon currently plays for Corks very own Blue Demons Basketball Club. The Freshers tournament will take place 30th November and 1st December and team members will be required to travel overnight to Carlow for the event with expenses paid. A great experience for everybody involved. CIT Soccer Club - The Club For You The CIT Soccer club would like to welcome all the first years and wish them the very best on their new college adventures. Sports and Societies Day was once again a very busy day for the soccer club with 277 new members, and along with the current players we can all look forward to a promising new season for all five teams. The CIT Futsal team, pictured above, finished 15th in the European Championship in Malaga in July. This is the highest ever finish for a men’s Irish team which was a great feat for the college and for the lads, who will hopefully do just as well in next year’s tournament in Rotterdam. Please like ‘CIT Soccer’ and ‘CIT Futsal Team’ pages on Facebook to keep up to date with training and match times, and any events or competitions. The soccer club also run a shop on Facebook, ‘CIT Soccer Merchandise Shop’ where all our Adidas gear can be purchased. Any queries or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact either Craig Robinson: 087 2818889 or Eric Marah: 086 7816710. Rebel Run 10k The second Leisureworld Rebel Run 10k, organised by Cork Sports Partnership and supported by CIT, takes place on Sunday October 20th this year. It’s not too late to start your training and to take part in this great event. This year the event is coinciding with Cork’s Flag ship event for the Gathering 2013 ‘Rebel Week’. This is a week of activities and events taking place across the city to celebrate all things Cork, and as a special addition to the Rebel Run this year, you can avail of your very own ‘Rebel Passport’ upon registering for the Rebel Run 10k (details will be on your e-ticket when you log on to register). To find out more about the Rebel Run or to register please log on to www.rebelrun.ie and we look forward to seeing you on October 20th. Cost of entry is only €15 and includes a technical T Shirt and a goody bag. Please note numbers are limited to 800. This is an AI approved course and is officially timed and measured. Munster Colleges Rugby Festival at CIT Munster Rugby by Niamh Hayes What a game! In their latest Rabo Direct PRO12 clash, the boys in red went in as underdogs to the boys in blue but came out as top-dogs in what was a superb display of rugby. One wouldn’t be blamed for thinking Leinster were worthy favourites as the ball spent most of the first 20 minutes in the Munster ‘22 but it was the home side’s sheer determination that held the visitors off from the try line and only a penalty kicked by Ian Madigan, after Munster failed to roll over, put Leinster on the score board. Ian Keatley had a chance to match the points but his penalty came back off the post and Madigan succeeded at another penalty leaving the sides 6-0. His glory was short-lived however, as he was sent to the sin bin for entering a ruck illegally. At the half hour mark, Keatley recovered himself by kicking over Munster’s first points of the game and a minute later a superb kick through by the number 10 was caught by man of the moment Keith Earls who’s speed took him over the line to score the match’s only try. Keatley effortlessly kicked the ball over to secure the extra points. Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has to be credited for his performance both in the way he encouraged his fellow team-mates with regular pats on the back, and having been knocked out cold just before half-time, got up and continued to play the last couple of minutes. Fergus McFadden kicked over another Leinster penalty and the sides headed in for the break, 10-9 to the home-side. The start of the second half was full of penalties with Munster kicking over one and Leinster edging into the lead with two, but once again Keatley stepped up and responded with another two to put Munster ahead again. The 20,000 odd spectators created an electric atmosphere throughout the game and by the 60th minute, supporters were on their feet and encouraging the boys in red with roars of “Muuuuunster, Muuuuunster”. Leinster threw everything they could into the closing stages including Rob Kearney creating an opportunity for an excellent try, but his hands let him down as he knocked the ball forward. Munster won the game deservedly 19-15 and they stand firmly in second place on the league table behind Glasgow Warriors. The Munster boys have a busy few weeks ahead with games against Edinburgh, Gloucester and Glasgow in the next three weeks. On Wednesday, 2nd October, Cork Institute of Technology hosted a Munster Colleges Rugby Festival. Over 220 students from CIT, Limerick IT, Tralee IT, Waterford IT, University of Limerick, National Maritime College of Ireland and LIT Tipperary took part in the event. There were four different competitions run on the day catering for all levels of interest and ability. Ten a-side tournaments were held at Men’s, Women’s and Fresher’s level and these ran alongside a Tag Rugby Tournament which was won by WIT. Referees on the day were provided by the Munster Rugby Development Department and The IRFU Leisure Rugby Department. There will be more events during the year so keep an eye out. 21 Crossword nn Lempel / Will Shortz ©New York sponsored by Times www.citsocieties.ie 1 3 4 5 6 7 16 20 31 28 29 47 33 56 38 44 50 54 58 59 61 65 66 67 68 69 70 15 17 21 22 23 64 55 60 Name: 63 51 57 66 Hawaiian garlands 67 To the ___ of the earth Class: 68 B&B's 69 "Fiddlesticks!" 70 Immediately, to a surgeon 39 45 53 52 41 34 37 43 49 48 40 30 36 42 12 25 32 35 11 21 24 23 27 10 18 17 26 46 9 15 19 22 8 14 13 h d 2 62 Got smaller Guzzled Mobile Tel: Selfish sorts Taxis Nobel Peace Prize city Church bell holder Tactfully remove from a job "Yuck!" Winter hours in Minn. Sup U.S. anti-trafficking grp. *Teased hairdo Gaelic Art ___ (1920s-'30s style) Long-feathered wading birds Lacking its wool coat, as a sheep Katmandu native 47 The "Ed" of Con Ed 48 *Home of the University of Arizona 50 Still on the market 55 Roller coaster and bumper cars 57 Male companions for Barbies 58 Branch of Islam predominant in Iran 59 Sunrise direction 62 Above, poetically 63 Tooth decay-fighting org. 64 F.D.R.'s successor Across 1 V.I.P.’s vehicle 5 Cry one’s eyes out 9 Sudden impulse 13 Tracking dog’s clue 14 Double reed instrument 15 Glistened 16 *Backwoods locale 18 Parts of parkas 19 Averages 20 Colorful shawls south of the border 22 ___ Rica 24 Nintendo competitor 25 Spike who directed “Crooklyn” 26 Fireplace residue 27 *Particle with no electric charge 30 Commercials 31 Obstruction, as in a pipe 33 1950s prez 35 Boozers 36 Outbuildings 38 Sleeping, most likely 42 Golf peg 44 Place to buy a dog or dog food 46 Badminton court divider 49 *Stew made with paprika 51 L.A. campus 52 Ending on a campus e-mail address 53 Anglo-Saxon writing symbol 54 Monteverdi opera hero who descends into Hades 56 Marches in protest outside a workplace 58 Tiny flourish on a letter 60 Liability’s opposite 61 Gush (over) ... or sounds shared by the answer to each starred clue 65 “Crazy” birds 66 Hawaiian garlands 67 To the ___ of the earth 68 B&B’s 69 “Fiddlesticks!” 70 Immediately, to a surgeon Prize: €30. Deliver completed entries to the SU shop. Winner from last issue: Colin Long, BS3-C Wisdom of the World Down 1 High tennis hit 2 Altar vow 3 *Apollo 11, 12 or 13, e.g. 4 "Ready ___, here ..." 