fresh pull-out - sin volume 12 issue 1
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Fresh Pull-out - Sin Volume 12 Issue 1TRANSCRIPT
Students’ Union
Free Freshers’ GuideSeptember 2010
Guide for Freshers
Students’ Union
Free Freshers’ Guide
September 2010
Guide for Freshers
Hey Everyone,
Emmet here, Vice President and Education Officer with the Students’ Union. This is the
second year we’ve published Fresh and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to once again
edit what is the crash-course in how to adjust to life as a first year here in Galway. Welcome
to NUI Galway, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time here. As well as growing academically during
your few years here, you will also grow as a person and by the time your graduate you will
have achieved a lot and learned how to deal with the big bad world. The Students’ Union is
here to help you if you have any problems along the way. If you have any questions or
suggestions about Fresh, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Have a great year.
Emmet Connolly
Every March, three students are elected to be full-time Students’ Union officers for the year (July
2010-June 2011 in this case). They take a year out from their studies and get paid a wage from
the student levy you all pay in September. Here are the full-timers for your 1st year in college:
Peter Mannion – President
As this year’s President I’d like to welcome you to NUI Galway and to the Students’ Union. As Presi-
dent my job is to make your year as good as it possibly can be. I am responsible for all the activities of
the SU from lockers, to the online bookshop to bringing top quality entertainment to Galway.
I am responsible for representing students to University Management in order to achieve the highest
quality of student life and academic standards for all students. I also oversee the running of the SU
Shop, The College Bar, Smokey's Café and The Wall Café. If there is anything that you feel the University,
the Students’ Union or almost anyone else should be doing better for you I want to know about it!
Please call up to our office, send me an email on [email protected] or stop to talk as I make
my way around campus.
Emmet Connolly – Vice President / Education Officer
First of all, welcome to the best few years of your life. You won’t regret coming to Galway.
My job involves handling issues about admissions, fees, grants, exams, academic quality issues, organising the
400 or so class reps, helping the Academic Writing Centre (for help with essays) and the Support for Un-
dergraduate Maths Students Centre (SUMS) as well as updating the SU Grinds Register. Basically, if you
have any problems or questions about the academic side of life at NUI Galway, I’m your man. I’d encourage
all of you to get involved in the Students’ Union this year. Maybe you could become a class rep and look
out for your classmates, or maybe you could sign up to the SU Crew, where you can get involved in lots of
one-off events, campaigns and suggest things for us to organise during the year. We as union officers work
for you, so make sure to tell us what you want from us! Best of luck with the year ahead.
Emma Conway – Vice President / Welfare Officer
Hey, I’m Emma, the Welfare Officer. So what does the Welfare Officer actually do? Its split into a few
different categories, the first is committees. As your Welfare Officer I sit on a lot of different university
committees that deal with loads of different things like Drug Policy, Health, Safety, Loans and Fees.
The next thing I do is campaigns, like Mental Health, Healthy Living and SHAG week. These campaigns
are there to highlight stuff that is important to you and I always love to hear your ideas on new cam-
paigns. The third and by far the most important part of this job is casework. If you have a problem or
you need some advice or you just need to chat to someone then call up to me or send me an email at
Enjoy the year!
The Full-Time Officers
The Part-Time Officers . . .
Tadhg Tynan
Societies Chair
Helps the 100+ student societies on campus
to promote themselves and arranges for inter-
society events.
Darragh O’Connor
Development Officer
Promotes volunteering and activism among
students and works closely with the Alive
program co-ordinator to achieve this.
Melissa Mannion
Oifigeach na Gaeilge
Deals with Irish language issues and translates
our documents into Irish. Also works closely
with the Irish-language campuses at NUI
Galway.
Ciara Staunton
Postgraduates Officer
Represents postgraduate students’ concerns
and helps the recently-established
Postgraduate Research Students Society.
Eric Coleman-Brockie
Clubs Captain
Works closely with the 40+ clubs to improve
facilities and increase participation in sports.
Robin Allen
Equality Officer
Looks after the non-traditional students, e.g.
