CIT Students’ Union MagazineVolume Ten - Issue Eight

Year in Review

SummerJob Options

CIT Students’ UnionRossa Ave,BishopstownCork,Ireland.

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

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

ContributionsGearóid Buckley Adam O’BrienEoin O’Loingsigh Aoife KelliherElizabeth McCarthy Vicky O’SullivanDavid Perez-Lopez Niall English

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 - Chris Scanlon(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!

Editorial Opinion

Hi All,

Well it’s the last issue of the year, but what a year it’s been! I hope ye all had a great year and thatI’ll see you all back next year for another year of great craic.

To the fourth years I wish you the best of luck in your exams and in the future and hope you dowell in life. As for the rest of you best of luck also in your exams, you know the drill so let’s getthem done. Any of you that have a failed a subject or two, I hope you do a bit of study over thesummer and get that exams in august and I’ll see you in September. I hope the summer is a goodone for you all, God knows we need it and if you do anything interesting why not write an arti-cle or two and send them on and we’ll get them in the first issue next year.

In closing I would like to say a big thank you to all the people who took part in all the CITSUevents without you they just wouldn’t have been any fun. Have a great summer and please Godwe’ll see you all back in September. And if you see me during the summer make sure to say hello.

Again thank you to all and have a good one,

Your friendKillian HughesSUCommunications ☺☺☺

CITSU Safety Week 2009

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The Management & Staff of the Rochestown Park Hotel would like to wish all CIT students the best of luck with their summer exams.

Thank you for once again making us your Number 1 Ball Venue for 2009

Latest News

In an interview with expliCIT Editor, Killian Hughes, CIT Students’ UnionPresident, Gearóid Buckley has slammed the government for doing all theycan to prohibit learning and personal development in the country. In a timewhen governments usually encourage post primary students to continuetheir education at third level, Gearóid Buckley believes the current govern-ment are creating barriers to not just discourage participation but alsomake it impossible for many to develop their skills and education.

“The outline of government cutbacks is far from clear as the governmenthas hit students on numerous levels. The reduction of main stream funding,66% increase in the registration fee, freezing the third level maintenancegrant and plans to reintroduce tuition fees, represent increases in educa-tional cost directly targeted at students and the third level sector. Forinstance, because main scheme funding has decreased, college manage-ment have disgracefully added charges to student services throughout thecollege, such as the ridiculous charge of €10 for a copy of one’s script.Because contact hours are further being cut students must pay sometimesup to €50 an hour for grinds. This year there has been a sharp increase inrequests for the grinds list which is ultimately down to the cutbacks inresources that the college are unable to provide.

Gearoid continued, “The government has continued to cut resources to analready underfunded education sector. The impact the government hasmade on colleges throughout the country has proved detrimental to thefuture of the economy. The original cuts may have found efficiencies insome parts of the institute however now the latest round of cuts has defi-nitely created inefficiencies throughout CIT. The government should be try-ing to substitute their levies and fees with more positive initiatives for thosewhom want to try and develop our economy, in order to save the economybut more importantly have an educated population and jobs for graduates.Surely one can only have a domino affect and follow Obama’s ideologywhere he believes spending will generate the cash flow needed for eco-nomic growth. I’m not an economist but I do realise that cutting off Irelandsonly future source of an indigenous educated workforce will endeavour topush the already fleeing multinationals over the edge”.

Gearóid continued to speak out on the increasing high cost of student lifecompared to others in society. “People often forget that students are hitwith the most expensive rent prices in the country. Even though rentalprices throughout the country have plummeted, students are still being hitwith speedily inflating prices. This year we’ve seen a further increase of €40monthly to most self catering homes. And those developers who benefitedfrom Section 50 tax incentive are continuing to increase their prices.

Public transport is another feature of the Rip off Republic that has flour-ished from the Celtic Tiger. It is cheaper for one person to commute via acar from Bandon to Cork than it is to rely on public transport. With a sav-ing of almost €20 a week and the added value of having the freedom tostay late in the library it is no wonder why Ireland, such a small nation hasa big car parking problem.”

There is a public perception that the only costs incurred by students are feesand an elaborate social life. Such a perception could be not further fromthe truth. Students are continuingly finding it more difficult to get by fromone week to the next. If fees are introduced it will ultimately force manyout of a third level education and ultimately lead to the long term detri-ment of the economy.

The Irish student body has been shown no respect from the governmentand it is time students inform the government that they will not be dictat-ed to. I would urge all students to vote for what they believe in the Juneelections. Many families are loyal to Fianna Fáil, however such a party mayhave helped your parents in the past, however now a new generation ofpoliticians has arrived and must understand that they must put the peoplefirst, not themselves. I ask all students to not just use their democratic rightto vote in the summer, but send a clear message to government fat cats,that students will not be messed with”

Gearóid urges all students to ask questions, become informed and use theirvote wisely in the upcoming local and European elections.

CITSU President Slams Government for Squeezing Life Out of Students

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CIT Students’ Union have temporally ceased firewith college management over plans to relocateadministrative functions to the . Talks are ongoing and all parties involved have realised thatthe best way forward is relook at the over all plan.For economic and market trends the possibility ofa bar is now off the cards. However with such anopportunity to develop the Bishopstown campusas a social hub lost, the space may be used foranother purpose.

The Students’ Union are now looking for suitablealternatives for the remainder of the units in theStudents Centre. If you feel the Student Centreshould offer a particular service or commercialoutlet please let the Students’ Union know.Whatever your ideas are, no matter how wacky oroff the wall, as long as they enhance student lifein CIT. Please forward any ideas tosupresident@cit.ie, or drop them into the SUoffice.

Latest News

OFFICIAL CIT Students’ Union END OF EXAMS BBQ - Tues 26thBus and Admission to Nightclub for a paltry €6...Starts off at McCarthys Bar and Bistro from 8pm Tuesday 26th May

Tickets from SU Office. Valid 18+ IDs Essential. ROAR.

CITSU President, Gearóid Buckley recently metwith Labour Party Leader, Eamon Gilmore todiscuss strategic plans to fight governmentplans to reintroduce college fees and also hitthe education sector with further cut backs.

