Greetings, welcome to the latest edition of the Student Hub update. This week, our agenda is filled with a vast range of topics. From the revolutionary accommodation plans put forth by TU Dublin architecture students that could significantly boost on-campus housing capacity for up to 6,000 students in Grangegorman, Dublin 7, to a chilling recollection of the Stardust disaster by Kitty Holland. Lara Marlowe brings forward optimistic speculation regarding the potential peace Marwan Barghouti, the incarcerated Palestinian leader, could facilitate in Palestine.
In addition to that, South East Technological University is shedding light on its gender identity and expression policies. A recent study from DCU highlights a concerning trend wherein young men receive an influx of extremist and ‘toxic’ antifeminist content within 23 minutes of signing up on social media platforms. Fontaines DC’s latest single, with its thrillingly eerie vibe, promises to be a dystopian hit.
The headline-grabbing architecture students at TU Dublin propose an upgrade to Grangegorman’s housing plan, intending to provide on-campus accommodation to thousands of students. Further in this update, discover more about the harrowing Stardust fire incident along with new testimonies that vividly paint the anticipation-filled air for the Valentine’s disco and dance competition that ended tragically.
In another significant piece, Marwan Barghouti is hailed as the beacon of hope for peace in the Middle East – provided he is freed from his imprisonment. His symbol of resistance has become an enduring Palestinian emblem, scattered all across occupied Palestine.
In the realm of policy changes, SETU shakes up its gender identity regulation which had earlier deemed it ‘unlawful’ for faculty or students not to use the chosen pronouns of their counterparts. This action had previously been categorised as ‘illegal discrimination or harassment’.
The excitingly ominous new single from Fontaines DC is aptly named ‘Starburster,’ a track befitting of a dystopian setting. The announcement of their upcoming tour with Arctic Monkeys in October 2022 set alarm bells ringing. Meanwhile, Trinity College Dublin is seeing increased revenues, defying the common trend in higher institutions of learning, recording nearly €4 million in surplus last year. However, the college warns of escalating costs in third-level education.
Teenage boys are particularly vulnerable on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, with research from DCU discovering that they are exposed to misogynistic and extremist content within 23 minutes of opening an account. The issue of inflammatory language around immigration on mainstream platforms was highlighted on Newstalk Breakfast, hosted on weekdays by Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly – both of whom often push through early morning schedules.
The dean of Trinity Business School, Prof Laurent Muzellec, voiced concerns about the impact artificial intelligence can have on people’s learning capabilities. From the spacious ground floor of Trinity Business School, their new mission statement splashed across one wall in glossy blue: “transforming business for good”. This leads to the question of whether business practices have been harmful previously.