LGBT, disabled, mature, internationals, and
represents their interests with the relevant
people.
Every March six students are elected to be part-time officers in the Students’ Union. These officers
continue their studies as normal for the year they serve on the SU, and do not get paid a salary. Here
are the part-timers for the year ahead:
Pub and
ClubGuide
You got that essay in on time and your Student Grant cheque is
burning a hole in your pocket. Now you’re looking for a good
night on the town. Your Education Officer is here to show you a
few of Galway’s fine establishments. . .
College Bar - beside Áras na Mac LéinnThe first stop for the Fresher on the journey through a Galwaysocial life. Your SU-operated bar has some of the cheapestdrinks in the city, as well as the sacred €3 offers on Fosters.Watch out for the pizza & pitcher deals in the evenings whichare fantastic value. The College Bar is ideal for class parties andclub and society events, so contact the manager CormacDonoghue if you’re interested in bringing a crowd and he’ll getyou a good deal. The College Bar is the place to watch footballmatches on the big screen also. Throw in great sandwiches andcarvery dinners and the College Bar becomes a fine place tospend your lazy afternoons on campus while striving foracademic greatness.
Cellar Bar - Eglington StreetOne of the first pubs you meet on the walk into town.Operated by the same group that own Cuba* and Bar 903, theCellar is host to a decent crowd of students and youngprofessionals most nights.
The Skeff - Eyre SquareLocated on pure-gold real estate on Eyre Square, the Skeff ismore of an upmarket bar aimed at the ever-present youngprofessionals and tourists. Still, it can be a good spot if you’rewith a crowd. They sometimes have stamps and money-offconcessions to their sister nightclub out the back, Karma.
Bar 903 - Eyre SquareThe look here is sleek metal and glass. A good place to have aquiet pint while waiting for Cuba* to get busy or to listen totheir regular jazz sessions. Decent cocktails also make this anice bar.
O’Connell’s - Eyre SquareLocated on Eyre Square, this is something of a hidden gem forthe student looking for a quiet pint in their city centre beergarden. Although it doesn’t really aim for the student market, alively crowd and really good Guinness make it a nice place onthe weekends.
Róisín Dubh - Dominick StreetA more alternative crowd makes the Róisíin their home mostweeknights (read: hippies, tourists and emos). You’ll find girlsthat look like boys and boys that look like girls in the smokingarea, which strangely has few smokers. The Róisín is the placeto see up and coming Irish and international bands. Never Mindthe Buzzcocks’ Phil Jupitus sometimes DJs here when he’s intown. Cool.
Bar Number 8 (On The Docks) - Dock RoadAs the name would suggest, this quirky little bar is located onthe Galway docks. The decoration seems to be aiming towardsGAA changing room, but it’s a cosy enough place for a coupleof pints if you want to avoid the bigger pubs.
The Quays - Quay StreetA cavernous, postcard-pub located in the ground zero of TouristGalway that is Quay Street. The crowd here is a mix of late20-somethings and older American tourists. Decent trad musicupstairs makes this one for the weekend.
You’ve had a few in the Colege Bar, had a couple more in a pubin town, and now you’re ready to run the gauntlet of bouncersand queues. Let’s go clubbing. . .
Cuba* - Eyre SquareLocated above Bar903, Cuba* is a club that can be all things toall people, and is my favourite spot. On the ground floor, youhave Bar 903 if you fancy jazz music and cocktails and a Harvestoff-licence if you just want some cans. On the middle flooryou’ll find a nicer version of CPs/GPO, with the DJs playingwhatever’s big in the charts. Meanwhile, on the top floor you’lla more indie crowd and DJ set, where The Smiths and the YeahYeah Yeahs rule the day.
Central Park (CP’s) - Abbeygate StreetFor you Dublin folk, CPs is Galway’s answer to Copper-FacedJack’s. To some students, it’s the be all and end all of classinessand refined clubbing. To others, it’s a meat-market with badmusic, too many farmers in maths-copy shirts, and girls wearingtoo much fake tan. However, most will agree on one thing: CP’sis the place to score in Galway. If you decide to visit CPs, haveyour ID in hand and remember the line ‘Just Two Pints in theSkeff ’ for the bouncer.
