last day of term in ucd

DrColossus

the last day of college in UCD dis year was crap! There was no atmosphere or anythin. Last year was teh s***. we jus sat outside teh forum listenin to the crappy DJ (who played early 90's dance) the whole day.
down with this sort of thing!
last year everyone was sittin by teh lake, and people were swimmin across it and we laughed at them cos they thought they were cool
anyone have a good last day?
think i wuz expectin too much.

[/RANT]

damnyanks

You never started your rant UCD boy!

Eh... don't worry. Most places arent the best. Its on rare occasion (usually your first) that its really good and the rest just dont live up to them.

I still think leaving cert results day / night was the best

DadaKopf

I've definitely noticed a different breed of undergrad in UCD this year.

Seems like nearly all year, an unprecedented number of those lot have been nerding it up in the library.

Why is that?

Anyway, the Ents officer this year was crap so no wonder the last day was t!ts.

But what do I care? I'm a post-grad.

Red Alert

sort of off-topic but does anyone think that the two PA systems (the stage one and the music one) in the student bar need serious replacement?

if the music's ****e the nite's gonna be the same

DadaKopf

People ask that every year. I'm quite sure it has more to do with the room and the quality of the soundmen. Plenty of pub gigs with portable PA's I've been to that sound deadly.

Anyway, I did hear the PA is due to be replaced AGAIN.

DrColossus

the battle of the bands was sh!te this year., the sound system was awful. Anyway teh student bar sucks g'wan the forum!. Open mic was the best thing to happend on campus this year. what with the UCD ball being cancelled

and @Dadakopf
Cashman's gonna be a great ents officer next year, i mean the mastermind behind craic soc!!!

Red Alert

cashman's an idiot (and this comes from someone who takes great pride in avoiding all knowledge of the SU hacks). Whatever you could say about some of that Sherry dude's election stunts, he actually hasn't left a financial mess behind him.

on the subject of the PA's, the big one on the stage isn't too bad, it's actually the one attached to the jukebox that's complete crap. Go into any of the shops on grafton street (hmv, a-wear, bt2) and they've got much better and louder systems than are on the jukebox. Surely a decent power amp to replace the one in the jukebox and about 6 - 8 speakers can't cost the SU a bomb.

Dave

I don't know about ye but I had a great last day. There were about 50 people drinking by some pond, (I don't know where, by some new buildings, maybe the Vet Block?) from 3 o clock in the day. Then when it started to get dark we lit a camp fire and brought out the guitar. I left it at about 2 and it was still going strong, with Paul Dillion leading an aul sing song. And I'm from UL!

uberwolf

Originally posted by Dave
I don't know about ye but I had a great last day. There were about 50 people drinking by some pond, (I don't know where, by some new buildings, maybe the Vet Block?) from 3 o clock in the day.

quiet you, don't tell everyone about that place!!

Dave

*cough* I was lying the pond is somewhere totally different altogether.

Security seem to know about it pretty well.

Red Alert

There weren't even minor disturbances on the last day. That said, even last year i think the last day was a bit more lively than this year, although neither compare to the last day before christmas, now that's something to be proud of

DadaKopf

Originally posted by Dave
I don't know about ye but I had a great last day. There were about 50 people drinking by some pond, (I don't know where, by some new buildings, maybe the Vet Block?) from 3 o clock in the day. Then when it started to get dark we lit a camp fire and brought out the guitar. I left it at about 2 and it was still going strong, with Paul Dillion leading an aul sing song. And I'm from UL!

You mean the 'Reclaim the Campus'? Ha. Ideological horse manure aside*, it looked like a nice way to finish the year.

*Please do not take this statement to mean that the author of this post opposes Reclaim the Streets, or global justice movements in any way. Thank you.

Red Alert

I'm becoming majorly pissed off with the SU being used as a platform by these various lefties to just put forward their own point of view. IMHO what's the bloody point of paying our SU levy if that's what they spend it on?

DrColossus

@ Dave, yeh i wish i was there, all my mates were there.
i was in the forum at the time. but tis a good place to knacker drink none the less.

@ Red alert, if ya think thats bad i heard
C&E's auditor last year spent half their budget for him and 3 of his mates to go to vegas at christmas

ferdi

i agree the SU budget shouldnt be spent on political things but you voted them in.

Red Alert

There isn't much choice is there? The only credible candidate would've been that Greg Park chap, but his campaign was too good to be true. Now we're stuck with Old Man Scully.

DadaKopf

Ah come on, what else is a students' union for but to do 'political things'?

In the four years Fianna Fail were in control of the union, nothing was done.

This year, the union has concentrated on both campus-related issues, education-related issues and general political issues.

They made the entirely correct link between the European constitution and college fees, and comprehensive privatisation of Irish education. As such, Ireland's biggest single students' union raised issues relating to education at local, national, international and global levels.