Gearóid vehemently  stated that “it is impor-tant the fight against batty government poli-cies is continued well into the summer. Thegovernment sees this period coming up toexaminations and during the summer as keydates to further launch anti education policy inIreland.  So far we have signed petitions, cam-paigned to our local TD’s, marched on thestreets of Cork and Dublin, and held manydemonstrations on and off campus, however Ibelieve it is now time to take it to the nextstep. Such a step involves entering the politicalarena and taking on this country’s fat cats ontheir playing field.

Students are an easy target as it is widelyknown that we don’t vote. However it is nowtime to hit this bewildered government whereit hurts, at the polling station”. Gearóid carriedon to say that “students should spend a fewminutes getting to know each candidate in theupcoming local and European elections, thusensuring they make an informed choice.”

Fees weren’t the only items on the agenda asthe frozen grant, and the increase in registra-tion fees were also discussed in conjunctionwith further cutbacks proposed by govern-ment. The Labour party has stood by studentssince such cutbacks began last year, and hasvowed not to change party policy as theybelieve investing in education can onlystrengthen our long term commodity inattracting industry and developing local busi-nesses.

CITSU President to Fight Fees as Labour Party Local Election Candidate

news in brief

Student Centre Cease Fire

Cork Institute of Technology Students’ Unionhosted their fifth annual “Safety Week” on cam-pus on Monday 21st April 2009. With over 8000full time and 4000 part time students and staff inCIT, the Union believed that it is apt to highlightissues of grave concern such as road, fire and per-sonal safety. Thursday was the highlight of theweek, which began with the symbolic laying of279 crosses on the Courtyard Circle to representthe lives lost on Irish Roads in the past year.

CITSU Safety Week 2009

Latest News

CIT Students Union has launched a second hand bookshop scheme to cater forthe urgent need for not just budget books but also second hand texts. Studentswho have no more use for their old academic texts may bring them into the SUoffice. Here they will be stored and sold on behalf of the Student. Once the bookis sold. The student can claim the cash from the sale of the book from the SUoffice.

CITSU President, Gearóid Buckley, stated that “as the college has failed to supplya service that is long over due, we feel it is now more than ever such a service isan option to students”, “currently all sales of second hand books is done on anadhoc basis and sometimes the full value of the books are not realised as stu-

dents are under pressure with their studies.”

CIT Students’ Union are calling all students whom are finishing with their aca-demic texts to bring them into the Students’ Union office and get cash for them.Gearóid continued “At the end of each academic year, the very last thing a stu-dent will want to do is try and sell their books, so after the exams I would urgeall students to drop in their books to the office for resale.”

The sooner you bring the book in the faster you’ll have the cash. It also meanssomeone looking for the book will have it sooner.

CITSU Launches Second Hand Book Shop Service

On the 15th of April, CIT International StudentSociety took centre stage at a Gala Ceremony inAthlone where they were awarded National Societyof the Year by BICS, the Board of Irish CollegesSocieties.

The Society, which was awarded with the CIT/AIBSociety of the Year, is a previous winner of theNational Award in 2006 when the event was hostedby CIT. Throughout the year the society organisedsuch events as an International dinner, cultural tripsto Dublin, Belfast and Galway, dinner on Christmas

Day, as well as many charitable and sporting events.Congratulations to the hard working committee ofMarta Kramarek (Chairperson), Marta Blaszczyk(Vice-Chairperson), Michael Lazarczyk (Secretary),Arun Sheel (Treasurer), Berta Carballido (IT Officer)and Ezgi Muderrisoglu (Public Relations Officer).Also many thanks to the ISS society members whoattended and supported the events so well through-out the year.

Aoife KelliherSocieties Office

International Students SocietyWin National Society of the Year

Congratulation and thanks to the students and staff of CITwhose generosity is once again evident by the substantialamount raised during Rag Week 2009, as well through othercharitable events and fundraisers throughout the year (includ-ing the Coomey Headshave where over €750 was raised for theIrish Guide Dog Association and the ‘Catering Students BeardShave’ which raised over €1,000 for the Baby Alanna Appeal).Below I have outlined the worthwhile charities who willreceive donations from the Rag Week fund this year:

Sonas (Donation - €1,500)Sonas Special Junior Primary School caters for children withautism and currently caters for twenty four students aged fromthree to five years. The donation given will go directly to thefunding of social outings for students which is vital for childrenwith autism.

Brothers of Charity – Southern Services (Donation -€1,000)The Brothers of Charity provide a range of age-appropriateservices to over 600 people with intellectual disability in theCork & Kerry Region. These services include day, residential,multidisciplinary support services respite and family supportservices. They also provide an adult respite facility to adults inthe region. They aim to enable each service user to access thehighest standard of service based on their individual require-ments.

East Cork Parents & Friends of the MentallyHandicapped (Donation - €1,000)ECPFMH are a voluntary organisation and self support groupfor parents and families for the mentally handicapped of theEast Cork are. Their projects include a summer school whichoffers the parents and families of the mentally handicapped awell deserved break and also provides on going companion-ship, education and fun filled summer for the mentally handi-capped.

School of the Divine Child – Lavanagh Centre Cork(Donation - €1,000)The Lavanagh Centre recently installed a wheelchair accessibleroundabout in the school garden using monies from varioussources including from previous donations from Rag Weekfunding. Patricia Harrington, principal stated, “You cannotimagine the sheer joy the children experience when playing onthe roundabout”. The money donated from this year’s Rag

Week fund will go towards the installation of a wheelchairaccessible swing.

The Special Olympics – Munster Region (Donation -€500)The mission of Special Olympics Ireland is "to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety ofOlympic-type sports for children and adults with an intellectu-al disability, giving them continuing opportunities to developphysical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and par-ticipate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with theirfamilies, other Special Olympics athletes and the community."Special Olympics athletes benefit socially, emotionally andphysically as a result of participation in the programme.

Childrens Medical and Research Foundation, Crumlin(Donation - €500)Children are our future. The Children's Medical & ResearchFoundation is dedicated to the improvement of children’shealth. Their function is to inspire and support the philan-thropic spirit in individuals and organisations. They invest ourdonations in outstanding paediatric care, research and educa-tion to help children at Our Lady's, and throughout Ireland. Alldonations that made will have a lasting effect on the care andtreatment and prevention of childhood illnesses.

