The Compact, Issue 9, October, 2006

Technological University Dublin ARROW@TU Dublin DIT Student Union Dublin Institute of Technology 2006 The Compact, Issue 9, October, 2006 DIT: Students' Union Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ditsu Recommended Citation Dublin Institute of Technology Students' Union, The Compact, Issue 9, October, 2006. Dublin, DIT, 2006 This Other is brought to you for free and open access by the Dublin Institute of Technology at ARROW@TU Dublin. It has been accepted for inclusion in DIT Student Union by an authorized administrator of ARROW@TU Dublin. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License NEWS I REVIEWS I ENTERTAINMENT I FASHION I SPORTS I SOCIETIES I & MUCH MOREI Sponsored By hish Independent • • • IrishIndependent' Compact. www.independent.ie EDITORIAL the compact ing hailed as a return to his best. How clean do you re<.'kon your hands are? If you think they're fine just 4-9 because you've washed and dried 1213 them thoroughly, Maura Fay'S got 141 some fairly shocking news for you. You can also read Kevin Byrne on 1617 why the War on Terror is vital for 18 Shannon Airport, and Yuvraj Parihar 19 tells us why he's fed up of being told 20 what to do. 22 Here's something you didn't know This is the first issue of The Compact 24-26 about Paul Oaniels - he doesn't like this year, and we've got a brand journalists. I didn't know that either, new team here. We want any ideas 30 but I found pretty quickly when I or suggestions you might have, so chatted to him about his life and please g~t in touch. As well as all career. Paul isn't afraid of express the news from the Students' Union, ing his opinions, and in the first in clubs, and societies, we're aiming to a series of interviews with student bring you the best interviews, heroes, the magician reveals some features and opinion that we can. surprising thoughts on lan Huntley, If you've got anything you want to the War on Terror, and Ant and Dec. see, just drop us a line at compact@ You'll like it, not a lot. ditsu.ie. Oavid Kitt is back with a new album that could be make or break for his Enjoy the magazine, see you next career. Following two critically-ac- issue. claimed records, Kitt's form has been a bit less impressive of late, -Neil Brennan, and sarah Ooyle caught up with him Editor. to find out whether the pressure was on with this album, already be- There is potential for us in OIl to award ECTS credits under modularisa tion, and this would lead to students' extra curricular work being recognised within their academic program. We'll keep ye updated on that. COV RPH TO BlllyW I h We are still recruiting class reps, so if your class still doesn't have one, get down to the union office and we'll sort the rest out. It is vitally important every class has an effective repre sentative, especially to sit on course Hi all, committees and of course to organise the all important class parties! Welcome to the first edition of The Compact this year, and welcome The OIl Students' Union Handbook to OIl Students' Union! This is the was also launched, and has been magazine of the students for the hugely popular. students, so use it and read it. Coming up on the social side we have It's great to see all the Clubs and the Halloween Ball, Farmers Night Societies up and running, with and other theme nights, so make sure some putting on events and outings to get dressed up and make your already, hopefully the rest will get presence felt! As always you can keep the finger out and get active. posted on what we're up to on www. ditsu.ie. The extra-curricular activities really are the best way of getting involved Chat ya later, in college, and we are keen to pur Bob sue recognition of input into student life for students who give time and energy to organise and run clubs and societies. a moment or two of uneasy silence, but after The respective Vice Presidents then tackled Bob reminded students that this might be areas most pertinent to them. Hamid, VP for CLASSREP their only chance to pick Professor Norton's Academic and Student Affairs, addressed the brain, the hands started to go up in the air. students on how to deal with problems like TRAINING Questions ranged from day to day problems lecturing standards, inappropriate lecture of class sizes and inappropriate lecture halls halls, exam appeals, and student health and to queries about the Grangegorman campus. welfare. Fiona, VP for Services and Trading, DAY then dealt with what could be seen as the fun With the thought of lunch hanging heavily behind being a class rep: organising parties over the audience, Colly McGivern launched for your class. into a snappy presentation on public speaking UNION NfWS Former OITSU Vice President Bernadette ~' and communications. Once again unsuspect ~ A",f" ~t~j .:~ .,,.~~ , M:lJ. 4 - ing students were preyed upon and not given Farrell, now Education Officer of the Union an opportunity to relax. At different times of Students Ireland (USI), gave a talk with SU President Bob Coggins kicked off Class they were invited up to give public speaking a the USI Welfare Officer on the role of the Rep Training Oay by welcoming everyone but go, and many rose to the occasion with gusto. organisation in representing OIT students the ball really got rolling when he and Colly Addressing appropriate stance, speaking on a national scale. This included finding out McGivern asked the reps a few icebreaking tone, projection and presence, Colly dealt how the group deals with Government and its questions. Unsuspecting students were in with the most troubling aspects of saying a agencies, and about some of the campaigns vited to reveal details about themselves that few words in public. the USI has been behind. This presentation wouldn't usually have been encouraged, from was topped off with a suitably embarrassing having sexual relations on a tractor to what After soup and sandwiches, the second half old photograph of Bob Coggins. they would use if the toilet roll runs out. of the day kicked off with Colly breezing through his presentation on negotiations The day ended with spontaneous awards for Bob and Vice Presidents Hamid and Fiona and dealing with committees. He dealt with some of the students that contributed to the got down to business with a rundown of correct procedure and general rules of thumb day, and a huge thank you to all the guest the structure of the Students' Union. The to remember when dealing with programme speakers, hotel staff and OITSU representa structures of OIT itself were explained to the committees and lecturers, something that tives. The stUdents then tucked into dinner, students, with a rough outline given of the most class reps will be called upon to do over before reconvening for a few drinks later in Students' Union involvement in all aspects of the next year. The Big Tree. the running of OIT. The students were then invited to divide into "It was the best Class Rep training we've After this OIT President Professor Brian groups of four, and were given a scenario to had in my seven years at the college," Bob Norton gave an informal speech concentrat tackle. Two in the group acted as class reps, Coggins told The Compact. "We had a huge ing on how important the Class Rep system with the others taking on the role of OIT attendence, the biggest ever...and all of the could be when it worked in tandem with staff. There were some successes and some feedback points to it being a success. Every OIT's academic structures. He then asked failures in the following negotiations, with one took a lot out of the day." for any questions from the floor. There was Colly's points well illustrated by the exercise. 4 Colly McGivern is a man with a lot of experi ence of negotiation, and when he spoke to The Compact, he was keen to point out that negotiations aren't just for countries at war. "Everyday is filled with negotiations, whether it's the negotiations you have with yourself about getting up in the morning to negotia tions you have with your tutor." McGivern said that he wanted the Class Reps to come away with the skills they already had "pol ished." "Everyone here is already motivated, they want to be a Class Rep, they stood for elec tion. They want to work on behalf of the stu dents in their class. That tells me immediately that they're motivated and driven, and that they have an interest in effectively represent ing the students." McGivern believes it is possible to teach peo ple how to negotiate. "There will be people who are better public speakers, some people have a better sense of humour," he says. "We all have different skills, but negotiations can be a learned skill." One that must come in handy when it's your turn to buy the drinks. Colly practices a system called Principled Negotiation, which tries to find a settlement acceptable to both parties. To put it another way, McGivern tries to find the win-win solu tion to problems.

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