CIT Students’ Union MagazineVolume Ten - Issue Two

Freshers WeekPhotos

Top 10 WorstMovies Ever!

New Student Email Service

Competitions& Great Prizes

THOUSANDS MARCHAGAINST FEES

CIT Students’ UnionRossa Ave,BishopstownCork,Ireland.

Telephone: 021 493 3120Fax: 021 454 5343Email: info@expliCIT.ie

expliCIT StaffEditor - Killian HughesDesign & Advertising - Philip O’Reilly

ContributionsMichael Loftus Séan F O’LearyMiriam Deasy Adam O’BrienDan Collins David O’RiordanGearóid Buckley Glynis DennehyKillian Hughes Philip O’ReillyJames O’Sullivan Shane Fitzgerald

CIT Students’ UnionPresident - Gearóid Buckley(supresident@cit.ie)Vice President Education - Adam O’Brien(sueducation@cit.ie)Vice President Welfare - Thomas Lynch(suwelfare@cit.ie)Entertainments Officer - Rebecca Liston(suentertainments@cit.ie)Projects Officer - to be elected(suprojects@cit.ie)Communications Officer - Killian Hughes(sucommunications@cit.ie)

PrintBarnaville Print & Graphics LTD

Advertising OpportunitiesCIT has almost 17,000 full and part-time studentswith over 1,500 staff. Why not use expliCIT to pro-mote your business to this large audience?

Copy deadlines, advertising rates and technicalspecifications are available from our websitewww.expliCIT.ie or upon request from thePublications Office.

expliCIT magazine is published monthly by CITStudents’ Union. The views expressed in the maga-zine are those of their authors and are not necessar-ily those of CIT Students’ Union. All articles and pic-tures are the property of their respective ownersand should not be reproduced without their permis-sion.

If you would like to contribute to expliCIT pleasecontact Philip in the Publications Office, 1st Floor,

Student Centre or email: info@expliCIT.ie

We Need You!

2

Editorial Opinion

Freshers Week has come and gone and I hope everyone had a good time - I know I did - and fromthe photos I took, I think some people had a very good time. If you would like to see the collec-tion of pictures I have gathered you can view them on www.citsu.ie and www.bebo.com/citsu.Also, if you have photos that you would like to add to the sites please forward them to sucom-munications@cit.ie.

As you have seen and read in the news, it has finally been announced that Ireland is in an eco-nomic recession and isn’t that just great! However, a piece of information that people might notknow and find interesting is that whenever there has been a recession in Ireland, there has beena spike in alcohol sales! I believe that is because people lose their jobs and decide to hit the bot-tle. So if any student wants a good idea for starting a business, opening a bar would be a goodplace to start since the Irish have a reputation of being alcoholics and if history is correct therewill soon be an increase in alcohol sales so you better act fast. But the big R doesn’t just affectdrink, it has a major effect on other people too such as you and me college students. An exam-ple of this is the size of some of the classes and I can tell you this is a joke. As many of the firstyears would gave seen, myself and Adam O Brien (VP Education) have been going around col-lege getting class Reps and on entering two separate room’s I hit a person sitting on the floor infront of the door because of the lack of space in the room. Where rooms are built for 42 studentsthese classes have an average of 52, if there was ever a fire, these people would be in serious trou-ble, well if this is the start of the recession I am dreading to think what the middle of a recessionlooks like let alone the end of it.

Well peoples this is end of my little rant for this issue I hope that you will have fun over the nextfew weeks and maybe some of you will even write an article or two about it so as to give somepeople something to read.

Killian HughesCommunication’s Officer

3

Latest NewsExclusive

On the 9th October last, six thousand Students of Munster sent out a mes-sage to the Minister of Education. The message was loud and clear, Studentsof Munster will not lie down and let fees be reintroduced. CIT Students leftthe Student Centre at 10.30am and gathered in UCC’s Quad at 12pm, beforedisembarking on their march through the city in protest, highlighting thatif the government reintroduce fees in any format it would be to the detri-ment of our knowledge economy. CIT students were joined by otherMunster Colleges including UCC, LIT, UL, WIT, ITT.

CITSU President, Gearóid Buckley explained, “This protest is just the begin-ning of our anti-fee campaign. As a recession is upon us, the average stu-dent’s pocket is first to tighten. The grant is currently inadequate; fees willdeter many students from pursuing a third level qualification. We as anation must remember that not only does this affect every student in oursecond and third level education system, but also could be the spark toignite a serious of events that will destroy our knowledge economy. Briningin fees, whether it be in the form of tuition fees or increased registrationfees, will close off free access to education and learning. Closing off suchaccess to education would put Ireland back in the dark ages, and create atwo tiered society of those who can and those who cannot pay for educa-tion. It is important that people are aware that this is not the end. We willfight to protect the interests of our students both present and future andwe will continue to campaign against the Minister’s Batty Policies.