Kisses from Katie (Donation - €500)Alan and Vickie Manning are an Irish couple now living in theUS. This is their story. “On May 19th 2008, our first daughter,Katie, came into the world. Unfortunately, on May 21st ourbrief euphoria was interrupted by the news that our Munchkinhad a rare congenital heart defect, Hypoplastic Left HeartSyndrome (HLHS). The next 175 days were draining yet uplift-ing, heartbreaking yet inspirational. After an intense battleKatie passed away on November 9, 2008. While she may begone in body, Katie’s impact will be felt for a lifetime. Vickieand I hope to honour our daughter’s life by creating an organ-isation that supports other families that need to spend extend-ed periods in the hospital. Vickie and I are a couple left mourn-ing the loss of our angel. However, we are also a couple thathas been inspired by our daughter to make a difference. Thisis our celebration of Katie’s life”.

Threshold, Cork (Donation - €1,000)Threshold was founded in 1978 and is a not-for-profit organi-sation. Cork Threshold provides information and advice to stu-

dents who seek support to resolve their housing problemswhich range from deposit retention, illegal eviction, repairs, tolandlord/agency breach.

The Cork Deaf Association (Donation - €500)The Cork Deaf Association is committed to the empowermentof deaf and hard of hearing people in Cork city and countythrough the provision of information, advocacy and supportservices. They aim to achieve a more inclusive society, wheredeaf and hard of hearing people enjoy equality of opportuni-ty, independence and full citizenship.

The Irish Pilgrimage Children’s Trust (Donation - €500)The IHPCT, each year, pilgrimage to Lourdes with young peo-ple with special needs. The children are cared for by voluntaryhelpers, including CIT students, doctors, nurses and chaplains,most of who pay for themselves, and travel at their ownexpense.

Cork ARC Cancer Support House (Donation - €500)This is a voluntary organisation established to provide a holis-tic centre in which people with cancer and their families canfind emotional support and practical help. Their aim is to pro-vide therapies that complement the medical model, so as tomake a difference to the lives of those affected by cancer.

Spina Bifida – Individual Case (Donation - €500)A teenager who has batted with Spina Bifida and scoliosis sinceher infancy and against the odds has learned to walk. She isnow in need of long term medical assistant for which she hasto travel abroad. This donation will help in some small way torelieve the financial pressures which she and her family face.

Chernobyl (Donation - €1000)This donation will contribute towards medical, humanitarianand development programmes to communities and familiesaffected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Thanks you to all the magnanimous sponsors and supportersof CITSU Rag Week, particularly to CIT Societies Office, CITStudents Services Co (canteen), The Bank of Ireland, TheOutpost, Eden Hall, Parchment Square, Deans Hall, Centra,Cubins and The Bailey.

Vicky O’Sullivan, CITSU General Manager.

€10,000 Raised for Charity During RAG Week 2009

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CIT Students’ Union recently set up camp out-side the gym for a few days with bouncy cas-tles to help alleviate exam stress. Alas the finalcountdown is on. Space in the library is a lux-ury and the glorious weather is a student’sworst nightmare at this moment in the aca-demic year. An academic year which for themost part has flown, protesting on the streetsof Cork seems so far behind us now. The issueof batty government policies is still on thecards as many other local issues haven’t beenresolved. It is probably very easy for me to go

on one final rant of the year and speak once again on how CIT has failed tomeet the needs of the modern student, however as this is my final addressfor this year I’ve adopted the more pleasant approach. The cancellation ofChristmas day, demonstrations against management and heated argumentsare now behind us and we should take a look at how CIT has improved overthe past year. We’ve seen the development of the student IT infrastructurethis year, which is heavily accredited to a lot of hard work and vision fromboth Ger Culley and Philip O’ Reilly. CIT has said good bye to one of itsfounding fathers Dr. Brendan Goggin, and his replacement will be appoint-ed by the time you come back in September. We’ve seen a CIT student AidenO’ Halpin don the honour of Miss Cork. The sports office and the societiesoffice have against the strains of Semesterisation delivered National andInternational awards. We’ve come along way and this must be accredited toa number of staff and students Institute wide, thank you and congratula-tions to all.

Examinations & SemesterisationAs this is exam season I’d like to remind you that there is a grinds list avail-able from our office. If you need to talk or just release some stress please callup to see us. If you find yourself in a situation where you are feeling ill,missed an exam or are facing personal issues, don’t forget we are here foryou, just call up, normally issues can be solved easily enough. It is widelyknown my thoughts on Semesterisation are quite negative, however I hopeI’m proven wrong in June when examination results come out and show anupsurge in success rates. Many students feel aggrivated that they are guineapigs for the new system and feel their education is put on the line for thesake of the long term future of the Institute. I can assure you such treatmentis not in vain as the management have tried to fix issues as they arise. Let’s

hope, I will be prepared to inform first year students on the benefits ofSemesterisation next September.

Final Curtain for some studentsFor many of you this is the very last ExpliCIT you will pick up from the can-teen. As you all face the final curtain there probably isn’t much time toreflect on the past three or four years. You may think that CIT will live onafter you have gone and you were only a number, but I can gladly say sucha mentality couldn’t be more further from the truth in particular taking inmind the cohesive class groups that we have developed over the years. Asmost of you know I should be graduating this year with my fourth year busi-ness class. The canteen, the corridor and library will be a different place, newfaces, new friends etc. Yet I hope the same community spirit will flourishwith next years first years. To all of you who are graduating, I wish you thevery best of luck and may your future bring you great fortunes. At the recentStudents’ Union Class Rep Awards night I was honoured to announce that Iwould be proud to work with any CIT student in the future. Over my yearsas a student here I have learned that unlike other third level colleges, CITstudents are unique, they care about their studies, and their friends and canalso encompass a bit of craic into their everyday business.

Entertainment & Christmas DayNext year we want entertainment to be fresher, bigger and better. We neednew inventive ideas, so please forward them on during the summer, no ideais too weird and all will be considered. During election season Christmas Daywas hot on every candidate’s tongue. I can assure every student, ChristmasDay will go ahead next year.

Before I sign off, I would just like to thank everyone who has made this yearso memorable, in particular, all those who helped out with campaigns,entertainment and most importantly the executive. It has been great towork with Adam, Thomas, Killian, Becky and Chris this year, and I look for-ward to working with next year’s team. We’ve already started work on mymanifesto plans for next years so I envisage CIT will be a better place nextSeptember.