5 Ka-blam! 6 "Sesame Street" lessons 7 Stir-fry cooker 8 ___ of two evils 9 Cowboy's "Stop!" 10 *Commotion 11 Truly 12 Bungles, with "up" 22 24 28 29 32 34 37 39 40 41 43 45 46 Down 1 High tennis hit 2 Altar vow 3 *Apollo 11, 12 or 13, e.g. 4 “Ready ___, here ...” 5 Ka-blam! 6 “Sesame Street”lessons 7 Stir-fry cooker 8 ___ of two evils 9 Cowboy’s “Stop!” 10 *Commotion 11 Truly 12 Bungles, with “up” 15 Got smaller 17 Guzzled 21 Selfish sorts 22 Taxis 23 Nobel Peace Prize city 24 Church bell holder 28 Tactfully remove from a job 29 “Yuck!” 32 Winter hours in Minn. 34 Sup 37 U.S. anti - trafficking grp. 39 *Teased hairdo 40 Gaelic 41 Art ___ (1920s-‘30s style) 43 Long-feathered wading birds 45 Lacking its wool coat, as a sheep 46 Katmandu native 47 The “Ed” of Con Ed 48 *Home of the University of Arizona 50 Still on the market 55 Roller coaster and bumper cars 57 Male companions for Barbies 58 Branch of Islam predominant in Iran 59 Sunrise direction 62 Above, poetically 63 Tooth decay - fighting org. 64 F.D.R.’s successor ON ALL CORK CITY ROUTES COMMUTER Cork A5 DEC 2011_Layout 1 04/01/2012 10:51 Page 1 WEEKLY STUDENT €15.50 Review! By Michael Linehan MONTHLY STUDENT €55 Save €€€’s with Bus Éireann Expressway W here to get started with this year’s Freshers Week! I suppose just by the order of the events, we should start with ‘Pull Da Fresher’ which even saw our very own Entertainments Officer getting a bit ‘eh’ excited to say the least. Guess I would be too if I found my true love on stage. Next up on the Monday of Freshers Week was the first and unfortunately the last installment of Séisiún Mór. The event was completely sold out and thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance, however, the would-be success was marred by the antics of a small group of individuals who decided to wreck the bus, costing the Students’ Union €8,000. Anyway, less of that for now, those individuals are being dealt with and while they may have ruined one event, it certainly didn’t dampen the buzz for the rest of the week, or even the night for that matter, as ‘Keep it Local’ saw the Loft filled to capacity. 2013 Freshers Week Tuesday saw our freshers being terrorised by a giant sperm at SHAG Bingo (but he was of course among many that were undoubtedly let loose throughout the week). Later that night, students partied it up budget style for ‘Skint Tuesday’ at the Savoy, where entry was only €6 up until 11.30. Freshers Week was just the introduction to this weekly occurrence at Cork’s biggest nightclub, where thirsty students need no longer wait until Thursday to get their party fix. Tickets available from Bus Éireann Travel Centre, Parnell Place, Cork. Expressway Services From Cork To: An Stád Shop, Students Centre U.C.C. Galway: (Sunday to Saturday): Student Union Office, C.I.T. 0725, 0825, 0925, 1025, 1125, 1225, 1325,1425, 1525, 1625, 1725, 1825 Limerick/Shannon Airport: (Sunday to Saturday): 0725, 0825, 0925, 1025, 1125, 1225, 1325, 1425, 1525, 1625, 1725, 1825, 1925, 2055 Killarney/Tralee: (pick up U.C.C. & C.U.H.) (Mon to Sat): 0830, 1000, 1130, 1230, 1330, 1430, 1530, 1630, 1730, 1900, 2030 (Sunday): 1030, 1230, 1330, 1430, 1530, 1630, 1730, 1900, 2030 Dungarvan/Waterford: (Mon to Sat): 0840, 0940, 1040, 1140, 1240, 1340, 1440, 1540, 1640, 1740, 1840, 1940, 2040 (Sunday): 0940, 1040, 1240, 1340, 1440, 1540, 1640, 1740, 1840, 2040 Dublin(serving Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Cahir, Cashel, Dublin, Dublin Airport): (Sunday to Saturday): 0800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800 T 021 450 8188 E info@buseireann.ie GObé (Cork to Dublin/Dublin Airport Direct): (Sunday to Saturday): 0230, 0430, 0630, 0830, 1030, 1230, 1430, 1630, 1830 A full journey planner is available on our website www.buseieann.ie DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE WHEN YOU BOOK ON LINE WWW.BUSEIREANN.IE For further information please contact: Bus Éireann Travel Centre, Cork: 021 4508188 