The Story before the protestOn Monday 11th of August; Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe, raised the issue of the reintroduction of third level fees. Studentsfrom Cork reacted immediately to this and joined other colleges in Dublinand marched on the Department of Education Thursday 14th August;Student leaders gathered at the Department of Education and Science toprotest over the proposed plan by the Minister for Education and Science,Batt O’Keefe, to reintroduce third level fees. Over 100 students met at thespire and marched on the Department of Education. This demonstrationwas described as a ‘statement of intent’ by UCC Students Union, PresidentCal Diolúin, who also added “that more protests are planned for when stu-dents return to college in September. We are sending the message to thegovernment that if they attempt to reintroduce fees they will have a majorfight on their hands”. This demonstration coincided with the issuing ofLeaving Certificate results, thus left many school leavers wondering if athird level education was still within their grasp, as the burden of fees

would be a major deterrent to furthering their education. Cal continued“third level colleges are under funded…fact. According to the OECD, onaverage Irish colleges are under funded. Such funding should come fromthe public domain”.

Monday 1st September; Students gathered at the Department Of Educationand Science to stage a “sit-in” protest. The demonstration took place at1.00 pm inside the gates of the Department of Education and sent a clearmessage to Minister O’ Keefe – ‘students are saying no to the re-introduc-tion of college fees’. Tuesday 2nd September; Students gathered, outsideLeinster House to stage an overnight “Camp-Out”. The demonstrationwhich commenced at 6.00 pm, was another prong of a multi-college cam-paign against the reintroduction of college fees.

Cal Diolúin, President of UCC Students Union said, “This demonstration isthe latest in a series of many protests which will take place around thecountry over the next few months. Local Students’ Unions will be stagingprotests all around the country once students are back to college”.

Tuesday 9th September; Munster Students Against Fees (MSAF) was formed.The alliance’s main aim is to launch a provincial wide campaign against thereintroduction of fees. Caitríona McGrattan, representing Limerick collegesbelieves this new alliance is the only way full representation of the studentbody in the south can be achieved. Miss McGrattan stated, “This newalliance between Munster colleges will mean students are represented notjust in Dublin and Galway but also in Munster. It also reinforces the fact thatthe reintroduction of fees is a local issue and affects every local communityin the country.

CITSU President, Gearóid Buckley on behalf of MSAF met with Batt O’Keeffe as he attended an event in CIT. Gearóid proposed a meeting with Mr.O’ Keeffe and offered the Minister for Education a letter of protest. TheMinister agreed that such a meeting was necessary and advised Gearóid tocontact his office to make an appointment. However, on contacting hisoffice it transpired that he would not meet with student representatives.

Monday 8th September; MSAF finally met the two faced Minister at hisoffices during clinic hours. A surprised Minister fobbed students off withexcuses and ambiguous rhetoric.

Thousands March in CorkAgainst Fees

Latest News

4

Roundup

CIT student, Denis Lucey, won silver at the Euro Skills competition inHolland. Denis attended Cork Institute of Technology to complete his phase6 in Plastering in June 2008. On receiving excellent results in his phase fourexaminations, Denis was invited by his lecturer Mr. Tomás Reidy who isDeputy Chief Examiner for Plasterwork in Ireland to compete in theNational Skills competition in plastering.

In 2007 Denis came second to Patrick Doran who won the World Skills inPlastering in Japan last November 2007. The National final in June 2008 wasa great success held in CIT Cork, the main sponsors were Irish GypsumIndustries. Denis was the overall winner out of a possible six apprenticesfrom all over Ireland.

At the very successful Euro Skills Competition held last September inRotterdam, Holland, the Chief Examiner for Plasterwork Mr. Joe Clarke fromFÁS Training Centre in Waterford under took the training for a four weekperiod.

The Plastering competition had representatives from the following coun-tries: France, Holland Latvia, Turkey and Ireland. Denis worked over a threeday period to complete various tasks from dry construction, running deco-rative mould work on bench as well detailed abstract design from texturedfinishes. The competition requires a high standard, so competing countriesmust achieve the highest standard in both Euro and World skills before theycan compete on the International stage.

Congratulations to Ian Walsh of Anglo Irish Refrigeration and Kevin Smithof E&T Smith Electrical on their excellent achievements attained while par-ticipating in the first Euroskills Competition held in Rotterdam between18th and 20th of September.

Euroskills promotes competencies that are important for Europe by enhanc-ing skills necessary for competitiveness and economic success. 2008 is thefirst year in which an Irish team took part and is the result of collaborationbetween the IoTs, FÁS, DES and Failte Ireland. Upwards of 450 young pro-fessionals took part in the event representing 31 countries from acrossEurope.

Under the training and direction of CIT lecturers David O’Riordan andMichael Hourihan during the summer months, the competitors managed tocompete and claim a bronze medal for refrigeration and 4th position forelectrical installation respectively in the skill area of construction technolo-gy. A third competitor in this category, Stephen Brady, who was trained atDIT, also claimed a bronze medal in the trade area of plumbing.

Training facilities and workshop preparation was co-ordinated by Euroskills’team leader Mr. John Twohig, CIT, in conjunction with Andy Brown, techni-cian, and James McEnery , lecturer. Specialist tools and equipment acquisi-tion was supported by Michael O’ Sullivan, RSL and by Robert Brownlow, ofA R Brownlow’s Ltd .

Other trades represented by Ireland at Euroskills were Light VehiclesTechnician (Gold), Joinery (silver), Plastering (silver), Farrier (silver & bronze),Hospitality (silver & bronze) and Painter Decorator.