For those of heading away for the summer, enjoy yourself and be careful.Everyone who is staying around for the summer, make the most of it. Takeadvantage of what Ireland has to offer. Gearóid

CIT Students’ Union President Opinion

Union Address

As the year is coming to a close, and so too ismy time as an officer, I would like to thank allthe people in the union offices for all theirhelp throughout the year. I would also like towish all the officers the very best for the upcoming year. The experience I have had, andthe friendship I have formed this year willstay with me for life. I must give special men-tion to one of these friendships, for this per-son’s help and advice enabled me to do myjob and really has had a BIG impact on methis year. Thanks Mick!

Thanks to you all for the help and support you have given this year and Ireally appreciate it all. Good look in the exams and when they are done,don’t forget to hit the town hard and make it a night to remember beforeyou all move back home or go away for the summer!!

Fact of the day: 85% of men, who die of heart attacks during intercourse,are found to have been cheating on their wives.

Becky ListonEntertainments OfficerCork Institute of Technology

CITSU Entertainments Officer Opinion

Well all! It’s a sad day! My last explicit article.(AWW!!) I hope everyone is good. Examstime is here! Everyone is stressing out myadvise . . . don’t sweat it. Just put a bit ofwork in and ye will be grand. A big thankyou to everyone who has helped out duringthe year! It was much appreciated.

Also I hope everyone had a good year themselves. If ye have any ideas onimprovements or anything like that just give them to the next bunch ofpeople stupid enough to do this (HAHA only messing).

Any way lads enjoy the summer wherever you end up, be it home or abroadand I look forward to seeing you all on the corridors next year.G’luckChris

CITSU Projects Officer Opinion

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Class Rep Awards

CITSU Honours Hard Working VolunteersCork Institute of Technology Students’ Union paid tribute to ClassRepresentatives and the Student Entertainments Crew at an evening heldat the Oriel House Hotel on 28th April 2009. In total, six special achievementawards where given to students who have volunteered throughout the aca-demic year.

CITSU also acknowledged Mr. Sean McIntyre who retired this year asReturning Officer of the Students’ Union. Mr. McIntyre provided essentialguidance and oversight to the SU elections over the past seventeen years.He was presented with a specially engraved cut glass piece by Mr. KenCurtin, former Students’ Union President, who took over as ReturningOfficer this year.

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Last month we featured a survival guide for those whom are leaving forwhat Borat would call the “great US and A”. In response to this feature arti-cle we received many emails from students asking the question, why stay inIreland for the summer. Quite frankly a summer here in Ireland is what youmake of it. It’s quite easy for many to dismiss the chance to cut turf inCarrisigveen or weather permitting sell ice creams to Corkonians inYoughal, especially now as summer jobs have become somewhat of a luxu-ry. However my experience has taught me to make the most of all opportu-nities, and to be fair Ireland does have a lot to offer the average student oradventure enthusiast.

While researching for this article discoverireland.ie threw a lot activitiesinto the mix, Take a look, although most of the adrenaline bursting activi-ties come with a price tag, there are many adventures for the budget orpaupers pocket. I can understand how hill walking may sound unattractive,but climbing up Carrantuohill is no mean feat. If you and your friends setaside two or three days a month for full activities, you’d be amazed to seethe accumulation of experiences coming back to college in September.

As well as the abundant of indigenous entrepreneurs trying to satisfy boththe adventure junkie and sedate student, there are numerous one offevents. The list is endless but I suppose three that are on many of your cal-endars already are Oxygen, the Crosshaven Regatta and the Bandon MusicFestival.

Headlining Oxegen this year are the Killers and Kings of Len, however withticket prices up to €244 for a 3 day camping pass, there is a direct saving byattending Bandon’s free music festival where both Mundy and MickFlannery will steal the show. Also locally will be the Crosshaven regatta, somake sure your boat shoes are scrubbed and your Tommy Hilfiger shirt iscleaned as crowds will land at the shores of Corks very own D4.

What ever you do this summer, ensure you do so in a safe manner taking allthe precautions that are necessary, but as I said above, make it your ownmake sure you don’t wish your summer away, as a couple of years from nowyou’ll be lucky to get a two week break. I understand to take part in a lot,one will need quite a bit of money, and jobs are too and far between inthis current climate. After first year I worked in a Spanish bar for the sum-mer. A Dubliner who ran her own employment agency frequented this barevery weekend, and I recall her boasting at how busy she was. Her big claimwas that clients would arrive in on a Monday morning looking for job, bein work for Wednesday and be back at her doorstep on Monday. Howeverthis couldn’t’t be further from the truth today.

So when your looking for a job over the next few weeks be open minded,use your initiative and don’t forget your rights.

So your unemployed for the summer?The closure of many businesses in addition to recruitment freezes are justtwo factors which contribute to the fact that there are very few job vacan-cies around.

If you have a job at all you are one of the lucky ones. If you have a stablejob you can count yourself extremely lucky. But what happens if you sud-denly find yourself unemployed? Many of us literally cannot afford to sitand wallow in it, recession or not there are still bills to be paid and food tobe bought. So how do you get a new job in the middle of a recession? Andcan embarking on a job hunt at such time actually be a blessing in disguise?

Whilst there are no guarantees to finding a new job, there are some stepsthat you can take which may help to put you on the right track and couldresult in a resolution to your recession woes. What do you really want todo? Before you embark on a job hunt it is really worth thinking about whatyou want to do. Yes, these may be difficult times but it doesn't mean thatyou can't at least try to get some enjoyment out of your working life, afterall those eight working hours are a large chunk out of your day. So assessthe situation.

Be open mindedThis really is the key to finding a new job in the recession. So often we putourselves in a box as far as jobs are concerned and block ourselves fromembracing new possibilities. For example, thinking that because you haveonly ever worked in an office you can only do office work or because youhave been trained in a certain way that you can't ever break away from thatand try something different. Break free from the mould!

There are many skills that are transferable and valued in a variety ofcareers. So you dealt with customers working on a shop floor? Similar peo-ple skills are used serving customers in a café or dealing with guests in ahotel. You articulated and explained new ideas and concepts to colleaguesin presentations and meetings? Similar communication skills are vital in ateaching career. A bubbly personality can lead to a career in sales.

Before you start you need to look at your CV. This is an essential tool andmore often than not is the first impression that any potential futureemployer will have of you. This is not the time to be modest. In these toughtimes a good CV is critical. You need to sell yourself and your skills, makingyour CV stand out from the crowd. There is plenty of help out there, fromonline CV services to careers advisers to books, which offer tips for an effec-tive CV. Check out www.careersandcounselling.com for more CV tips.

