USI'S EFFORTS to ensure that TCD reaffiliates to the national union have added a colourful element to life in the College Green area.
While USI had obtain 500 signatures (150 more than necessary to call a dum) by the middle of week, both in TCD and colleges, USI were also attempting to canvass potential candidates sabbatical office in TCD in an effort to drum up support for reaffiliation.
Among those approached was one "Red" Ben Walsh, TCD students' union publications officer and a candidate for the presidency of the union this year. Walsh has run successfully for union office on a number of occasions, most notably on a pro Cuban ticket that endeared him to a number of student voters and, quite probably, Fidel Castro, although, sadly, Fidel does not have a vote in TCD student elections.
The USI officers might not have bothered talking to Walsh at all had they known that, in the course of a meeting of the students' union executive last year, he had referred to USI president Colm Keaveney as "the lord of the legions of the cloven hoof, the accursed limb of Satan". Keaveney said he would take it as a compliment and that he hoped to have children of his own some day.
Meanwhile, UCD students' union poured oil on troubled reaffiliation waters by apologising to TCD students' union for the unfortunate scenes outside the university during the student marches through Dublin's city centre last year. UCD expressed its regrets for regaling students with some frankly abusive chants and an unrequested rendition of Amhran Na bhFiann.
This rather puzzled TCD students' union, which couldn't remember anyone singing the national anthem to begin with and wouldn't have had any objection if anyone did. In fact, the union hadn't even asked UCD for an apology, although it did send a letter to Keaveney pointing out that it was "incredible that some members of your organisation chose to turn a student protest at poverty into an attack on another students' union
Perhaps more seriously, a number of marchers also entered TCD and broke into the publications room of the SU building. Keaveney said he had apologised for the behaviour to both TCD students' union president Priya Nair and publications officer Stephen Cass, but stressed that what had occurred resulted, from genuine unhappiness at TCD's refusal to participate in the march.
"The fact that no Trinity student marched on the day meant that there were a lot of bitter students on the street. They don't see their poverty as being any different from that of TCD students."