Pictured Above:Left to Right- Kevin Smith (electrical), Stephen Brady (Plumbing) and IanWalsh (Refrigeration) at the Ahoy Exhibition Centre, Rotterdam

Ian Walsh collects his bronze medal (Refrigeration) on the winner’s podiumat Euroskills

Refrigeration Success for Students at 2008 Euroskills Competition in Rotterdam

RoundupCIT Plastering Student Wins Silver Medal atEuroskills Competition in Rotterdam

Latest News

5

It has just been announced that CIT Mechanical Engineering Graduate andMasters Degree Student Martin O’Riordan has won the 2008 "ProjectManagement Graduate of the Year - National Winner". Martin, recentlycompleted an Applied Diploma in Project Management which was offeredby the Institute of Project Management of Ireland in association with UCC.

Martin was also certified as a "Project Manager" by the InternationalProject Management Association (IPMA), having just graduated from theInstitute of Project Management /UCC course, which is run in Cork, Dublinand Galway with approximately six classes across the three locations annu-ally.

The formal Project Management Graduate of the Year Award ceremony willbe in Dublin at the end of November.

Congratulations also to Martin’s proud Mum, Marjory, and equally proud

Dad, Michael of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cork Instituteof Technology.

Martin is currently working for DePuy (Ireland), part of the Johnson &Johnson (J&J) family of companies. Martin has recently completed an oper-ations leadership development program with work assignments in thepharmaceutical, advance wound care and orthopedic industries. This includ-ed cross-functional rotations in engineering, quality and supply chain andalso included an international assignment. This is the second major nation-al award for Martin, who has also been previously announced as the out-right winner of the National MEETA Student

Project Award for students undertaking a project in a maintenance, reliabil-ity or asset management area at Honours Degree / Masters Degree level.

Martin’s maintenance, reliability and asset management award winningproject is titled “ Multiple Vibration Source Separation “ and was carriedout in conjunction with Cara Partners under the joint supervision of Dr.Michael J. O’Mahony of the Department of Mechanical Engineering andMs. Linda O’Sullivan of the Department of Mathematics, Cork Institute ofTechnology.

Martin has also been very active during his time at Cork Institute ofTechnology, serving as President of the Mechanical Engineering Society,Communications Officer for the CIT Students’ Union and editor of the CITcollege magazine “expliCIT”.

Martin also represented the college in the Intervarsity Athletics Road RelayChampionships.

Pictured Above:Martin (left) and Dr. Michael J. O'Mahony.

RoundupCIT Student Awarded National Project Management Graduate 2008

6

Education

CIT has negotiated free membership of IT@Cork for finalyear and postgraduate IT students (Computing, BIS,Electronics). I would recommend any student from theseareas to avail of this facility for the many reasons outlinedbelow.

What is IT@Cork?it@cork is a not-for-profit industry organisation that sup-ports businesses that depend on Information Technology inthe Cork region. It provides a forum for businesses that havea key dependency on IT, to share best practices and to net-work. It also supports the promotion of the region to exter-nal investors and works with other regional stakeholders topromote IT related opportunities. It provides free member-ship to final year and postgraduate IT students.

The network organises monthly information and network-ing events for its members and annually hosts the biggest ITconference outside Dublin.Why Join?

Membership of it@cork provides students with the opportu-nity to learn the latest in technology trends, make contactsin the business world, and heighten their own profile. Theorganisation provides IT professionals from all sectors withopportunities to meet and develop an appreciation of theresources and activities of the IT market in Cork. It is also auseful addition to the CVs of students who will be applyingfor jobs.

Members of it@cork enjoy the following benefits:

FREE admission to the numerous seminars and events ontopical sector-specific subjects and networking events.

Discounted registration fee to the it@cork annual confer-ence.

Receipt of the it@cork monthly online newsletter, whichkeeps you informed of recent and future events, as well asnews of the IT industry in Cork.

How do I Join?You can join online at IT Corks’ websitehttp://www.itcork.ie/index.cfm/page/studentMembers andenter your details.

Where Can I Find More Information?Check out the IT@Cork website at www.itcork.ie.

Get FREE CIT StudentMembership for IT@Cork

New MyCIT.ie Email Service to beAnnounced Soon for All CIT StudentsCork Institute of Technology is plans to roll out a new student email service namedMyCIT.ie for all students over the next month. The service is run in conjunction with Googlefor Education Applications Suite and boasts unprecidented features such as 7Gb+ of stor-age per user, calendar utility with FREE SMS text message reminders and personalisedsearch portal. Additional Google applications such as Google Docs, Google Sites andGoogle Video are also being investigated and tested for a possible launch.

It is believed that Student Mail accounts will be provided to students in early Novemberfollowing a successful pilot with first year students in the Departments of MediaCommunications and Electrical Engineering. The project was developed in partnershipbetween Computer Services, Admissions Departments, Students’ Union and Google.

The Institute received vital feedback from the students in those departments whichallowed the service to be refined for an Institute wide deployment. A survey was compiledfrom the pilot groups which rated the service and features. 52.9% of students rated thefeatures of Student Mail excellent, 41.2% rated good, 2.9% average and 2.9% poor.

The Student Mail email service will be accessible from http://mail.mycit.ie and is based onGoogle’s Gmail. It has the added benefit of offering free student webmail without adver-tising unlike Gmail. The Student Mail service will be used by the Institute to communicateimportant information to students throughout the year, such as examinations, admissionsand departmental updates.