Make sure you buy a paperNaturally, once you have thought clearly about what it is you might like todo and started revising your CV you need to see what is available out there.It may seem obvious but so many jobs are still advertised in the local papersand this is no different in Cork. Each week, the Evening Echo advertises avariety of jobs available all over the county.

The Internet is possibly one of the greatest resources for jobs. There aremany online recruitment agencies, which are easy to join and you canupload your CV at the click of a button. It is also a good idea to look upcompanies that you fancy working for and browse their website. If you are

No J1, No Job, No A guide to help you find work this summer

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unsure about companies who operate in your chosen sector in the areaget out the Golden Pages, go to the desired sector and do an internetsearch on the company name to find their website should they have one.

Many company websites have their own job section where current vacan-cies are posted and often this is one of the best ways to see exactly whatis available. Also, unless they have also advertised in the newspaper orthrough recruitment websites, company websites will reach a smalleraudience, therefore decreasing the competition and increasing your ownchances of success.

Drop inIt is extremely difficult to get a true impression of someone from their CVso if you can go in person with your job application, whether it be specu-lative or not, it is always a good idea. After all personality counts for a lotand if a prospective employer gets to see you as well as your applicationit could just enhance your chances.

However, if you are going in person you need to remember three things:style, conduct and conversation. Make sure that you are suitably dressed,are polite and considerate to everyone you meet and that your languageis appropriate. First impressions go a long way; all the qualifications andskills in the world can't make up for bad language and a lack of manners!

Be your own bossWhen we think about job hunting we usually think about being employedbut how about being the employer? Your own boss. Never having toanswer to anyone but yourself ? Well, believe it or not the recession mayprovide you with the opportunity.

Many entrepreneurs have often looked at periods of economic meltdownas opportunities, the chance to find a gap in the market, to introduce anew business idea or concept. Be creative, sometimes it can just takeunique idea that can fill that gap and can be marketed to the buying pub-lic. And these days many businesses can be started online in the initialstages, saving on renting or buying premises. You can work from home fit-ting your work around your family or lifestyle.

However be realistic, have a plan, speak to business advisers as well as oth-ers who have taken the plunge and survived. See how financially viableyour plan is and whether it really does stand a chance in the current cli-mate. At the same time have courage; nothing great was ever achievedwithout it!

Activity, perseverance and determination can pave the way to success butonly you can make it happen. So go on - get out there and just see whatyou can achieve! Although the whole world seems to be closing in, thereare still opportunities for students to enjoy the summer. So get out thereand find one and above all enjoy your summer

Summer?by Niall English

10

Year in ReviewExclusive

An awful lot of things are planned and are working in the backgroundaround CIT. Very often the student body doesn’t know about items untilthey are either fully operational (wifi) or fail miserably (crèche). This is myfew cents on what has been happening, and what will be happeningaround CIT.

Parking and all that jazzOkay, I’m going to start this by quoting a long standing local politician, whohas been working with CIT student reps and local residents for many yearsnow.

“CIT currently has 15% paid parking… this time next year it is generallyexpected that that will be 20 – 25 %, with that increasing in coming years.”

All of the local councilors are opposed to the imposition of parking chargesin CIT. Recently a motion has been put to the City Council by Cllr. JohnButtimer which, would require any business or institution with over 25parking places to have included with their planning permission any inten-tion to charge for parking. This is to rectify the situation currently wherethe Council is powerless to restrict any increase in pay parking in CIT in theinterest of students, etc.

So the City Council is trying, but pay parking is here, and no one but the col-lege head management is in any position to change that or restrict anincrease in the number of paid spaces. Bet we’re all jumping for joy on thatone.

On the upside, there is a major infrastructural project planned for the areabetween the Carrigrohane Straight and the South Link. (Basically from thegreyhound track and passing somewhere on the Ballincollig side ofEdenhall, and on to the Straight Road. Bad news, it’s a 15 year project. Whatit will include (hopefully) is a link straight from the South Link to theStraight Road, a turnoff from that link to CIT, coming in somewhere aroundthe tiered car park, a large enterprise park with CIT, UCC and the City coun-cil all involved, and the long awaited park and ride.

Now, I know we’re all doom and gloom, and that’ll never go ahead/affectme, etc… but this will. At the moment they are in the public consultationperiod, finding out what people actually want/need. This is the cheapest

part of the project, so it hasn’t really been hit by to the economic turmoil. Secondly, that plan intends on implementing the park and ride system with-in the next two years. That timeline was confirmed in late April this year. It’scoming, slowly, but its coming, and despite the best efforts of some CIT ele-ments we may actually have a park and ride in 2011. . .Yay!

And for all ye doubters, even the opposition parties actually agree with thetimeline on this one!

Finally, I guess it wouldn’t be parking in CIT if I didn’t finish on a bad points- paid parking/disc parking/residents permits only… yup. A selection ofthose lovely words will be on signs on a few roads and residential estatesaround Bishopstown in the coming year. Students who reside in a house onany affected street during the college term will be able to get permits, butit’s the start of a clamp down on parking in residential areas around CIT. It’shappening whether we like it or not, after all it is a residential area. Itmakes sense, but only if some alternative is found to replace the affectedspaces until the park and ride is up and running.

Fortunately, park and ride will be online before anything like a large pro-portion of Bishopstown is disc parking. To sum up, some people are goingto be looking for some money in coming years for parking around CIT, butthe truth of the matter is NO FEAR, PARK AND RIDE WILL BE HERE!!

Super-IT-menHere are just some names and if you meet these people, shake their hands.

• Ger Culley (IT Computer Services Manager)• Aidan McDonald (Head of Networking)• Padraig Sugrue (Administration Banner MIS)• Philip O’Reilly (SU Publications Manager)

There have been significant improvements to the IT infrastructure in CITover the past year. From Smart Cards to wireless internet and of course theuniversal student email system. These are just a few projects that wereundertaken this year to drag us from the disgraceful position we were at tonow being almost on par with other colleges. Of course, there is a lot moreto be done, given what was achieved this year instills confidence that noother department in CIT has ever shown.

CIT ‘08/09Year inReview by CIT Political Society ChairEoin O’Loingsigh

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Smart Cards that can do more than get you a fiver off entry to Cubins, nowhave so much more easily accessible potential. Thanks to Ger and Aidan wehave an integrated computer print/copy station network. Ger and Aidanalso gave us Student Wireless and next year you’ll see other projects IT staffhave been working on including the full use of our student blackboard sys-tem. Notes, exam papers, assignments, results, will all be available in theone place, on your own personal blackboard.