The Coke referendum was a clear example of the students' union being used as a political tool through which students express themselves democratically for the greater good.

In all the years Finanna Fail was in charge, the union was run like a Fianna Fail constituency, a self-serving tool of machine politics that really achieved little other than to add a few lines to the officers' CV's.

These comments exclude the Ents officer, who was apalling.

krattapopov

Originally posted by Red Alert

the one attached to the jukebox that's complete crap

agreed, time for a new one

Red Alert

The coke boycott is the biggest load of crap i ever heard of. It's a waste of time and only hurts the very nice people who run the SU shops.

DadaKopf

Actually, sales aren't down across all the SU shops. Only shop that suffered is the one in the Students' Centre - and that's because no one really goes there.

Anyway, you may disagree with the boycott, but students just have to accept the SU's democratic decision.

Hardly anyone remembers the Nestlé ban, which is still in effect. Nestlé changed its practises because of the global boycott campaign.

beardedchicken

Originally posted by DadaKopf
Hardly anyone remembers the Nestlé ban, which is still in effect. Nestlé changed its practises because of the global boycott campaign.

so why is it still in place then?


by the way, i was in favour of the coke ban, and am in favour of the nestle ban - certainly they've changed their practices somewhat in the intervening years, but they're still among the "big five" coffe companies who are screwing poor coffee farmers in the developing world out of a living wage, while raking in the cash for themselves from the "developed" world. the shortage of fair trade food and coffee on campus is appaling; we're already paying over the odds for coffee in places like hilpers* and perk and 911, why aren't we giving some of that money directly to the people who really need it and deserve it.


*i am aware that hilpers does serve *some* fairly traded coffee, but it's not always available, as the only place that serves it, the seemingly otherwise redundant coffee counter at the far end of the cafe is often closed, except at busy times.

rant over.

Red Alert

most of Us mere mortals in the engineering building happenned to be against the coke ban, when you factor into the equation the lack of political interest in our section of college. the SU needs to get back to its main role - we have the forum bar which IMHO is unnecessary, whilst the student bar could do with a good no-nonsense makeover and serious upgrade of the audio/visual systems. the SU bookstore is chronically undeveloped and could perform a lot better given an investment of time money and enthusiasm.

however, where's all the money going? it'll probably be the campaign for the rights of Jimmy Joe McCrushkeen next.

DadaKopf

we have the forum bar which IMHO is unnecessary, whilst the student bar could do with a good no-nonsense makeover and serious upgrade of the audio/visual systems

The forum bar is most certainly being dealt with. However, the SU to my knowledge doesn't run the bars directly, but through a committee comprising of SU people, permanent bar employees and the university.

The students' bar/club DID get a make-over two years ago (maybe less) and the sound system got upgraded, and probably is again.

Good point about the SU bookshop. I seriously think the SU should run a subsidised new books shop.

Red Alert: I seem to get the impression from your tone that you just haven't any time for these 'hippy' do-gooder types.

I mean, you were wrong in nearly everything you said just there. Sounds to me like prejudice?

Red Alert

the so-called makeover was widely-critisised as not being 'finished'. i'm sure a new sound system was installed - although to be honest it looks like a blind butcher installed it, where the hell did they get it from... the skip behind a dunnes stores?

i've got all the time in the world for 'hippy-type' stuff - eg i support the palestinian solidarity. i just don't think SU membership fees should be spent on this type of stuff at the expense of students.

DadaKopf

Fine, but I'm happy paying for it. You *do* know you can decide not to be a member of the union?

Chinafoot

cant we all just get along!!!!!

one thing i will say about the coke ban........it was disgusting that those in the union opposed to it were aloowed spend money on poxy fliers and posters and make us have the vote again. its like bloody bertie! why could they not accept the vote? if its supposed to be all about democracy the vote should have been accepted as what the people wanted.

oh and i have to disagree with red alert about greg parks......i dont know how u could call him a credible candidate. why focus on the issues when u can win people over by promising a swimming pool that will never materialise?? well judging by his results the students arent so easily fooled.


but then again.....what the hell would i know. im just one of those annoying first years that isnt allowed to have an opinion until i'm in second year.

Red Alert

the swimming pool claim was over the top, but one would want to be a right idiot not to see through that. although come on, what the hell is old man scully's plan for ucd students?

Chinafoot

well i didnt vote for anyone but i think he was the more credible of all of them. seamus was too concerned with getting his little clique in, parks was a farce and poor old dickwag was never gonna win the students over.

personally i couldnt give a crap who is president cos at the end of the day they all seem to want to use the union as a soapbox for their other interests.

Red Alert

which is my entire point. the decent normal students of ucd should try to take back the union and put it to work in our interests.

Chinafoot

in an ideal world maybe. the union just strikes me as one big hippy clique.

because of the way the union seems to be i dont think the normal students would be bothered taking it over.

they're all a pack of muppets anyway!:D