TCD swastika and sex allegations

Sefirah

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/tcd-students-in-swastika-and-sex-allegations-2507466.html

An inquiry is underway at Ireland's most prestigious university, Trinity College Dublin, after a series of "outrageous" incidents at a popular French ski resort.
Among the events under investigation is a sexual incident involving a female student being woken up to find three naked male students in her room, €50 notes being burned and smoked and swastikas sprayed by Irish students on to walls of chalets.
More than 300 students from Dublin -- a majority believed to be from Trinity -- were holidaying in Les Deux Alpes, a popular French Alpine ski resort, from January 8 to 15. To keep costs down, the students travelled by bus for a trip that cost €462 per head.
Tales of daddy's credit card being used to buy massive rounds of drinks are only the minor details to have filtered back to Ireland.
According to sources from the respective colleges, students "burned and smoked €50 notes" in and outside one of the town's Alpine nightclubs to demonstrate their wealth.
"Swastikas being spray-painted by the Irish students on to walls of the accommodation ensured the gendarmes were called," said another source.
Another girl woke up to three male students masturbating in her room.
"Trinity College is currently investigating a series of alleged incidents which took place at Les Deux Alpes," the college confirmed last week.
"In the event that Trinity students perpetrated certain alleged acts, they will be duly disciplined, and sanctions will be imposed. The college is unable to comment further on the matter while its inquiry is underway."
Wasteland Ski, which organised the trip, said they were aware of trouble with "more excessive noise and complaints than usual".
They had no comment to make about the alleged incidents.
- ALISON O'RIORDAN


Say whuuut??

lucernarian

The indo should f**k off with this prestigous college crap. It's patently nonsense in this day and age to criticise behaviour based on what college they go to.

I'd understand if it were seminarians from Maynooth (the irony of it etc.) but this case is obviously different.

That aside, I lol'd. Burning €50 notes, it's their loss. And what those guys did, if true, is disgusting. It's a slippery slope. One day they're perving about some hot girl on likealittle, next day it's full-on indecent exposure:eek:

delta_bravo

Wow she actually wrote "Daddies credit card". Haha. I know someone that went on this trip, must ask him for a few €50 notes since they're so easy with the money.

TheInquisitor

Lads Lads nothing to Panic about its Alison O'Riordain so knowing her there probably wasn't even a Ski Trip!!

Oh and there's the "according to sources" bit...what sources Alison? Rumour you mean? Rumour that you just made up!!

Mark200

I've heard about the swastikas thing...

Sefirah

delta_bravo wrote: »

Wow she actually wrote "Daddies credit card". Haha. I know someone that went on this trip, must ask him for a few €50 notes since they're so easy with the money.

I was really surprised that she was so blatant with her 'rich kids gone wild' spin on things...

Sefirah

Mark200 wrote: »

I've heard about the swastikas thing...

What is it about getting pissed that brings out peoples' anti-Semitic side? :S Shít, as a Jewish student I'm rather glad I don't drink or things could get confusing lol

RachaelVO

So let me get this straight...

A group of students (irrelevant where they come from) all go away
together and there is madness, drugs and alcohol..

Well who would have guessed thats what students got up to... Here was I thinking that they were locked in their rooms studying...:rolleyes:

Typical Indo, making summit of nowt!!!!!

lucernarian

For what it's worth, she's a UCD graduate. Possible bias?:pac:

Arciphel

I love the delicious irony of Alison giving out about privileged young adults spending daddy's money. I wonder has she found a tenant to rent out her penthouse apartment in Grand Canal Basin yet? I am sure she cam up with the €575k to buy that herself. The mind boggles. Some people can talk out both sides of their mouth, but only she seems to be able to report out of both sides (badly) at once.

Sefirah

RachaelVO wrote: »

Typical Indo, making summit of nowt!!!!!