The SU had been promised a free student email system for years. Similarsystems have been in place all over the country for years. They have beenessential in increasing, and in some cases creating, communicationsbetween the college administrators, lecturers, the SU and students. Withthe introduction of the email system, you are now personally alerted to allmajor goings on, be it the Bealtine Festival, or the Semester 1 repeats – it’sall there. Also, posing questions to a lecturer or Head of department is nolonger a matter of camping outside an office for a few days. It’s simple,straight forward, and it’s accessible to everyone. I suppose a quick note onhow this all came to order is needed. It was quite simple in the end; sixwords from the SU. “You do it, or we will.”

The SU got completely fed up with constant promises and no action onthese issues. Last summer, the SU Publications Manager, Philip, was instruct-ed to start work on an email system for all students. Early in Semester 1, anemail went out to all the departments in the college offering all the stu-dents in their departments an email system. As ever, certain people in cer-tain places saw this as an affront, and got annoyed. Ultimatum time – “ifCIT doesn’t have a student email up and running by end of semester one,the SU will launch theirs…” Ger Culley, IT Manager, is a new addition to thecollege. He didn’t go down that old “this Presidency will never negotiatewith students” route; instead he encouraged the SU to work with the col-lege. Ger was instrumental in identifying experienced personnel within theInstitute in the IT department, administration & MIS, and the Students’Union. This was the first major IT project undertaken with these variousdepartments and the Students’ Union.

In Ger Culley, we have an IT manager who got the Students’ Union, CollegeIT department and administration department working together. Then hestepped it up a gear, and brought a huge range of experienced stafftogether to deliver everything else. Working together is not something anyset of public service departments would struggle with. These projects werecompleted by many talented people in this Institute, but the success of thisstory is how they were all brought together with the assistance of the newIT Manager. He did that in a very short space of time, and it is somethingmost others in the college still can’t master.

What an example to the rest of CIT management, staff and students. Topmarks on pulling the preverbal finger out and bringing CIT from an IT dis-aster area with “closed access”, to now being somewhere on a par with therest of the Irish 3rd level education system.

I know there are many others involved, from Adam and Gearoid in the SUfor constantly chasing after people to get stuff done, to the guys whoplugged in the photocopiers, staff who created each email account, andeveryone in between, just wow. There has of course been a kink or two, butits there and working. Well done. They just dragged CIT’s student’s facili-ties kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Now those are the peoplewho deserve the €22,000 portraits on the college walls.

Our ‘Student Centre’Our Student Centre; between it and parking there’s always something togive out about. Most of us have heard of the recent ‘issues’ surrounding thevacant units in our Student Centre. Management wanted to put adminoffices in, i.e. transfer them from the purpose built admin building to thepurpose built Student Centre, giving us 1.5 admin buildings, and half aStudent Centre. If that had happened, then without a shadow of a doubt,student input over the affairs of our Student Centre would not have lastedvery long. That, in fact, you can be absolutely certain about. So, good news,it hasn’t happened. Well done Students’ Union.

However, the question then arises, if the vacant spaces are now truly vacantagain, what do we do with them? I believe the obvious suggestion is weuse them. The plan has always been to provide some form of service orfacility that the student body of CIT could do with. Bar or book shop, officesor outlets, common room or computer room, society room or sobrietyroom… the list of possibilities is exhaustive. The list of probable’s, not somuch. First things first, the bar; the Student Centre will never truly become aStudent Centre if it isn’t naturally the first place people go to for any bigevent. Be it Christmas Day (fingers crossed), or Artsfest, we need some-where which is the heart of CIT. We need a social centre. At the momentthe social centres are a friend’s apartment or one of the bars at the extrem-ities of the student residential area. I believe that sentiment is echoed bythe Student’s Union and to some extent by the College’s board of manage-ment. Sentiments are great, but the reality differs somewhat.Unfortunately the bar would cost €500,000 to put in place, before everbecoming a viable business. That sort of money is not available at themoment. If it was there, there are far more urgent things on the list. It’s justhow it is. So we can’t have a bar.

A book shop then? It would make sense, right? The college doesn’t haveone, it’s a pretty mundane thing to have on campus; I mean you’d almostexpect it to be here already. So far many major firms have expressed inter-est, but over the last four to five years or so, they have all fallen by the way-side. So the way forward now is for a smaller business to grab the oppor-tunity. It’s a pretty safe investment, to be fair. It’s a college for flip sake;surely a book shop on a college campus is a no-brainer, no matter what thenational economics are. Either way, I would expect to see the hard work byboth management and SU paying off pretty soon, and a book shop mate-rialising in some form, in one of the ground level units.

Apart from that, there are a few offices which could, understandably, beadmitted to some part of our Centre. The International Students Office orthe Disability Office are purely student services for example, and if pushcame to shove and offices had to come in, I can’t see anyone objecting tothem. Either way, we need to fill those units and bring a bit of a buzz tothe place, day to day, not just on the big weeks. The addition of furnitureto the ground floor goes along way towards that as well. It is a way ofbreaking up the large open space, and creating an atmosphere. It wouldmake our Centre more of a focal point.

Alright, so we get ourselves a book shop, and some important offices forstudents get a new home. That still doesn’t make it our Student Centre. Itmakes it the Student Centre. There is a very big difference there. TheStudent Centre has had more or less input from the student body into itsphysical appearance. The problem with the Student Centre is you could putadmin offices in there. It’s entirely imaginable to have the remaining, oreven some of the existing units used by the admin office, or some functionof the managing structure in CIT. That should not be the case. It should beours, and the suggestion that management of the college could moveoffices into the social and general heart of the college should be laughable.We need to make it our own.

Having a second common room down stairs might help. That empty unitbeside Bank of Ireland. The room is wired, but no electrical fittings, butapart from that, it’s a blank canvas. Even if it is used as just that, a blankcanvas, during Artsfest? Give it a theme, and give to those who want to try.One wall sports and societies, divide one wall up between the departments,one wall to sports, hey presto, a few chairs and tables, wifi is already in theStudent Centre, the shop is ten feet away, open the doors and let it spill outinto the main open space.