The Student Mail search portal will be accessible from http://home.mycit.ie and can be per-sonalised using your login account. It also has the benefit of providing search results with-out advertising and can display your calendar and inbox in one location. A CIT academiccalendar is included by default and you are allowed to add additional public calendars toyour account.

Further developments planned for the immediate future include a new website for CIT.ieand an academic portal for students. The new CIT.ie website will allow students andprospective students easier access to course information at CIT. The MyCIT.ie academic por-tal for students is based on the Industry leading Luminis Platform and will allow studentsaccess to their examination results, admissions updates and institute news.

Further news on these services will be featured in next month’s expliCIT

7

Education

Development Office CIT Prize for Innovation 2008Shed light on your ideas to harness a pieceof the prize. Your invention/business plancan lead to a chance to earn a share of the€10,000 prize money.

This is a scheme that awards cash prizes to thosewhose inventions and business ideas are judgedmost creative, novel, innovative, and likely tosucceed in the marketplace. This prize is opento all departments and you may use a projectthat forms part of your coursework for the year.

The breakdown of prizes is as follows:• 1st Prize and title of CIT Entrepreneur

of the Year€5,000

• Most Technically Innovative€2,000

• Best Business Plan

€1,000

• Best Exhibition Stand on Innovation Day€1,000

• Part-time student award€1,000

You may participate if you are a registered full-time or part-time student at CIT during the2008-2009 academic year. Working in teams orindividually you can attend free workshops thatguide you in putting a business plan togetherand how to set-up your own business.

The first step for entry is to complete a two-page application form. This will give us contactdetails for you and will ensure that you are onour list to receive further information about thecompetition and workshops that will be heldthroughout the year.

A team of experienced engineers, inventors andbusiness professionals will judge your workingduring Innovation Day on Friday 13th March2009

Please complete the 2-page application formand submit to the Development Office on orbefore Friday 12th December 2008. This infor-mation gives us contact details for you and willensure that you are on our list to receive furtherinformation about the competition and work-shops that will be held throughout the year.

Milestone Date Requirement Entries Open NOW N/A Deadline for Entry Friday, 14th December

2008 2-page completed application form to be submitted to the Development Office

Final Project Reports Due Friday, 6th February 2009 Set out your business idea, following the Guidelines attached (15 pages max) and 4 copies to be submitted to the Development Office

Prototypes Due Friday, 6th February 2009 Prototype (if applicable) Shortlist of Candidates announced for Innovation Day

Monday, 2nd March 2009 N/A

Interviews Shortlisted Candidates

Thursday 12th March 2009 Interview (full team) Q&A session

Innovation Day (Prizes Awarded)

Friday 13th March 2009 (½ day – 10.30am – 1.00pm)

Attendance at Innovation Day

Funded by the Irish Government andpart-financed by the European Union

under the National DevelopmentPlan 2007-2013

Cork Institute of Technology’s Annual CareersFair took place on Tuesday, October 7th, in theInstitute’s Nexus Centre and featured majornational and international companies.

Speaking at the Launch of Careers Fair ’08, DanCollins, Head of Careers and CounsellingService at CIT said, “Companies are anxious toemploy first rate graduates who have shownproficiency in their chosen field of study.”While acknowledging the current economicsituation, Mr Collins continued, “there is akeen interest in CIT Graduates from companiesacross a broad spectrum of business, science,engineering and computing.”

A new addition to this year’s Fair was the pres-ence of a number of Voluntary Organisations,such as Habitat for Humanity, Barretstown,Special Olympics Ireland and RehabCare. “Thisis to encourage our students to get involved involuntary activities while still in college and inthe future” said Mr Collins.

He added, “it is also a response to the call bythe Taskforce on Active Citizenship which wasestablished to advise the Government on thesteps that can be taken to ensure that thewealth of civic spirit and active participationalready present in Ireland continues to growand develop.”

Careers InformationEmployers Seek Students at Careers Day

INTERESTED IN MEDICAL RESEARCH?WE REQUIRE HEALTHY MALES & FEMALES AGED 18 - 50 TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL STUDIES.

PARTICIPANTS ARE FINANCIALLY COMPENSATED FOR THEIR TIME AND EXPENSES.

FREE PHONE 1800 201 365TEL: (021) 4505933 (BETWEEN 9AM-4PM)

OR E-MAIL: jean.conway@shandonclinic.ie

www.shandonclinic.ie

8

Hey guys. I hope you have enjoyed your firstmonth in CIT. Freshers Week is now in thepast, with all the fun memories availableonline at www.citsu.ie or check our bebopage citsu.bebo.com

Welfare week is upon us, please call over tothe Student Centre and ask questions. I’msure there’s something for everyone. Forthose of you who paid tax during the sum-mer, get info here on how to get it back.

I hope most timetables have been sorted by now and I hope you’re all hit-ting the books and handing in your assignments. If you have any problemswith classrooms, lectures please call over to us here in the SU office andworking together we will find a solution.

FEES CAMPAIGNThursday 9th proved to be a huge success, with over 5000 students gath-ered in the grand parade and telling the government that fees are not theanswer. It was one prong of a campaign that will run throughout the wholeyear. We cannot take our foot off the pedal now. We’ve got Batt O’Keeffe’s attention, but more importantly the people of Cork’s attention.Since third level fees affect every single household in the country, it is onlythrough cooperation with other colleges and the general public that wecan sway the war against fees in our favour. Students fought fees in 2003and won. Students are fighting fees in 2008 and WE will win. Keep an eyeout around campus, come to general meetings and call up to the SU officeto keep informed of upcoming campaigns and demonstrations. UNITED,WE CAN ONCE AGAIN BEAT FEES.