Hmm, I think it would be wrong to simply dismiss the whole situation this this, and would personally want to see that whoever was responsible for it (particularly for the swastikas) gets what they deserve from the university authorities

amacachi

Arciphel wrote: »

I love the delicious irony of Alison giving out about privileged young adults spending daddy's money. I wonder has she found a tenant to rent out her penthouse apartment in Grand Canal Basin yet? I am sure she cam up with the €575k to buy that herself. The mind boggles. Some people can talk out both sides of their mouth, but only she seems to be able to report out of both sides (badly) at once.

Was just going to point that out. From her earlier articles she seems to have done a degree, travelled the world for over a year then landed a job at the Indo writing about an article a month yet had enough cash for a car and a 575k mortgage. Doubt that.

whiteonion

For most people in the Western world university seems to be a 4-5 year long bender. Asian students take their studies much more seriously than people in our parts of the world.

University seems to be wasted on most people here :mad:

We should introduce new 3rd level fees. I am a working stiff and I don't feel like subsidising this sort of behaviour.

Mountain_Surfer

It's the usual situation, a whole group of people being painted with the same brush.The reality of the problem is that it was the actions of a small group of lads who were pr!cking about and causing most of the trouble that is giving the entire trip a bad name.

Granted it was students away on holidays and they were obviously going to be drunk, noisy, loud and late, but that was not the main problem. The main perpetrators were not actually on the official DUSSC trip, they just booked to be in the same place at the same time as the trip. The are (unfortunately) in TCD though:mad:

whiteonion

Mountain_Surfer wrote: »

It's the usual situation, a whole group of people being painted with the same brush.The reality of the problem is that it was the actions of a small group of lads who were pr!cking about and causing most of the trouble that is giving the entire trip a bad name.

Granted it was students away on holidays and they were obviously going to be drunk, noisy, loud and late, but that was not the main problem. The main perpetrators were not actually on the official DUSSC trip, they just booked to be in the same place at the same time as the trip. The are (unfortunately) in TCD though:mad:

TCD is supposedly the best University in Ireland... Strange that they are not able to attract better people than this...

amacachi

whiteonion wrote: »

TCD is supposedly the best University in Ireland... Strange that they are not able to attract better people than this...

You're confusing exam results with basic human decency right there.

neil.p.b

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

For what it's worth, she's a UCD graduate. Possible bias?:pac:

Ironically most of the quoted incidents involved UCD students that were on the trip. Here's one of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynxaBLkqjMo

Fo Real

What's wrong with swastikas? People are being persecuted for their beliefs now?

T-b0n3

Fo Real wrote: »

What's wrong with swastikas? People are being persecuted for their beliefs now?

After it happened in France we were told that it is illegal in France to draw swastikas.

Magoolio

Hey, I've been asked to get in touch with people who were on this trip to see what aspects of the story are true or false. If anyone was on that trip and is looking to talk off the record can they give me a shout on <snip>

Fringe

What I've heard is that it was a group of schoolfriends who were mostly in Trinity but weren't actually on the ski trip. They booked the flights separately. They decided to have a spending competition to see who could waste the most money during the week. One guy burnt the 50 euro note in front of a maid, one guy threw his iPhone into a lake and other stuff happened. I also heard that they locked some asian girl in a bathroom telling her to wash the yellow off of her.

delta_bravo

Fringe wrote: »

What I've heard is that it was a group of schoolfriends who were mostly in Trinity but weren't actually on the ski trip. They booked the flights separately. They decided to have a spending competition to see who could waste the most money during the week. One guy burnt the 50 euro note in front of a maid, one guy threw his iPhone into a lake and other stuff happened. I also heard that they locked some asian girl in a bathroom telling her to wash the yellow off of her.

I heard that while kayaking a few were set upon by some rough locals. One was sexually assaulted but another one managed to kill the attacker with a bow and arrow. They hid the body and escaped. One of them looked a bit like Burt Reynolds and the other funnily enough looked like Jon Voight.

True story, well I presume its true since I heard it from somewhere.

/ Sees it's Alison O'Riordan.
/ Doesn't read article.

