All work, no play? No way!

BY B. SIEJA, H. KUBO

Turning twenty one opens up a new world for you. Now you have to learn how to balance work and play. Dublin City University just celebrated its 21st birthday and is one of the youngest universities in Ireland. As such, it offers lots of events and entertainment. There is something for everyone, particularly newly arrived international students, allowing you to both study and socialise.

 Academic life

NuBar in The Hub by B. Vysoky

To begin with, make sure that study comes first. Do not forget that you are in the university and you have to adapt to new environment. It is beneficial that you learn new academic skills to keep up with classes and exams. DCU provides you with various academic workshops. Here is a list that might interest you:

• Note-taking Lectures
• Introduction to Reading Techniques
• Academic Writing for Assignments
• Coping with Culture Shock
• Working in Groups
• Time Management
• Presentation skills
• Managing Stress, Focus & Energy for Exam Performances

DCU Library by B. Vysoky

Workshops usually take up to two hours to complete and are presented in a relaxed and friendly way. For example, in the  ‘Working in Groups’ workshop you will be practising how to cooperate with your peers, talk about your ideas, propose new plans, etc. Training includes simulations of working on a group project.  Also, you get handouts and notes for free!  

We attended some of the workshops and what we have learned helped us in our studies and private lives. Skills such as effective time management, verbal and written communication and team work can also be practical to your future workplace. If you want to find out more, go to “Academic and Study Skills Support” on DCU homepage.

Social life

So what can hard working students do with their free time? They can participate in many of the exciting events that happen in DCU. In this article we list some of these events focusing on The Hub and The Helix. These facilities can be enjoyed by all DCU students regardless of membership of clubs and societies.

Events in the NuBar

Inside NuBar by B. Vysoky

The NuBar is a social outlet in The Hub where students can enjoy food and beverages, chatting with friends, listening to music or playing billiards. It also hosts some official DCU events. For example, last year the Inter Faith Centre organised a Christmas party for international students at the NuBar.

Every Tuesday is Toxic Tuesday at the NuBar. Drinks are available at discount prices and DJ's play the latest hot club sounds. This could be a good opportunity for stress management and utilising your communication skills. This is one of the most popular events during the semester.

The Music Society in DCU hosts Open-mic events at The Venue. You can enjoy this particular event as an audience member or participant if you wish. They provide some of the instruments and all you have to do is give your name and your chosen instrument before the event starts.

Every once in a while the NuBar offers free food for students and soft drinks at discount prices. You would be advised to get there early because the free food is limited and offered on a 'first come-first served' basis.

These and other events can be discovered on GreatCraic.ie which is the official DCU social website.

Events in The Helix

The Helix by B. Vysoky

The Helix is a state of the art theatre on the grounds of DCU. It has three performance spaces which are used by student societies and professional touring companies alike.

You can enjoy various art forms including drama, dance, film, and pantomime. The Helix also hosts guest lecturers from around the world. During the day its warm cosy atmosphere attracts students and staff. Students meet there to discuss their group projects and to socialise. At night you can attend dance recitals, live music shows, dramatic performances, old movie classics or the annual panto.

Dance recitals can be anything from hip-hop to ballet to Irish dancing. Second Age Theatre Company is well known for staging their Shakespearean productions here. Live music shows at The Helix include Orchestral, Gospel, Rock, and Pop. It is also the venue for RTE's talent show The Voice of Ireland which is a competition to win a recording contract with Universal Music. Tickets prices for all these events vary so check their website for regular updates.

DCU provides us with all the social and academic events we need in order to have a balanced college experience. Enjoy!

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Student accommodation

BY H. KUBO, M. MIYAMURA, J. TREILLAUD

On campus

If you want to live on campus, DCU Campus Residences Ltd. offers three choices for incoming students. You can choose among Larkfield Apartments, Hampstead Apartments and College Park Apartments. Each accommodation has sets of 5 rooms and 1 dining room with a kitchen, so a maximum of 5 students can share one flat. In addition, each room has a study space and access to the Internet. If you drink a lot and oversleep the next day, don’t worry! Each apartment is located on Campus, so you can go to every classroom from your room within 5 minutes. 

In fact, Larkfield Apartments are only open to first year students and the other students (including Erasmus students) can choose their room between Hampstead and College Park Apartments. Perhaps it is very lucky that Erasmus students can’t live in Larkfield Apartments, because some unfortunate students who live in Larkfield Apartments say it is like a prison! Such complaints seem to come from its narrow size. As for Hampstead and College Park Apartments, I conducted research and the comparison is as indicated below.