Class RepsYour Class Rep attended training last Thursday. Make sure over the courseof the year that they are keeping you informed about campaigns and arehelping to solve problems as may arise. If they are not attending UnionCouncil meetings, we are constitutionally obliged to elect a new Rep fromyour class. If your complaints are not being addressed, call into us here inthe office and complain.

Car ParkingPaid parking is coming in. It will cost €3 per visit and is will only apply to200 spaces. The remaining 1000 spaces will not be affected by this new payparking policy. All finance raised will go back into car parking develop-ment and maintenance, which will fund the upkeep of our current carparks and also fund a new park n’ ride system. However due to the highcost of setting up such a service, it will not be introduced for quite sometime. So in the mean time we must work with the college to reduce theproblems that arise from car parking. Car pooling, cycling and walking areall alternatives. Maybe think outside the box and rollerblade to college.

CITSU ClinicEvery Wednesday between 12.00 pm-2.00 pm officers will man the SU Standin the canteen on the Bishopstown campus. Here we’ll answer any prob-lems or queries, get ideas and feedback about CITSU campaigns and events.

Lads enjoy the month, study hard and get involved,

Gearóid

CIT Students’ Union President Opinion

Union Address

October already? Okay, here are a fewupdates from the past few weeks. Most ofthe timetabling issues across the college havebeen sorted – if you and your class are stillexperiencing problems, call me.

Everyone seems to have eased well enoughback into the stream of things. If you lectur-er told you that taking a Free Choice modulewould not get you credits, he/she is wrong.

After a chat with Ger Culley, the new Computer Services manager, I can say,with some obvious CIT trepidation, that Student Wireless is coming. Therewill be a number of students piloting the system, hopefully by the end ofthe month and I will try and get the rest of you on the system before theexams. The hotspots will be for the immediate future – the Atrium, StudentCentre and the Library/IT building – in that order of setup, funding pending– and the computer services department will then work to expand thosesections to include the various corridors and classrooms etc, over the follow-ing months. Any ideas, queries or problems – you can email me on suedu-cation@cit.ie

CITSU Vice President Education Opinion

WHAT?!

Welfare week is here already?

K, better get my organising hat on.....

It’s running from this Tuesday 21st untilThursday 23rd. I’m so excited… anyone elseexcited…. No? no? K just me.

Right, so everything is planned for nextweek. Tuesday is going to be a huge day with

all the stands coming in including the Revenue, Cura and Bodywhys. Also onthe Tuesday Anthony Fleming will be in playing music and looking after theinflatable gladiator podiums on which people will be battling to the death(or well to the ground) with them stick cotton bud thingies.

All this is going to be happening inside the Student Centre in the Nexus.Come out and try and find me and you’ll get a free condom and all for yourtroubles.

For More information please call to the CITSU Welfare Office,

Thomas

CITSU Vice President Welfare Opinion

NEEDS YOU!If you would like to get involved with your college magazine, email info@explicit.ie or visit the SU office.

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Fees Protest Photos

Feature

13

Recently, at the O2 Silent disco – I was told, not asked, told that I was 30years old. I am 22 and I know I don’t really take care of myself, but for God’ssake, 30? It makes me wonder about growing old and maturity. I’m takingwhat the guy said as a compliment on my maturity.

More and more people around my age – give or take 3 years – are complain-ing about children these days. “Kids today, huh?” is a phrase that is pop-ping up again and again and the scary thing is, we were the flipside of thatcoin only a few years ago with people complaining about us. Teenagers andFreshers are constantly trying to look more mature and older. The eternalstruggle continues with the older people wishing they were younger.

There are so many gaps between people because of age. I’m old to an 18year old because I’ve finished college. That 18 year old would seem old toa 15 year old and there are milestones that people look to in an older per-son. The 15 year old sees that the 18 year old is allowed to drink, the 18 yearold sees me able to get into every club I want, and I see older people still –being able to do things like get a mortgage together. It’s all relative. Andthe grass is always greener.

At what point do you become mature or considered an adult? I reckonedwhen I was a teenager that, of course, it is one of those imperceptiblemoments – no one really knows. One of the surest signs that I saw as adultmaturity was shaking hands. Grown ups would greet each other regularlyby shaking hands. It was this contact that I found intriguing when, to me,meeting up with friends consisted of a shout and a wave. The handshakewas important to create an impression with the other person and was a for-mal method of human contact.

The next step was the greeting of friends and relatives. The kissing of thecheek, like the French or Spanish. Once you’re used to the person and arefriends – at what point do you begin kissing their cheek to say hello? Areyou mature then? Or is it still all relative? When do you consider yourselfmature? - When you look back at people younger than you and see whatthey are like? Is that what maturity is – the comparison to people youngerthan you? Can anyone really be considered mature?

PeaceA

GrowingUp

The Management & Staff of the Rochestown Park Hotel would like to wish all newand returning students to CIT the best of luck with the year ahead.