Mountain_Surfer

Magoolio wrote: »

Hey, I've been asked to get in touch with people who were on this trip to see what aspects of the story are true or false. If anyone was on that trip and is looking to talk off the record can they give me a shout on <snip>

There is no need for you to poke your journalistic head into the issue. The matter is being dealt with by the relevant college authorities and that is as far as it needs to go. This is not a matter of national importance so I recommend you focus your attention on the appalling state of the nation and not a sensationalist story that nobody on this forum seems to know the truth about.

Again, the issue is being dealt with, lets leave it at that

panda100

whiteonion wrote: »

For most people in the Western world university seems to be a 4-5 year long bender. Asian students take their studies much more seriously than people in our parts of the world.

University seems to be wasted on most people here :mad:

We should introduce new 3rd level fees. I am a working stiff and I don't feel like subsidising this sort of behaviour.

And this pices of drivel article has the desired affect Its articles like these that will be used in support of third level fee's, with no basis whatsoever.

amacachi

panda100 wrote: »

And this pices of drivel article has the desired affect Its articles like these that will be used in support of third level fee's, with no basis whatsoever.

Well since money is no issue I don't see what it has to do with fees. God I hope fees come back soon though.

aas

amacachi wrote: »

Well since money is no issue I don't see what it has to do with fees. God I hope fees come back soon though.

Were fees to return, a higher portion of the student body would be those from wealthy backgrounds with money to throw around.

amacachi

aas wrote: »

Were fees to return, a higher portion of the student body would be those from wealthy backgrounds with money to throw around.

I've addressed that argument numerous times on numerous threads and would rather not derail this thread.

lucernarian

panda100 wrote: »

And this pices of drivel article has the desired affect Its articles like these that will be used in support of third level fee's, with no basis whatsoever.

That's a very good point. I hadn't heard about how she was such a crummy columnist in the indo, and I'm sure there are others who will read it and presume that the story's credible or at least that enough must be representative of the "problems with young people these days" and so on.

I wouldn't make the point about fees specifically but more how that nonsense can damage the overall support that state and society gives to third level education. I myself would want 3rd level charges levied in some form, once people have graduated.

But can we please not let this develop into a free fees discussion?!

Jonathan

This thread is starting to veer off topic.

Lets keep the discussion to the article quoted in the OP's post, and less of the discussion about student fees.

Magoolio wrote: »

Hey, I've been asked to get in touch with people who were on this trip to see what aspects of the story are true or false. If anyone was on that trip and is looking to talk off the record can they give me a shout on <snip>

Please do not use either this forum, or boards.ie as an easy way of getting in touch with those on the ski trip.

El Siglo

This is Alison O'Riordan. She's a fucking numpty, stuck in negative equity with a stupid gaff that she couldn't swing a cat in.

Op, it's absolute horse shit of a story. Slow news day, nothing will be said of this again when the government collapses this week. Besides, I've heard way worse than this with the UCDSU subsidised junkets down to Wexford for the class reps.

Larianne

How many were on the ski trip? Officially and un-officially?

You're gonna get a number of twats in any large group like that. Doing things to impress the other jocks and the ladies. Its not confined to university level either.

(I don't think bringing in fees for college is going to change the fact that there are twats everywhere!)

Groinshot

Mountain_Surfer wrote: »

The main perpetrators were not actually on the official DUSSC trip, they just booked to be in the same place at the same time as the trip. The are (unfortunately) in TCD though:mad:

So it was only the fault of those who weren't on the ski trip but were there at the same time in the same place.
Bunch of students got drunk and drew swastikas etc on walls, some of the involved group weren't on the trip- obvious conclusion, it wasn't the people on the trip?

ucdtrinity

This is such a non story, ive never heard such ridiculous exaggereations in my life. No matter how outrageous a person is they would burn a 50 euro note. Its a prime example of a reporter desperatley seeking the headlines. People go away get drunk and are sometimes over the top, but this certainly doesnt warrant a story!!