GPO - Eglington StreetA first year favourite, GPO attracts a younger college crowd,with a good mix of NUIG and GMIT heads. Chart-toppersbellow from the speakers in what can be described as a mix ofCuba* and CPs. GPO generally has decent prices and a grandenough atmosphere. Strangely, they haven’t (yet) used the 1916Rising as some sort of marketing gimmick.
Karma - Eyre SquareLocated at the back of the Skeff, Karma is a bit of a GMITwatering hole, but does hold a good NUIG crowd onWednesdays and Thursdays. The guys are generally dressed inthe unstoppable pulling uniform that is vertically-striped shirt,blue jeans and gelled-up hair, while the girls similarly dressed toscore.
Club K (Kennedy’s) - Eyre SquareThis place is a real GMIT spot and is pretty much their versionof GPO. They have some really good deals on cocktailssometimes so it’s a good pitstop on the way to somewhere else Good craic if you’re with a crowd.
Words: Emmet Connolly
09.
More info at www.su.nuigalway.ie
brought to you by
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Most of the work done by your SU officers is behind the scenes, and boring. It involves committee meetings and
emails, telephone calls and letters; all aimed at eliminating potential problems for students before they actually arise.
Another key part of our job is being an advice and referral service, mainly in the areas of education (Emmet) and
welfare (Emma). When you have problems you can come to us, and if we can’t help you we’ll know who can.
You can buy cheap, second-
hand college books from the
SU offices. You’ll need to look
up our website at
www.su.nuigalway.ie to see if
the books you’re looking for
are available and then call up to
the offices to collect them. You
can also sell your books when
you’re finished with them.
OnlinE
BOOkSTORE
The Students’ Union manage
hundreds of lockers around
campus, and rent them out to
students on a first-come first-
served basis each September.
Lockers are very handy and only
most of them only cost around
€25 for the year. Again, you can
book a locker directly from the
SU website.
lOCkERS
If you’re having trouble with
your course or want to be
extra prepared for your exams,
you can look up the grinds
register on our website. It’s full
of students who offer to tutor
others at decent enough prices.
If you think you’d be a good
tutor, you can put up and ad on
the website and earn some
extra cash for the year.
ThE GRinDS
REGiSTER
If you plan on using Irish Rail
or Bus Éireann in the year
ahead, a travelcard is a really,
really good idea. You’ll get
tickets a lot cheaper (up to
40% off) and you can also use
them in other places like
Topshop and Boots. Just drop
by the SU offices, fill out the
form and Natasha will take
your photograph there and
then.
STUDEnT
TRAVElCARD
We operate a free-of-charge
cloakroom in the library basement.
We can hold onto your jackets and
bags and you can come collect them
later that evening. Keep an eye on
the closing times though. The full-
time SU officers (Donna, Emmet and
Emma) also hold ‘Sabbat Hours’
every Thursday in the cloakroom
where you can drop by and ask
them questions. No laptops in the
cloakroom though.
ClOAkROOM
Located downstairs in the
library, the SU Shop sells your
typical cornershop stuff like
snacks, drinks and stationery, as
well as NUI Galway hoodies and
other branded merchandise. You
can also pick up cheap copies of
the national newspapers.
SU ShOP
I’m sure that by now you’ve noticed the bar, which the Students’ Union own and operate
for your benefit. We aim to keep prices low and the quality high. We also serve really nice
college bar dinners and lunches, which are reasonably priced and will keep you going
through the day. Free pints of water are available at the bar to go with your meals.
COllEGE
BAR
That coffee place down the
concourse? That’s Smokey’s.
The one up in the fancy new
Sports Centre? That’s The Wall.
Both are run by the SU and are,
again, aimed at low prices and
high quality. If you’re doing
college right, you’ll spend many,
many hours talking about
nothing with your mates in
Smokey’s.