Thank you for once again making us your Number 1 Ball Venue for 2008

14

For every classic, there has been a catastrophe. For every Godfather, aGodfather II (and III). Below you will find my take on 10 of the worst block-busters ever to hit or screens, in no particular order. Even the enjoyment ofa your feet up in a half empty cinema screen, salty popcorn mixed withM&Ms in hand, would fail to make these bearable. Feedback is more thanwelcome to josullivan.c@gmail.com

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)Considering this stonker from the summer of ’59 costa measly $57,000 to produce, it was no wonder thatis hailed by many critics as simply the worst film of alltime. The film is notorious for mistakes, much ofwhich is down to the fact that most of the sceneswere shot in one take. The special effects makeThunderbirds look like Transformers, with strings,hand-drawn backdrops and shadows from studioequipment showing up throughout the feature.Many modern sitcoms have made reference to thefilm comically, which has ironically been immor-talised by its immeasurable amateurism.

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)Shame on you George Lucas. The Star Wars HolidaySpecial was a two-hour catastrophe that aired on CBSin November 1978. The story centres on a plot thatsees Han Solo attempting to get Chewbacca home toKashyyyk for Life Day. When fans saw that the likesof Ford, Hamill, Fisher and Mayhew included in thecast, they were thrilled at the prospect of a sequel toA New Hope, two years ahead of the scheduledEmpire Strikes Back. To their horror, the productionwas so awful, that it almost ruined Lucas and the StarWars saga. Unintentionally inane characters such as

Lumpy and Itchy, Chewie’s family, are just the tip of the iceberg in a moviethat is ridiculously, down right astonishingly bad. So jaw-droppingly horrif-ic was his creation that Lucas, in an attempt to save his beloved Galaxy far,far away, set out on a quest to destroy all known copies of the film. Only afew bootlegs of the Holiday Special are still in existence today. His views onthe production were summed up at an Australian Fan convention thus: "IfI had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of thatshow and smash it." We couldn’t have put it better ourselves George.

Monster in the Closet (1986)Probably not the worst film that Paul Walker everappeared in, but undoubtedly the greatest blip inthe career of Black Eyed Peas front girl, StacyFerguson. This horror / comedy gave new meaning tothe word “random”. It was almost as though directorBob Dahlin replied, “era, let’s just wing it,” whenasked about the script. For those of you, who haven’tseen the flick, be sure to watch for the random act ofviolence against a vase in the 73rd minute.

The Fast and the Furious (2001)Probably the worst film that Paul Walker everappeared in. There are few people can stand thesight of a 24-year-old adolescent “cruisin round” intheir white Starlet Glanza. Just when we were get-ting used to seeing them amass in the Tesco car park,Universal Pictures came out and put them on our cin-ema screens as well. All it took to bring this NealMoritz production to life was a half-dozen clowncars, a script of woeful one-liners and a rabble ofactors who could master the intricacies of both theaforementioned.

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)While Jaws itself will always live long in the hearts ofall those who witnessed its unveiling in the summerof 1975, the goings-on in its final sequel were justthat bit too Swiss-cheesy for even the most avid offans. Directed by Joseph Sargent, the fourth instal-ment in the franchise sees a shark somehow witting-ly plot the demise of the remaining members of theBrody family. Coupled with that was the infamousscene where the lead character is dragged from thesea perfectly dry, and let’s not forget that loud roarthe dastardly shark lets out before he meets his end.No, it’s not possible for a shark to roar.

TOP 10 WORST MOVIES EVER

15

Batman & Robin (1997)Joel Schumacher’s career should have ended with thisfilm. Warner Bros. should never have allowed thisscript to hit production lines. It was a mistake. Simplya mistake. But this movie did, somehow, get made,and with it, we were subdued to rubber nipples, fightscenes on ice-skates, and Chris O’Donnell’s patented“plastic lips” that foiled Poisin Ivy’s kiss of death.Were it not for Christopher Nolan’s resurrection ofthe franchise with Batman Begins and The Dark

Knight, Gotham’s finest may well have suffered a fatal blow with this one.As Governor Schwarzenegger himself put it during the flick: “If I must suf-fer, humanity will suffer with me.” Oh yes Arnold, how we did suffer.

Disaster Movie (2008)Having grossed a total of $13,000,000 to date, andhaving cost $25,000,000 to produce, it has to be saidthat Disaster Movie was aptly named. Such a poorturnover would almost suggest to me that a few ofthe cast’s friends and families are even guilty ofsnubbing this one. Unless you find the thought ofchipmunks being repeatedly crushed by cows as par-ticularly hilarious, then this film was not funny. Eventhe appearance of Carmen Electra, and a half-dozen

or so of our favourite comic book characters, failed to save this one. WritersJason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer forgot a vital ingredient to any comedy– jokes. (Cue the falling cow).

Superman Returns (2006)So when the kid turns out to have the same powersas daddy, was I the only one who was thinking,“hmmm, legion of Superboys?” Probably, as everyoneelse was looking at a bald Kevin Spacey thinking,“You sure this isn’t Austin Powers 4?” Lois Lane mustbe the most moronic reporter alive. Both Clark Kentand Superman have been missing for five years, yet,no suspicion arises when they both arrive back intown at the exact same time. Of course, it was diffi-

cult to see past his cunning disguise from Specsavers. It think this one wassummed up when Superman picks up a continent without breaking a sweat,having struggled desperately to get a Boeing 747 under control 40 minutesprior.