College Park Accommodation by H. Kubo

The size: In general, the rooms of College Park Apartments are larger than those of Hampstead. However, you can select the rank of the room. In Hamstead, you can live in a single ensuite room or a superior ensuite room. In College Park, you can choose not only these two types but also a deluxe bedroom. The deluxe accommodation has a TV. However, it might be a bit difficult to get a deluxe room because it is determined by the result of a draw.

The price: Bear in mind that the price of the room depends on its rank. In general, Hampstead is cheaper than College Park; the former would be €4,234 and the latter €4,568 for the annual rent. At any rate, you might think it’s a bit expensive to live on Campus. However, the price already includes the deposit and energy bills. 

Tips: The dryers in College Park are €1 cheaper!

The nationality: It is said that there are more Irish students in Hampstead than in College Park and more International students in College Park.

In my personal opinion, some students who live with Irish students seem to have difficulty in their lives. Irish students often have parties in their flat and sometimes it might be too noisy in the middle of night. However, how about just thinking of such parties as good opportunities to make friends? They would be perfect opportunities to make friends with native speakers of English, and also you can hardly ask for more to experience REAL IRISH CAMPUS LIFE!

 Off-campus

Though the life on campus has many advantages, it is not the only accommodation available when you study at DCU. Some of them are situated just near the university while others are farther away. The two main student residences are Shanowen Hall and Shanowen Square. Both are situated on Shanowen Road, it takes 5 minutes to go to the university from there. You can book them on the DCU website once you have registered. So they are full of international students and can be really nice, depending on your relationships with your roommates. But there is still a majority of Irish students there and you will be immersed in an Irish student life. 

Accomodation on Shanowen road by H. Kubo

There is a system of a single room with bathroom for each person, with a kitchen shared between 4 or 5 persons. The rents are similar, with electricity fees (as long as you don’t exceed a certain amount) and Wi-Fi internet included in Shanowen Hall (working more or less well) and available for €80/semester in Square. You have to be aware that the rent for the whole semester has to be paid in one go (around €2200 according to the semester, plus a deposit when you book your room) and that it may not be the best choice if you are waiting for your scholarships or planning to get a work to afford the price of an accommodation. Otherwise legend has it that Shanowen Square throws the best parties, however Shanowen Hall is far from being quiet, especially on “Toxic” Tuesday nights.

These residences try to make you rush by telling you that accommodations are booked quite early and that it may be hard to get something else. However there are possibilities to find other flats. The Gateway Student Village (15 minute walk from DCU) offers rooms from €99 a week and seems to be appreciated by the students living there. Hazelwood (30 minute walk  from DCU) has a similar rent (€110/month with electricity and internet included) but pray for having an apartment full of nice flatmates as the system of electricity needs good relationships as you will need to share electricity cards (problems seem to occur very rarely though). Don’t be afraid to go and ask in some houses to let: a student got a house shared with 3 other people for €430 to €520 a month depending on the season and the need of heating. The house is much more comfortable than the usual student flats, though it is much farther from the university (near the Phoenix Park).

If you feel like you can handle arriving in Dublin without a place to stay for the whole semester/year, you can find one once you are there. Nonetheless, make sure to have a place for the week or at least a few days when you arrive, such as a B&B or a cheap hostel, as it is safer and cheaper, but do not stay too long either as it is still more expensive than the flat you will get and less appropriate for study.

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The Inter Faith Centre: A home away from home

BY B. SIEJA, F. BENDER, A. INHARJANTO 

DCU does its best to help and support new international students. DCU wants you to feel welcome, safe and happy therefore it offers many facilities across campus to reduce your stress and make you feel more at home. One of those places is located at the heart of the campus, the Inter Faith Centre. It’s cosy, it’s quiet and everybody is welcome.

Joe and Susan welcome everyone
by B. Sieja, F. Bender and A. Inharjanto

Joe and Susan Jones, the Chaplains in the Inter Faith Centre are looking after students' spiritual and religious needs. We asked Joe why he thinks students come to the Centre and this is what he told us: “Often it is to meet their friends over a cup of tea and some small groups use the meeting room for project work or even use the piano. We like to think that the Centre is a place of welcome for people of all faiths and none. Our logo for the Chaplaincy leaves one empty space for this particular reason to highlight to all that you don’t have to have a faith to come in and use the space.” We asked Susan if she thinks that the Centre is favoured by international students and she said: “Most of the students who come in for tea and to use the Muslim prayer rooms are international students’.