Hey presto, a genuine CIT Student’s Centre. It might not be the perfectidea, but I think it’s along the right track. The staff have shown us whatthey can do with slim resources – wifi, print stations, and the works. Whycan’t we have a go? Right now it’s a building; make it a home for CIT.Overall By and large, I have to say that CIT has come some way this year.Bad timing to do all the improvements during a recession, but hell, it’sworked so far! There are a lot of little things left to do, but for the firsttime in my three years here, I can honestly say I think we’ll get there.

Eoin O’Loingsigh, CIT Political Society Chair

Year in Review

12

Your LettersOpinion

I’m David Perez-Lopez, an Erasmus student coming from the University ofCordoba, Spain. I’m going to write some lines about my experience here. I hopeyou don’t get too bored with it. Perhaps you think I must be nuts for changingSpanish weather for Irish one but I think that the oportunity of going abroadwith an Erasmus grant was worthy enough to do it, and I encourage you to havea try if you meet the chance.

I came with a main target in my mind, doing my final degree project inComputing, and in the course of time, I’ve been adding some new goals to myto-do list; coursing a couple of interesting modules, visiting as many places aspossible, improving my English as much as I can, meeting people from all coun-tries, doing exciting activities…

To tell you the truth, the first day I put a step in Cork in February was as I hadexpected, though I couldn’t help that feeling of surprise that overwhelmed me;grey sky, drizzle, people driving on the left side, different outlets in the wall,everything in English! I know you will be at least smiling by this time, but imag-ine that in Spain it’s the other way round so it was kind of weird for me until Igot used to. Anyway, I had the luck of sharing the first month and a half herewith the unquantified assistance of Luis del Moral, a Spanish classmate from myUniversity that had already been here since September. He played a perfect guid-ing role for me, helping me to get on my bearings around CIT and the city cen-tre for the first weeks.

It didn’t take much for me to meet other Erasmus students since we had our wel-come meeting by Margaret Mulderrig and Carmel Collins on February 2. Asalways, you tend to join other people closer in origins to you, that is how I metRosana and Jordi, and later Emilio, Victor, Charo and Raquel also Spanish stu-dents at CIT, as well as the Spanish teachers Luis José and Ana, or the rest of allthe huge Spanish community in Cork. But I knew that if I wanted to improve myEnglish I’d better talk to people from other nationalities. In this way I met someItalian lads; Enrico, Davide, Michele, Giovanni and his friends and some dayslater, Baptiste from France, and Marcin and Gabriel from Poland. The two lattersare classmates in a couple of elective modules which I chose at CIT.

By the way, my first trip with them was to Kinsale where we did some trekking

and enjoyed a lot of funny situations trying to find the very well-known CharlesFort, do you remember folks? At this point, I’d like to thank specially theInternational Students Society (ISS), because of all the activities organized dur-ing this semester, pointing out the Quasar (lazer gun fighting) and Bowling,both of them rising-adrenaline activities, that later would lead us to the Old Oakpub, where I would meet Angelique and Lene for the first time. TheInternational Dinner in 7th March, made possible for everybody to taste differ-ent dishes from all over the world enriching our gastronomic culture. Moreover,the trip to Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Connemara & Kilemore Abbey was an unfor-getable experience for all of us as well as paintball.

We will never forget the party nights carried out in Parchment Square appart-ments or in the city centre, where a good atmosphere was always present at thesame time as Guinness pints, although I must confess that I will be more remem-bered by my like for orange juice than for my booze-drinking aptitudes.

Besides, I couldn’t imagine how it would have been my stay here without ourping-pong matches every Monday and Wednesday. I think I’ve even improvedmy technique thanks to all the different playing styles that met in the sports hallthose days. And good news, I assure you that Chinese boys are not unbeatableat this sport.

Turning back to my main target at CIT, I couldn’t miss to mention my projectmates Kristian, Luke and Steve that helped me a lot with the achievement of ourproject application under the review of our cordinator Gemma McSweeney.Also the SSWD and Mobile Apps classes with Rob Miller and Karl Grabe as lec-turers, and the classmates always in the mood to give a hand if it was requiered.

Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude with this lines to my flatmates Chris andKillian that, since the first day, have always been giving me a good hand when Ineed it. I feel satisfied you have reached this paragraph, in this little tribute toall the people I’ve met here, most of them are not mentioned with names butyou know who you are, and I won’t forget you guys for all the good times wehave enjoyed and the ones that are still to come.

David Perez-Lopez

Erasmus Student Exchange Experience at CIT

Your Letters

13

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One may think it is great news, CIT launchingan all in one ID card. Printing, identificationand access are just one of the many features ofthe new chipped ID card. However in typicalCIT style no improvement is without its shortand long term problems.

Although great offers and numerous emailsfrom computer services have tried to ensurethe smooth introduction of the new service,the lack of forward planning elsewhere hasonce again left the service much to be desired.

The very first day the new card system wasimplemented, there were a number of issuesthat management refused to acknowledge.

There was no provision for students whom hadn’t topped up their ID cards. College management assumed that every student not only had a minimum of €10, but also hadaccess to a credit or laser card. Students whom came to college with just enough money for lunch and a bit of photocopying were helpless. Management, however did finally understood such a provision and allowed student to pay cash for a limited time.

Secondly it appears CIT’s eagerness to catch up with WIT is once again evident. Management believe students have the spending power and plastic facilities that accompany their overpaid salaries. Students

could only top up their cards through the online system and not with traditional cash.WIT has a cashless campus, and it appears management believe such a policy can be forcefully implemented overnight.

Another sticking point was that the card office was only opened on a part time basisfor week one of the new system. Student services management failed to grasp the reality of organisational management as once again they offered a part time service during peak service times. Imagine if the examination office closed next week.

Nevertheless the problems accompanying thenew card service will hopefully be outweighedby the long term benefits to all in CIT.

CIT Students’ Union President, GearóidBuckley complimented Ger Culley in ComputerServices for his dedication and commitment todelivering to students. “Since Ger’s appoint-ment last summer, IT services and facilitieshave developed and enhanced the studentexperience in CIT. mycit.ie, student wifi, andthe new card system are a testament to hisvision and belief in making CIT a better placefor all. We must also reserve praise for Stephenin the card office, he has done all he can withscarce resources and is ensuring any individualproblems students faced are quickly solved”.