Alexander (2004)Directly Oliver Stone’s career really felt this one. Butyou could hardly blame the critics for their onslaughtwhen one of the greatest warlords that the worldhas ever seen was portrayed by Colin Farrell sportingsome very dashing highlights. The Persians mustsurely have been very confused when they heard theKing of Macedonia rallying his troops in thestaunchest of Irish accents. But then again, theywere probably taken by his lovely hair.

Step Up (2006)In my book, this one by Anne Fletcher was nothingmore than a 98-minute-reminder of everything Ihated about Bring It On (which would haveundoubtedly made the list were I compiling the top11). What sets this title apart from the woeful cheer-leading exposé is that producers Jennifer Gibgot,Adam Shankman and Patrick Wachsberger forgot tohire actors. When Step Up 2: The Streets wasreleased earlier this year, it was clear that they had-n’t learned from their mistake.

Thankfully none of the above movies are availableto rent in the Students’ Union Video Club but wedo have an excellent selection of blockbuster titlesfor only €2.50 per night!

Sport & Societies

16

CIT Sports Office would like to thank all whohelped out on Clubs Day. CIT Sports Officer,Miriam Deasy said “Good luck to all Clubs thisyear. The more you get involved, the more funyour club will be!”

She added, “We at the Sports Office would liketo extend a warm welcome to our newlyappointed Soccer Development Officer, BarbaraO’Connell. Barbara who is employed in associa-tion with the FAI will be based in CIT onMondays, Tuesdays and half day Wednesdays.”

Bursaries & ScholarshipsClosing date now gone. Applicants will be writ-ten to directly over the next few weeks.

Facilities available to students:Free gym & weights room (bring a towel & youri.d.)Free Athletic trackAstro-turf-€10 per hour per 5-a-side. Bookingstaken in the Sports Office.Tennis Courts- €4 per hour

Leisureworld Swimming Pool-Studentdeals:Swim €3.70 Off Peak (CIT Student ID required)Gym €4.00 Off PeakClass €6.00 (Morning & Lunchtime classes)

Swimming Free swimming hour continues every Tuesdaynight from 7-8pm in Leisureworld. Free to all fulltime students-bring your id.

CircuitsContinue on Wednesdays from 5-6pm in thesportshall. Free to students & staff!

AerobicsClasses every Monday at 5pm in the sportshall.Free of charge.  

Tennis ClubCardio training continues each Thursday night.

10 people from 6.30-7.30pm and another 10 peo-ple from 7.30-8.30pm. Places must be booked inthe Sports Office before Wednesday at 4pm. Freeof charge!

VolleyballTraining continues on Wednesdays from 8-10pm.All welcome.

Boxing ClubTraining every Monday and Thursday from 8-10pm in the sportshall, please bring a gumshield, towel and skipping rope (if you haveone!).

Rockclimbing ClubClimbing at the Mardyke Arena  every Tuesday at7.30pm, tickets must be pre booked in the SportsOffice.

Mens BasketballTraining Mondays & Wednesdays from 1-2 in thesportshall.

Ladies BasketballTraining Tuesdays & Thursdays 1-2 in thesportshall.

KarateTraining every Monday from 6-8pm in thesportshall.

Tae Kwon DoTraining on Tuesdays from 7-8pm and Thursdaysfrom 7-9pm in the sportshall.

BadmintonTraining Tuesdays from 8-10pm in the sportshall.

KickboxingTraining on Wednesdays from 6-8pm in thesportshall.

JudoTraining every Thursday from 7-8pm in thesportshall.

CIT Host 2008 All-IrelandAmerican Football Final

The Shamrock Bowl XXII, the Championship gameof the IAFL, took place on Sunday August 10th inCIT. This was the first time ever that Cork has host-ed a Shamrock Bowl. The game took place in thenewly constructed 1200 seated CIT Stadium, whichhas previously hosted the Fitzgibbon Cup, as wellas some international rugby games. The event sawfans from all four corners of Ireland travelling towatch this All- Ireland spectacular.

The game included all the usual extras for a fami-ly day out including live game commentator,music, fun inflatables for kids, refreshments andgame programme. The Shamrock Bowl is a realfamily event aimed at people who may never haveattended a live American football match. It givessports fans a chance to see the sport live and upclose - a totally different experience to watchingon TV - hearing the collisions, seeing all the blocksand tackles and feeling the emotions of a champi-onship game - all Live.

On the day University Limerick Vikings were victo-rious over Dublin Rebels 14-12.

Sports Office Update

7-A-Side Rugby Success

The early success of CIT Rugby continued with the7-a-side squad winning the provincial leg of theannual ICRU 7-a-side competition. CIT will be com-peting for the All Ireland title on Wednesday 29thApril in Dublin.

The results were as follows:

Round Match 1 v UL – CIT 28 bt UL 7 Round Match 2 v CSN – CSN 15 bt CIT 10 Round Match 4 v IT Tralee – CIT 26 bt IT Tralee 19

Having gone through the round matches withonly 1 loss and picking up 3 bonus points (for 4tries or more) along the way, CIT found them-selves pegged against the lads from CSN in theFinal. The CIT players were revved up and ready tomake up for the loss against CSN earlier in the day.

The match was played at a frenetic pace with bothsides exchanging early scores, however, throughexcellent use of the space and some brilliant indi-vidual play from Aiden Murray (who received theplayer of the tournament award for CIT), CIT ranaway with the match.