We go to the Centre quite often; on a bad rainy day, when we’re down, when we’re a bit lonely, when we want to pray or gather our thoughts, sometimes just to read a book or newspaper, often to chat with our friends. Joe and Susan “endeavour to create a homely atmosphere in the Inter Faith Centre” and that homely atmosphere gives us comfort, a sense of familiarity and belonging. We noticed how often in the Centre, over a cup of tea, students start talking to each other despite the fact that they come from different religious backgrounds, are studying different things and have never met before. This communication is what the Centre is all about.

We asked Joe about it and he told us: “Everything we do is helping us to make DCU one community/family, enabling us to move forward in mutual respect and harmony with dignity afforded to everyone who enters.” We also asked Susan about it and she told us: ”If you take the number of people who visit the Centre and see how people of different faith or no faith traditions chat and have a laugh with each other, and yet respect that people will slip into the prayer rooms to pray, and see how people offer each other support in relation to many issues, yes one gets a sense of the family of DCU.”

The Inter Faith Centre by B. Vysoky

The Centre is a welcoming place for students who have problems of any kind. The Chaplains are approachable for everybody who feels the need to talk to someone. Joe explained to us: “They come with many different needs and many questions at different levels; these can be personal or related to their studies or their own spiritual development.” Students, who are far away from home, might turn to the Centre when experiencing difficult times. For instance, when we have to cope with the loss of a family member, we can seek support in the Centre where the Chaplains would guide and accompany us during our time of grief. Apart from offering a helping hand in hard times, the members of the Centre are also there just to listen to us. Susan told us: “Many students are not aware that pastoral care is a very important aspect of Chaplaincy, that non-judgemental listening and support is part of our role.” Students are always welcome to just drop in and talk about whatever is on their mind. The Centre aims to be a place of open doors and open ears.

Apart from offering support in difficult times, the Inter Faith Centre is also very much involved in various events that take place on and off campus. When we asked Joe about the relationship between the Centre and the International Office he replied: ”Until recently the International Office was under the Student Support & Development so we all worked together very well. We have organised events like the Host Family Project when local families hosted students from foreign lands to give them a taste of Irish family life and culture.” The Centre also started the DCU Failte Programme. This programme offers trips to different places of interest in Ireland in order for us to learn more about Irish culture and heritage.

Logo used in the Centre by F. Bender

Besides the Christian or inter-faith services held by the Centre, there are also informative talks that explain spiritual topics. Susan told us: “At the moment we have the Talking Heads Programme which is done in conjunction with the Students Union and the School of Communication. This is where the leaders of the main religions in Dublin are interviewed by students.” There is also the Alpha course which is for anyone who would like to learn more about Christianity in particular. The Inter Faith Centre is therefore not only a place where we can go to worship but also a starting point for everybody who is interested in learning more about various religions. It is, however, not only the spiritual journey that could have its roots in the Centre, but also the exploration of Ireland, its culture and especially its people.

Irish hospitality and friendliness are well known around the world. Joe and Susan exercise those traits everyday through their creative projects for students carried out inside and outside the Centre. It is good to know we have so much support from people so deeply dedicated to their work. Our respect and gratitude for this place and the fond memories of events and moments spent in the Inter Faith Centre are a huge part of our college experience.

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Is plagiarism becoming a plague?

BY J. FERNANDES 

 

The aim of this article is new students to be aware of one of the worst crime, namely plagiarism, within institutions. DCU is one of many institutions of third level education which take this matter seriously.

Plagiarism is one of the worst academic crimes that scholars can ever commit. As the cases for plagiarism increase, institutions have come up with stern measures to penalize the culprits and curb the menace. According to Eisner & Vicinus (2008), plagiarism refers to taking other writers’ concepts, ideas, images or phrases and using them without giving credit to the original author. Either, this can be done deliberately or through carelessness and in either cases, the effect is the same. Every academic work submitted to instructors or supervisors is expected to be original and any borrowed work without acknowledgement makes the student guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism is different from piracy because piracy is the marketing of credited but unauthorized copies of another person’s work thus depriving the author profit. Plagiarism unlike piracy deprives the original author of credit but not profit even though both cases represent a form of theft.

Cheating on a test by J. Fernandes

Ordinarily most of the stolen items are tangible and they remain stolen even if they are taken apart or recombined. Literary work is not like so and the objects stolen are not tangible and they are less identifiable than physical objects. Taking these ideas apart or combining them may represent creativity depending on the way it is done. Creativity therefore saves one from plagiarism and takes into account building new ideas from old ones and using existing components and combining them in a way that appears original. However, there is no convectional way of defining what accounts to a new idea and what needs to be acknowledged a variation of an existing idea (Eisner & Vicinus 2008).