Gearóid Buckley

Darina Allen VisitsCIT’s Bealtaine FoodFestival 2009"It's gives me great hope for the future to seethe passion in these students"

Despite the unpredictable Irish weather theBealtaine Food Festival, held by Bar Managementand Culinary Arts year 3, was a huge success. It wasobvious to be seen from the beginning of the festi-val that the rain wasn't going to prevent any of thepeople from experiencing this wonderful event atCIT. Key industry figures such as Darina Allen, PeterWard of Country Choice, Nenagh, Josef Finke ofBallybrado Organics, Kay Harte of the EnglishMarket, and many others brought a unique andexciting insight to Cork's forever growing tradi-tions.

Students from CIT and public alike got the wonder-ful opportunity to meet, greet and eat the hugerange of the fantastic local fresh produce availablefrom here in Cork and other counties within theIrish Industry.

The aim of the event was to break down the barri-ers between the Artisan traditions and the contem-porary lifestyles that surround the college.

With today’s conscientious consumers it is importantto establish sustainability in the Irish Industry toensure future growth of Irish producers.

On behalf of the class I want to give a special thanksto Darina Allen for taking the time out of her busyschedule to participate, the wonderful variety ofstallholders that attended the Bealtaine Festival andthe Students Union especially Gearoid Buckley, MickO'Mahony and Killian Hughes for their continuoushelp throughout the event.

And most of all I want to thank the students and thepublic for attending the event. It wouldn't havebeen the success it was without your participation.Elizabeth McCarthy

Smart Card, Not So Smart Planning...

Sport News

14

The road to the final was no easy one. The Fat Penguins had to come frombehind in both their Quarter-Final and Semi-Final matches. The quarter finalsaw them nursing a serious hangover but they still managed to come fromone down to win 2 – 1. The semi-final was a similar story. Although the teamdid look a little fresher, they again got off to a slow start, finding themselvestwo down in no time at all. However the Fat Penguins consistency and workrate paid off, as in the last 10 minutes of the match, “Player of the tourna-ment” Paul O’Sullivan somehow managed to score a hat-trick against whatseemed like an impenetrable defence. The match ended 3 – 2. The day ofthe final was an exciting one. An eagerly anticipated match was about tobegin between the Fat Penguins and Huge-Ass United, who made the finalwith relative ease. The final got off to a slow start with both teams testingeach other out. But it was Hugh-Ass United who broke the dead lock to goone up. This visible rattled the Penguins who found themselves 2 – 0 downwithin moments. However the second goal acted as a wake-up call as theyfinally started to play some real soccer. Again their hard work paid off againsta much more physical team as within minutes of each other the score was allsquare at two a piece.

This is where the game took a turn as Hugh-Ass started to use their physicalpresence to their advantage and took control of the match. Three goals with-out reply sent Hugh- Ass United on their way to an easy victory. The score was5 – 2 with a mere 10 minutes to go, a look of resignation had come across theFat Penguins faces. There shear heart could not be faulted as they never gaveHuge-Ass’s defence a chance to catch their breaths.

It was determination that led the Penguins to find a gap in defence that leadto their third goal. This changed the match as the players and fans alikebroke their silence. The safe hands of the “Keeper of the tournament”Damien O’Hea, allowed the Penguins to go all out attack and somehow, tothe amazement of everyone, managed to score two goals in quick successionin the dying moments of the game to tie the game at 5 – 5. With a blow ofa whistle the match was distend for penalties. There was no doubt the Fat Penguins had the advantage with nothing to loseafter comeback bigger than Michael Jackson.

Both teams circled around. The first four penalties went in, to the relief ofboth sides. With the Fat Penguins scoring their third, it took a finger tip savefrom O’Hea to deny Hugh-ass’s effect. However it didn’t last long as Hugh-Ass, their next penalty and Fat Penguins Jamie Hodnett lost his composurehitting the cross bar and what only can be called a moment of madness,pushed the goal posts over. After both teams collected themselves, they bothmanaged to score their fifth penalty. This meant sudden death and with onlyfive out-field players each it was the keepers who stepped up. First up wasHugh-Ass. And after a short run up, it was O’Hea’s chest that stopped it andsent the crowd into frenzy. After that, it all came down to one shot and itwas Damien O’Hea who stepped up. The tension could be cut with a breadknife. And after a moment to collect himself, shot the ball, low and hard intothe bottom left hand corner of the net to seal the deal. The fans cheered andchanted and swung their tops above their heads. They knew they had wit-nessed something special. Eat your heart out Manchester United! The FatPenguins are the new comeback kids. This truly was the stuff of legends.

The team was as follows:Damien O’Hea, Dan Murphy, Brendan Weathers, Dan Goulding, PaulO’Sullivan, and Jamie Hodnett.

Fat Penguins Winners ofCITSU Soccer Tournament ‘09

The CIT “Balls of Sponge” dodgeball team is hoping to score the ultimateprize at the Doritos Dodgeball Challenge in London on 4th May. Answeringa call to all dodgers to take part in the challenge, the CIT team has steppedup to the plate and will pit themselves against 26 teams from the UK whowill compete throughout the month of May.

The overall winning team from the UK Challenge will be crowned theDoritos champions and receive a £10,000 prize fund plus a trip to Las Vegasto play a one-off World Series match against the US champions, the SanDiego Crossfires. Not only that, but the top team from the Irish teams willwalk away with the title of “Irish Doritos Dodgeball Champions 2009” andwin a fantastic trip for the six players to Las Vegas.

In a twist from the norm, the CIT “Balls of Sponge” will be facing a teamof six lean, mean Dodgeball-firing cannons, built to battle the cream of UK,Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man dodgeballing talent. A technolog-ical marvel, each cannon will be controlled by a member of the public (ontheir PC and from the comfort of their home via the Doritos websitewww.doritos.ie). The six cannons will be set up in a unique DoritosDodgeball court located in Central London whilst the team from Cork ducksand dives in a bid to win the ultimate prize.

Adam O’Brien, captain of the CIT “Balls of Sponge” team, showing theteam’s fighting spirit says; “We are the cream of Munster, the best lads forthe job at hand. We will win and beat everyone mercilessly!!!” For furtherinformation log on to www.doritos.ie

CIT “Balls of Sponge” Dodgeball Compete at Champs in the UK!

Fun StuffDrop in your competition entries to the Students’Union office before 20th May 2009 in SAE.Winners Listed on www.citsu.ie Forums

15Last Month’s Wordsearch Winner: Philip Whooley, DSE1