All above services depart from Cork Bus Station, Parnell Place. Wednesday was meant to be the day that freshers would be treated to Part 2 of Seisiún Mór, but unfortunately, due to events already mentioned, this was not the case. Luckily, there was still plenty of craic to be had in the Student Centre, with the Bank of Ireland Roadshow which saw the Munster Rugby team hang out with students and get in a few snaps. Simon Zebo was among the players present. The female population turned out in the masses to meet the sports star, forming a not so orderly queue that would have even put the lunchtime queue in the Nexus Market deli to shame. Thursday marked the long-awaited return of world-class hypnotist Adrian Knight to the Nexus stage. His hypnotic skills and hilarious on-stage routine had the crowd in tears at both the performance and the poor people taking part on stage. Fair play to those brave volunteers though. It’s rare you see lads around college willing to show public displays of affection with their girlfriends, let alone a chair or even each other on stage in front of the entire student body. As the excitement from the act wore off, the anticipation for the Freshers Ball was only heightened by the celebration of Arthur’s Day. This was clear from the turn out that night at the Bodega, which got a full turn-out for The Freshers Ball. All in all this year’s Freshers’ Week was a huge success in terms of getting involvement from this year’s freshers and indeed the rest of the student body who were eager to engage with the new talent on campus. Here at the CIT Students’ Union, we like to make the first years feel welcome and hopefully we can impress with many more events to help even out the stress that comes with starting college. 23 Offering students quality and value for over 20 years Our Mission is to provide the best service possible in our outlets, giving value for money to all our customers here in CIT. Watch out for the Special Offers which are available on an on-going basis. Food Court Open 8.15am to 9.00pm, Mon to Thurs Open 8.15am to 2.30pm, Friday Breakfast Served From 8.15am to 11.00pm Lunch Served from 12.00pm to 2.30pm Evening Meal from 3.30pm to 7.00pm In our Food Court we provide budget conscious, freshly prepared full meals and snack services • Breakfast Specials • Student Special • Roast of the Day • Muffins • Pastries • Grab & Go Sandwiches • Minerals • Snack items Check out the Menu Board daily The Hub (Located by Food Court) Open 8.15am to 3.45pm, Mon to Thurs Open 8.15am to 4.00pm, Fri • Handmade, Barista Speciality Coffees • Tasty Snacks • Ice Cream Snack Bar (Located by Food Court) Open 9.30am to 2.30pm At our Snack Bar Sandwiches are made to Order using the finest of ingredients. • Meal Deals • Doorstep Sandwiches • Panini’s • Filled Bagels • Filled Rolls/Baps • B/Fast Rolls • Warm Chicken Rolls All at a Competitive Price An Siopa (Located by Food Court) Open 8.15am to 7.00pm, Mon to Thurs Open 8.15am to 1.30pm, Fri • Stationary • Newspapers • Phone Credit • Snacks • Hot & Cold Beverages Nexus Market (Located in the Student Centre) Open 8.00am to 5.00pm, Mon to Thurs Open 8.00am to 4.00pm, Fri Mini Market is our Main Retail Outlet and a supplier of a wide variety of services • Hot Food Deli • Sandwich Bar • Groceries • Lottery • Newspapers • Stationary • Books • College Merchandise Bistro (Located in the Student Centre) Open 8.00am to 3.00pm We are available to cater for your specific requirements • Personalised Service • Speciality Coffee • Scones & Pastries • Daily Luncheon Specials • Wide variety of Made to Order Dishes or Choose from our Hot Counter • Deli Counter Look out for regular special offers in all areas Keep your college clean The Atrium, Nexus and Common Room are self cleaning areas. Please help us by placing all litter into the recycle/waste bins