Holybejaysus

Sefirah wrote: »

What is it about getting pissed that brings out peoples' anti-Semitic side? :S Shít, as a Jewish student I'm rather glad I don't drink or things could get confusing lol

That's a bit melodramatic wouldn't you say? Any time someone passes out at a party they wake up with either a dick or a swastika on their face. It's just the done thing, hardly the calling card of a sexually repressed neo-Nazi. :rolleyes: So nice try at politicizing this incident, but no donut.

As for the non-story in question-I would think Alison O Riordan went red in the face when she heard about the alleged money burning.....as we all know, the poor lamb is having financial trouble of her own at the moment. At least something good came of the Celtic Tiger.

Sefirah

Holybejaysus wrote: »

That's a bit melodramatic wouldn't you say? Any time someone passes out at a party they wake up with either a dick or a swastika on their face. It's just the done thing, hardly the calling card of a sexually repressed neo-Nazi. :rolleyes: So nice try at politicizing this incident, but no donut.

I really wouldn't call it melodramatic in the slightest. Someone labels a cartoon dog as the prophet and the Muslims go ape shít, THAT'S melodramatic. I simply take offense to students who find it fun to use a symbol of a regimen which killed 6 million Jews. Just because it's apparently 'the done thing' (can't say I've ever come across it before, mind) doesn't make it acceptable

boblong

El Siglo

Sefirah wrote: »

I really wouldn't call it melodramatic in the slightest. Someone labels a cartoon dog as the prophet and the Muslims go ape shít, THAT'S melodramatic. I simply take offense to students who find it fun to use a symbol of a regimen which killed 6 million Jews. Just because it's apparently 'the done thing' (can't say I've ever come across it before, mind) doesn't make it acceptable

Ah now come on, in fairness I wouldn't call them hard core anti-semites. Sure at one stage wearing a jacket or a t-shirt with 'CCCP' on it was fashionable and we all know about the evils of communism under Stalin et al., does that make the wearer a communist? Besides, I was in India and they have swastikas all over the place there, I wouldn't have thought Hindus supported Nazi ideology.

This is a nonsense article, Alison O'Riordan is an idiot.

nomowolf

Sefirah wrote:

What is it about getting pissed that brings out peoples' anti-Semitic side? :S

That's a bit of a jump. Kind of like saying a child who leaves dog**** in a burning paper bag on their neighbour's porch is a scat fetishist.

Sefirah wrote: »

I really wouldn't call it melodramatic in the slightest. Someone labels a cartoon dog as the prophet and the Muslims go ape shít, THAT'S melodramatic.

Not exactly the type of behaviour to mimic then.

Sefirah wrote: »

I simply take offense to students who find it fun to use a symbol of a regimen which killed 6 million Jews.

In terms of death toll, Mao Zedong is the clear winner. By all rights these drunk kids should be engraving the chinese revolutionary flag (same as the modern one) into walls. Yet they don't because oddly it's a perfectly accepted symbol. Thus it's not troll-worthy.

Sefirah wrote: »

Just because it's apparently 'the done thing' (can't say I've ever come across it before, mind) doesn't make it acceptable

Damaging or defacing property is rarely acceptable.

Bottom line: this is just drunk trolling, looking for a reaction from the easily offended and people like your good self. It's not indicative of a deep set hatred for semitic peoples.

StrawberryJazz

I don't know what I'm more appalled at...the allegations or how badly it was written...

Denerick

Spoiled Trinity rich kids run amock abroad seemingly lacking any self awareness about their own selfishness and absurdity express amazement that most people are disgusted by their selfish yuppery.

Yup. Thats about it.

Unregistered.

Gob****es.

Sefirah

El Siglo wrote: »

Ah now come on, in fairness I wouldn't call them hard core anti-semites.

I didn't call them 'hard core anti-Semites either- I just said it was an anti-Semitic thing to do, and shouldn't be taken so lightly

nomowolf wrote: »

That's a bit of a jump. Kind of like saying a child who leaves dog**** in a burning paper bag on their neighbour's porch is a scat fetishist.