SMOkiES,
AnD ThE
WAll CAféS
Services Offeredby the Students’ Union
Words: Emmet Connolly
The Lads comprise most of the male population
of NUI Galway. They live or used to live in Corrib
Village and study Arts, Commerce or Engineering.
For them, the average night out consists of
downing six Bav with the flatmates before hitting
the GPO or CP’s if they’re planning a big night.
They pull girls that rank a solid 6/7 but have been
known to stoop to a 5 or 6 on occasion under
the (perfectly legitimate) excuse of being drunk.
In terms of their degree, they get decent results
but in exams, but only by cramming in the last few
weeks of the semester, and never turn up for
lectures on before 11am. Although they like to
think like they drink and score like there's no
tomorrow, they'll soon end up working in the civil
service, living in a house in Newbridge with their
wife and two kids.
The LadsLike a legion of Oompa-Loompas with more
money than style, the Fake Tan Army can be
seen during the Galway Races, and most
Thursday nights in town during the college year,
usually trying to get into CP’s. On rainy nights in
the queues for the clubs, they're sometimes
hilariously oblivious to the fact that the fake tan
is slowly streaking down their legs and onto the
pavement. Be warned; if you pull a Fake Tan
Girl don't be surprised to find orange marks
resembling the Turin Shroud on your bed sheets
the morning after.
Fake Tan Girls
The Types of Student
These are the volunteering types that love
nothing more than spending time in Áras na
Mac Léinn emailing potential guests and
organising some event they're planning while
their classmates are enjoying lunch or pints in
the College Bar. Generally more studious
people but surprisingly hold some of the best
house parties, Lit & Deb parties a case in
point. They're also the people who put up all
those posters that get battered and torn by
the weshtern winds. Although usually down-
to-earth people, some can take themselves
too seriously with Ron Burgundy style lines
about being a big deal on campus.
Societies crowdThat quiet girl in your legal science lecture?
Always sits down the front with the colour-
coded notebook? Future Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court. That slightly-weird fella in
commerce, always sits in the same seat in the
reading room? Ends up running being CEO of
Google. These people have come to college for
one reason: to begin building their career. While
the rest of us are planning a night out, these
people are updating their LinkedIn profiles and
trying on Daddy’s suits. They probably already
have drawn up a step-by-step 10 year plan of
how to become corporate Masters of the
Universe (which incidentally doesn't include
losing their virginity).
Study heads
You’ll Meet in Galway
NUI GALWAY STUDENTS’ UNION
NUI GALWAY STUDENTS’ UNION
The SU Crew is a way to get morestudents involved in SU campaigns and intelling us what ye want us to do as yourunion.
We’re aiming at getting people who usuallywouldn’t be involved in the Students’Union to sign up, get a nice few t-shirtsand a other goodies, and in return, helppromote and advise the Students’ Union.
That might involve organising gigs andentertainments, giving us your views onwhat events we should be running, orhelping with our various campaigns duringthe year such as SHAG Week (SexualHealth and Guidance) and College Week(where we raise money for charity).
The whole point of the SU Crew is that it’srole can change from month to month so
it doesn’t tie you down to particular tasks– if you want to go around with a charitybucket for us, that’s fine; if you’d rather tryand get us to fund some new idea you howto make campus better, we’re all ears; ifyou just want to help with runningcampaigns or organising gigs and otherentertainments, that’s great.
SU CREW ~ Entertainments ~ Charity ~ Awareness Weeks ~ Electionsnational Campaigns ~ health & Safety ~ Communications ~ SU CREW
Why become a class rep?Class Reps get to know their whole classeasily. They can organise parties, bowling,hoodies and trips away for their class. A Class Rep gets to be the voice of theirclass when problems occur. You get a freehoody from the SU, as well as a ChristmasParty in the College Bar. It looks good toprospective employers that a Class Rep hasshown leadership and organisationalabilities. A Class Rep is given use of theemail list for their whole class to keepthem informed of SU and class events. It isa great way to get to know students fromother courses and years in Class Repmeetings. You get to bring about realchanges to your course and College itself ifyou put in the effort. You can representstudents on the Academic Council, which isthe committee that manages the entireUniversity.