Eisner & Vicinus classify Plagiarism into five types depending on how it is done. These include copy paste plagiarism, word switch plagiarism, style plagiarism, metaphor plagiarism, and idea plagiarism. To begin with, copy paste plagiarism is considered as the simplest form of plagiarism and involves borrowing a significant phrase or a whole sentence and fail to reference the source using the appropriate quotation marks. Word switch plagiarism is a case where a writer lifts a sentence from a source and changes a few words. This is considered plagiarism since the wording has just been changed instead of using the appropriate quotation marks and acknowledging the source. In most cases, writers are encouraged to paraphrase and then cite the original source.  

Style plagiarism involves a case where a writer copies the reasoning style of another writer by following a source article paragraph-by-paragraph or sentence-by-sentence. Even if the writer uses completely different words and sentences, it is still a plagiarism case since the reasoning is borrowed from someone else. Metaphors are used in normal literary work to bring about an analogy that touches the emotions better than just a plain text. Metaphors are important part of a writers’ creative writing since they make an idea clearer. Most scholars fail to come-up with their own metaphors to clarify an idea and where such a metaphor has been borrowed, it is necessary that the original author be given credit. Where the author of the metaphor is not acknowledged, this amounts to metaphor plagiarism (Eisner & Vicinus 2008).

Don't copy by J. Fernandes

Idea plagiarism applies to a case where an author of a source article comes up with a creative idea or expresses a certain solution to a problem. If another writer makes use of this idea or solution to a problem then acknowledgement must be made to the original author. However, there has been a major problem with students regarding this type of plagiarism since students find it hard to distinguish between a public domain idea and an author’s idea. In any given field, a public domain idea is what people accept as common knowledge and when students are not aware of such ideas, they should ask first to avoid plagiarism.

For students to avoid plagiarism they need to take into consideration a number of tips whenever doing academic writing. To begin with, every time a writer uses a source from the internet, there is a need to get the source and cite it appropriately. Whenever students copy and paste some work, it is good to highlight it in a different color so that it can be paraphrased appropriately when proofreading the work. Sometimes students assume that it is the number of borrowed words or the length of the sentence that determines whether there is plagiarism. However, in most of the cases it is not the length of the sentence of that matters, but a significant phrase that sticks out and remains in people’s memories. If such a phrase is used without acknowledging the source then the writer has committed plagiarism. Students often get attracted to such phrases that are eloquently expressed with a verbal impact and which every writer would be glad to use. When such phrases are used, the writer should use quotations marks appropriately and give full acknowledgement to the original author. 

Since plagiarism is an academic crime, it has a penalty just like any other crime. The institution or the instructor offering the course usually determines the penalty for plagiarism. This therefore means that the penalty is not uniform in all institutions even though some common forms exist. In most of the institutions penalty involves failure of the paper or worse still failure of the entire course (Eisner & Vicinus 2008). The worst penalty associated with plagiarism is expulsion from the school or institution. Ignorance of the rules of plagiarism is never tolerated and can never be used as an excuse. Plagiarism out of carelessness is as bad as deliberate plagiarism and the penalty is equal in both cases. Efforts should therefore be made to familiarize all the students with institutional rules regarding plagiarism so that they can avoid it as much as possible.

Reference

Eisner, C. & Vicinus, M. (Eds.). (2008). Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching                       Writing in the Digital Age. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

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DCU Sports Clubs: Precious experience for just €4

BY M. MIYAMURA 

DCU Women’s won CUSAI 2012 by J. Parra

DCU provides an array of opportunities for sport and we ensure that joining DCU clubs is an enjoyable and memorable experience. If you find difficulty in making new friends, don’t worry! There are only two things you have to do, prepare 4 EURO, and register for the club you choose. “So, how to register?” you may ask. Annually in the Hub, as soon as the semester starts, there is a Clubs and Societies Week. Here Clubs showcase themselves and can register you directly. If you can’t make it, there’s no need to panic. Clubs can be contacted year round at the web page for Club and Society Registration. Just don’t forget, as mentioned, it costs 4 EURO for registrations per a club.

The DCU Sports Expo is held every November. It is another good opportunity to get to know all things sport in DCU. For example, you can spectate at the spectacular freestyle football exhibition, try some exciting sports activities and have the chance to draw for free sports gym memberships and other prizes. It’s a great opportunity to both understand DCU sports clubs and learn about the ranger of facilities there are in DCU.

We often hear Irish students say that DCU is very big on sports and actually there are 47 clubs in DCU currently in March 2012. Most of the DCU sports clubs train and compete in the Sports Complex and the Sports Grounds near DCU. They receive financial support from DCU students’ levy. Clubs are student-run and student-led so the level of the practice is very flexible whether you want to play sports seriously or not!