Yep, trivialise the situation- good job. Really don't see where the jump is between people spraying swastikas and me calling it an anti-Semitic act

El Siglo

Sefirah wrote: »

I didn't call them 'hard core anti-Semites either- I just said it was an anti-Semitic thing to do, and shouldn't be taken so lightly

Yes it should, because they're drunk and guess what, it's unsubstantiated tripe written by a hack who's broke. If you think that's bad, come up to Belfast and have a stroll down to the village (Sandy Row, Donegal Road etc...), way worse things up on the wall if you're a nationalist. Just because they're images associated with dick heads, doesn't mean they're worth anything (I'm not offended by seeing King Billy or the UDA or the Shankill Butchers on the wall, they're just murals). I'd be more concerned about burning legal tender.

Yep, trivialise the situation- good job. Really don't see where the jump is between people spraying swastikas and me calling it an anti-Semitic act

It's such a ridiculous story to have even made it into the Indo, but nothing surprises me with that rag of a newspaper.

Gileadi

I was on the trip and either seen or heard of all these allegations, from what I seen I would believe most of them to be true. Scandalous behaviour.

PurpleFistMixer

El Siglo wrote: »

Yes it should, because they're drunk and guess what, it's unsubstantiated tripe written by a hack who's broke. If you think that's bad, come up to Belfast and have a stroll down to the village (Sandy Row, Donegal Road etc...), way worse things up on the wall if you're a nationalist. Just because they're images associated with dick heads, doesn't mean they're worth anything (I'm not offended by seeing King Billy or the UDA or the Shankill Butchers on the wall, they're just murals). I'd be more concerned about burning legal tender.

Just because worse things happen elsewhere it doesn't mean this thing isn't bad (god the number of times I have said this to people is unbelievable). Drawing a swastika somewhere is potentially a pretty offensive thing and could be construed as anti-semitic, I really don't know why this is even being debated. Sure the people might not hate jews (or think they hate jews) but as an isolated action it's hardly the most jew-loving thing you could do. I guess I just think we should not laugh off these sort of actions, because maybe they weren't hurtful this time, but they could be in the future. "lol it's just a joke" can be quite a damaging attitude to have.

aas

Sefirah wrote: »

I didn't call them 'hard core anti-Semites either- I just said it was an anti-Semitic thing to do, and shouldn't be taken so lightly

It really should be taken lightly, you're not an oppressed people in any shape or form, no one cares.

shofukan

Not in college yet but this is what I'm seeing here...

Something happens.
Article published.
"Writer isn't even a legit journalist"
"Doubt it actually happened"
"There was another group there at the same time who had nothing to do with the no doubt upstanding TCD students who were there"
"It was obviously them others!"
"Other college has done worse"

Whole thing neither proven or disproven but I see a lot of people on the defense here... :rolleyes:

StrawberryJazz

I'm just sick of the media jumping over themselves to write anything negative about Trinity College

What is said to have happened on that trip would be sickening no matter what college the students were from. Every institution has complete failures of human beings.

The people who study at trinity are not any more wealthy or affluent than those who study at UCD or NUIM for example, registration fees are the same across the board.
I'm tired of Trinity having an image of pomp and exclusivity. Its the Provost's fault for keeping the image up rather than marketing it as something more positive and relevant.

Pet

Alison O'Riordan is just jealous she can no longer afford to go on trips like that due to her "negative equity prison". And I bet she's also jealous that there weren't naked masturbating boys in HER room, but that's what she gets for being the dumbass she is, because nobody will jerk off in your room when you're a stupid, talentless, whiny, inane, lazy, sympathy-whoring hack.

Denerick

StrawberryJazz wrote: »

I'm tired of Trinity having an image of pomp and exclusivity. Its the Provost's fault for keeping the image up rather than marketing it as something more positive and relevant.

I disagree. TCD are running radio adds at the moment talking crap about our sports facilities and societies and all this nonsense. All the irrelevant fluff that mediocre minds naturally gravitate towards. Never mind this institution educated some of the most significant people in Anglo/Irish history and has a world class reputation in the arts, humanities, social sciences etc.