Become a 1st year Class RepIf you put yourself forward as a 1st yearclass rep, you’re main role for the first fewweeks is to make sure everyone in yourclass gets to know each other and settlesinto Galway okay. The easiest way of doingthis is to arrange some kind of social
events for the class – whether it’s classparties in the College Bar or a night outon the town (but remember some of yourclassmates might not be 18), or to arrangesome other activities like bowling inLeisureland, girls vs. boys tag rugby or five-a-side football, a house party and so on.You’re also guaranteed to score that girl orboy you fancy in your class if you’re thenatural born leader who organised a savageparty! Think about it!
But what does a Class Rep do?There are around 400 class reps in NUIGalway. Each of them represent anindividual class, although some big classes(like say, 1st year History or English) willhave two, three or even four reps becausethere’s loads of students. Your job as aclass rep is primarily to communicate anyissues or problems your classmates arehaving to the Students’ Union officers.There are three one-hour Class RepMeetings each semester which you’reasked to attend. These meetings arearranged by the course you’re studying, e.g.Law, Arts, Science. As well as representingyour classmates, you also have animportant social role in organising class
parties, and if you want, class hoodies, tripsabroad, team building activities and so on.You can ask Emmet Connolly in the SU foradvice on how to organise these events.
Okay, I’m interested. What do I do now?Your lecturer should ask for people to putthemselves forward as class reps within thefirst week or so of lectures. If not, just askhim after a lecture if he’ll arrange anelection sometime soon. Don’t worry.We’re not talking ‘vote for me’ posters andballot papers here – usually it’ll be a coupleof students will put up their hand, they’llintroduce themselves to the class and saywhat they want to do for them, and thenthere’ll be a quick show of hands vote.If you’re lecturers haven’t held class repelections after a week or so, give EmmetConnolly, who organises the class repssystem across campus, a shout in theStudents’ Union and he’ll arrange anelection for ye.
Thou shall attend all lectures. With the obvious exceptionof those on before 11am, or when it’s raining too much.
Thou shall buy the drinks early in the evening and notleave it until the offie is just about to close.
Thou shall decide on which nightclub you should go tobased on the attractiveness of the stamper girls on ShopStreet.
Thou shall steal wireless internet from the flat next door.
Thou shall bring home someone after a night out, andreally, really regret it in the morning.
Thou shall sneak in that naggin, sure the bouncer won’tnotice.
Thou shall befriend the guy that always attends lecturesand takes notes.
Thou shall score at least one Donegaler and oneAmerican.
Thou shall always remember ‘just two pints’ for thebouncers.
Thou shall ask your parents for €40 for a book you need,photocopy it for €10 in the library instead, and spend theremaining €30 in the College Bar.
The TenCommandments
of a First
Year at NUIG
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Freshers’ Hit List2010 1.
2.3..................................................................
Join the NUI Galway Students’ Union fan page on Facebook. This way you’ll be kept up to date on news and events being run during Freshers’ Fortnight and throughout the year.
Collect your freebies from the SU of!ces – SU diary, Flirt FM wall plan-ner, Wel-come to College guide, rent book and more.
Put yourself forward as class rep! This is the best way you can get involved in the Students’ Union.Join at least one club and one society. You’ll meet lots of new people and get to do lots of activities and maybe represent the university.
Freshers’ Hit List2010 1.
2.3..................................................................
Join the NUI Galway Students’ Union fan page on Facebook. This way you’ll be kept up to date on news and events being run during Freshers’ Fortnight and throughout the year.
Collect your freebies from the SU of!ces – SU diary, Flirt FM wall plan-ner, Wel-come to College guide, rent book and more.
Put yourself forward as class rep! This is the best way you can get involved in the Students’ Union.
Join at least one club and one society. You’ll meet lots of new people and get to do lots of activities and maybe represent the university.
And
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incol
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