There are some intervarsity competitions in Ireland where DCU teams and individuals compete against other Irish Universities. For example, one of the most popular competitions in Ireland is what is called CUSAI league. CUSAI stands for the Colleges and Universities Sports Association of Ireland. Every year each Irish University enters fierce competition to win the league. In short, once you join sports clubs, you will find plenty of opportunities to get involved in fantastic sports competitions! DCU has an excellent record in a variety of such sports competitions. Whether popularity and records are related to or not, we would like to highlight some famous DCU clubs.

Students playing soccer at DCU Court by M. Miyamura

• Soccer  Obviously, Soccer is one of the most popular and exciting sports all over the world and it is the same in DCU. Most of the members are Irish and this means good opportunities not only for playing soccer but also making real Irish friends. It is said that soccer club is the largest club in DCU. Thus the club is divided into Men and Ladies. DCU Ladies recently won the first prize for the WSCAI, which stands for Women’s Soccer Colleges Association of Ireland, national futsal cup on January 2012. You can check the time schedule and details on the web site above. 

• Ultimate  Some of you may not know what Ultimate is. Briefly, Ultimate is a fast-moving, exciting sport played with a flying disc. If you want to know this sport more, it is better to join DCU Ultimate! There are relatively more opportunities for competition than any other DCU sports clubs, for example, Belfast Ultimate. According to the Ultimate web page, the training is held every Thursday and Friday at 5-6pm in the Main Hall, Tuesday at 7-8pm in 7-a-side.

• Yoga Yoga Society is highly recommended for women who haven't had much exercise these days. Yoga can be relaxing, and good for your health. Through the classes in the Interfaith Centre twice a week, you feel refreshed in body and spirit. Even beginners can feel the benefits soon under the instruction of qualified instructors. Remember that you will pay 3 to 4 EURO per one lesson. Periodically Yoga Society presents a Yoga workshop, so you had better turn up regularly to learn effectively.

Obviously, there are various attractive clubs in DCU apart from the clubs mentioned above. DCU Fencing club is well known for its powerful team. DCU Women’s Volleyball Team became CUSAI league champion 2012. If you love the outdoors, Hiking, Rock Climbing, and Caving clubs are highly recommended. Since you are in Ireland, you cannot miss Gaelic football and Hurling clubs, being as they are, the traditional and national sports. In addition, most of the clubs have their own Facebook pages so it also helps to check them out for an insight into DCU clubs. Hope you can find the best club for you and have a great craic!

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Team

Editors: A. Inharjanto, J. Fernandes

Project Manager: B. Trope

Layout: B. Trope

Journalists: A. Inharjanto, B. Trope, B. Sieja, B. Vysoky, F. Bender, J. Fernandes, J. Treillaud, H. Kubo, M. Miyamura

Chief Photographer: B. Vysoky. Contributions also made by A. Inharjanto, F. Bender, B. Sieja, M. Miyamura, J. Parra, B. Trope, H. Tulp, J. Fernandes, H. Kubo

Acknowledgements:  V. Crosbie, J. Jones, S. Jones, P. E. Ryan, P. Spencer, A. Kelleher, M. Benson, O. Wynne, P. Daly, D. Myler, N. Gounderova, B. Skorupska

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Veni Vidi Vici

It is a pleasure to welcome you, all new students, especially those who come from abroad, with open arms at our beloved campus. Inspired by the spirit of hospitality and friendliness, the Dublin Insight magazine enthusiastically introduces you to good vibes in Dublin City University (DCU), the city of Dublin and Ireland. Just to let you know, the magazine is a project conducted by students of “Media and Communication Skills” class and targets recently arrived international students as the main readers.

The universities within the city, like DCU, have lots of opportunities to develop your studies as well as your other interests. There are numerous workshops related to your studies that you can do, for example. DCU’s events on culture, sport and entertainment are frequented by people from all types such as, dignitaries, ordinary citizens and the students themselves. Students accommodation, managing finance and the unique Inter Faith Centre are covered here as well.

Not only will you get to know DCU life, but you will also discover Dublin and Ireland. Steeped in history and buzzing with youthful energy, Dublin is at the very heart of Irish culture. Becoming accustomed to Dublin’s means of transportation will no doubt help you find out more about the city. In terms of entertainment, Dublin offers you the chance to experience it on a new level due to the presence of numerous theatres and cinemas offering wonderful services. Furthermore, Ireland’s captivating natural scenery and cultural charms attract a significant number of tourists.

Well, it is all up to yourself now to experience it. By the time you have worked out and explored things we mentioned, you will probably say to yourself or others, ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’ We hope so! 

Good luck!

Editors

A. Inharjanto, J. Fernandes

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