Study Abroad - One month to go

How did people on Erasmus get along without Facebook? My friends will know that I was a Facebook fanatic who could easily waste away hours chatting and poking friends and posting the most irreverent tripe before I touched down in Canada. Now, I’m worse than ever.

One of the disadvantages of the Newfoundland weather is the very common flu that has already swept through campus. I was hit particularly hard and have been bedbound longer than I would have liked. This has lead to my laptop getting more use in a day than it would in a week.

This is a bit of a mixed blessing. I get to keep in contact with my friends, which makes me feel that I’m right back in UL and it keeps me up to date with the news. Unfortunately, it also leads people to believe that I had absolutely no life here whatsoever.

Fortunately, when I do get to venture of my quarantined bedroom, I have lot to be doing. We’re currently in the second busiest time of assignment hand-up. I’ve already handed up one genealogy and a research paper on the Thirty Tyrants of Ancient Greece. Next up is a paper on the popularity and decline of doo wop and a recorded interview of an international student. Yep, I am talking the most fitting exchange student classes going.

I’m also involved in the Students’ Union elections here, helping the incumbent CSO get re-election. It’s amazing the difference between their elections and ours. For one, they don’t allow penny sweets. I’d say that if penny sweets weren’t allowed over here, the voting numbers would be halved.  There are no t-shirt wearing campaigners going around the place, nor any blogs anonymously posting venomous and nasty comments. The SU give around $200 dollars to candidates to spend on their campaigns and students are not allowed to go above it. The candidates don’t seem to mind, but it seems to diminish the buzz and atmosphere that you get around SU Election Week. Let’s hope there’s more excitement in store for the ULSU candidates.

Study Abroad - One month to go

Getting to know you

The first thing I learned about journalism is that it’s a dog-eat-dog, cutthroat business, but I wonder does that lesson stem to college journalism. Take a look at twitter and you’ll see great banter between journalists from all different kinds of newspaper. A journalist from the Star might be having a laugh with someone from the Indo. But where are all the student journalists?

There doesn’t seem to be a sense of camaraderie between student paper journalists.

I’m wondering whether it be possible to organize a meeting of journalists, photographers, designers and editors from student newspapers across Ireland later this year. Gather some guest speakers and some social activities and really get to know each other. If anything, it would create contacts in Ireland’s student media.

Would people go to it? Would it be worth doing? If possible, what would be the best way to go about doing it? Your thoughts would be very much appreciated in this. 

Getting to know you

An Focal wins TV3 award

I'm delighted to say that my friend, Finn McDuffie has won the TV3 Student Newspaper of the Year on Tonight with Vincent Browne. Finn has worked very hard with the paper and I'm proud to say that I was his campaign manager to get elected to his position. Undoubtedly, there will be a party in UL to celebrate the award.
Finn called me a few hours before it was announced to tell me the news. He has no idea who nominated him and he's still getting over the news. You can now follow him on twitter here. To view past editions of An Focal, click on the link in the masthead.

Congratulations on a well deserved award, Finn.

An Focal wins TV3 award