CIT 27 bt CSN 7

Sport & Societies

Welcome to the new and exciting year ahead for allthose interested in being just a little ‘theatrical’.After the successful production last year of ‘OneFlew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, the Drama Society islooking at extending the range of what they have tooffer the students at CIT.

This semester we hope to put on a series of one actplays/performances; the main difference this year iswe would like to offer the opportunity for studentsto take on the various roles it takes to put on a pro-duction; such as directing, stage managing, back

stage crew, lighting/sound operation….as you cansee there is more involved in the theatre than justbeing ‘on the stage’…

If you are interested in any aspect of the theatre,wish to join the committee or have any ideas youwish to share, then please join us for a meeting tobe held on Wednesday 22nd October at 1:15, Venueto be announced (please check out What’s On).

Looking forward to meeting you. Suzanne Sullivan (Chairperson)

CIT Drama Society

Fun Stuff

Fill in the grid, ensuring that each column and row and every 3 x 3 box contains the numbers 1-9. (The same number cannot appear twice in any row, column or 3 x 3

box at any time). Return in SAE to enter draw for one of four double passes for Gate Cinema / Cinema World.

Complete the Maths Puzzle Above to Enter the CompetitionReturn in SAE to enter draw for one of four double passes for

Gate Cinema / Cinema World

18

Drop in your competition entries to the Students’Union office before 4th October 2008 in SAE.

Winners Listed on www.citsu.ie Forums

MAZE

Find your way homesafely in the Taxi above

and you could win a€20 Taxi Voucher for

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sponsored by:

Zodiac By Shane Fitzgerald In the sea of the stars the signs of the twelve show the way.

The way to the prison that holds them.For they are the titans of old.

To be sealed and never to be opened.

But no prison can hold the essence of the beasts.Each descends upon globe.

Bringing their pestilence and evil to destroy us all.There are no hero’s of old to fight.

For the gods that once confined them are gone.Lost to our memories and ink in pages.

There is none left to fight so we watch as they destroy our land.And as they destroy our very souls.

They taint the water.Corrupt the soil.Burn our homes.

They take it all but one thing.

The one thing they can never have.Which drives their minds ablaze with hate.

Of the mortals who possess it.Mortal life

For the mortals only live for a moment.But in that moment we are free.

Fun Stuff

E S S Z P D U B O H M D S K Q C N T O H A C R O P J V T M U E O I L C U R L A C M Y U S K T I N Z B I I T O F G G D Q K C T Z Q A D E R Y O G R E I F M A H X A G K T L X N E N E M I N R Y S Q A O I O H M T N U U I S S R D N M I E L M S J O S M P Q R H Q N A Y S U D O E V A P O C I U O A K J S A Y I S X B E I T I C I L P X E K T I E T L R H I N S T I T U T E V V B T C M C I T S U Z U U Z V I E D Q J Y A M Y O W O B P R N H R E X O Q E K S M B Z P

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EXPLICITMAGAZINE

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TECHNOLOGYSTUDENTS

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SOCIETIESEXAMINATIONS

This Month’s Prize: €€30 30

Competition Rules: All Entries to be returned by deadline to the CITSU Office, 1st Floor Student Centre on official form. Open to CIT Students only and one entry per student.

19

Drop in your competition entries to the Students’Union office before 4th October 2008 in SAE.Winners Listed on www.citsu.ie Forums

1. Net2. Zulu warriors3. Lie down4. Considerate5. Detective6. Clenched hands7. Leaf of the talipot palm8. Deprive infants of mother's milk9. Sixty-eight in Roman numerals10. Planning a time and place for events11. Vassal12. Brother of Moses13. Brag21. Seats oneself25. Where birds live26. A long narrow opening27. Ore deposit28. An ancient city in Asia Minor29. The property of being smooth & shiny30. An impressive display

31. Colored cloth34. A blemish or scar36. Dwarf buffalo37. Amount owed38. Nature of being40. Note45. Panache48. Become bony50. Whirlpools51. Direct to52. Memorable saying53. Anagram of "Timed"54. Timber uprights57. Singer Fitzgerald58. Trim59. Expect with desire60. In a little while (archaic)61. A city in France62. Signals in Morse code

expliCIT Crossword - Win Free Cinema Tickets!DOWN

1. Exploits as much as possible6. Poultry10. A thick slice14. Electronic letter15. Genus of holly16. Italian greeting17. Backbone18. A people of eastern Europe19. Queen of the gods (Greek

mythology)20. A form of Hindi22. Psyches23. It is (poetic)24. Blanks at the start of anew paragraph26. Very little30. Farewell32. Bum around

33. Nimble35. Cave or ravine39. A peculiar form of expres-sion41. Mineral bearing rock42. Prongs43. Playfully harass44. A young abandoned ani-mal

46. Toffs47. Hazy49. An official emissary51. Wireless devices54. Mat55. Biblical garden56. Used63. Renown64. Sicknesses

65. A region of western AsiaMinor66. Breastplate67. Skim or dart68. Long period of time69. Drenches70. Barks71. Western Samoan monetaryunits

ACROSS

Correctly complete the crossword and Return in anEnvelope with Name / Contact Details to enter

draw for a double pass for the Gate Cinema / Cinema World.