Erics's Blog
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Your New SU Team 2010/11
Eric Fitzgerald
Vice President (Services & Trading)
Contact Eric by e-mail, phone, semaphore or morse...
02 November 2001
Let me begin by offering my sincerest apologies on the length of time since my last blog reared its head – it’s just been that bloody busy here!
Freshers’ Week was whopper, with record attendances each night, including a sold out 90s Party Night and Paint Party, with the Freshers’ Ball providing the perfect end to the fortnight’s festivities. Ryan Sheridan tore up the stage with his infectious energy, Ham Sandwich provided the perfect opener with their unique brand of infectious indie and Mr Hudson had them singing along late into the night.
The Hallowe’en Ball followed and we were graced with the diminutive presence of the one and only Mini-Me, Mr Verne Troyer. You came, you saw, you dressed up in silly costumes and you had your photos taken with Verne in your droves! The man himself had great craic on the night – his words, not mine!
Next up is RAG: Part One, which kicks off on Monday November 28th. The focus of RAG: Part One will be raising money for our extremely worthy RAG charity, The Ross Nugent Foundation.
Our RAG Soccer Match will be taking place on Grangegorman on Monday 28th November, with kick-off scheduled for 12.30pm. The match will be Northside vs Southside! If you’re interested in playing, email vpservices@ditsu.ie with your name, contact details, site and what position you play. We will also be bussing supporters of both teams up to Grangegorman for the game on the day from Aungier St and Bolton St! A full calendar of events for RAG: Part One will be announced soon!
Remember, you can show your support in any way you want to. Call down to your local SU office to pick up a sponsorship card, or pick up a Ross Nugent wristband for just €2.
The usual bits and pieces are keeping me busy from a facilities perspective, but remember to keep vigilant and report any issues to the porters or your local Students’ Union representative.
I’d love to stay and chat, but unfortunately, I moustache! (cheesy joke for the month that’s in it!)
Au revoir,
Eric
07 September 2011
It’s oh so quiet...ssh, ssh...it’s oh so stil...ssh, ssh...you’re all alone...ssh, ssh...and so peaceful until...
While I sincerely doubt that Bjork ever had to deal with 4,000 new students streaming through the doors of DIT, she did manage to capture the calm before the storm that is Inductions Week and Freshers’ Week. That’s not to say that I’m not looking forward to it, though, far from it! I’ve been slaving away over a hot stove all summer, cooking up a Freshers’ Week to remember as well as an epic Freshers’ Ball to cap it all off! We’ve got four nights of madness lined up for all of you, coupled with a fantastic night out in the Freshers’ Ball to top it all off!
Your Freshers’ Week looks a little something like this (link to Freshers’ Week page on website)! Click onto our Facebook pages for the Freshers’ Ball (link) and Freshers’ Week (link) and let us know if you’re gonna come along and join in on all the fun!
From a facilities point of view, it’s all change this year! There are some branding spanking new computer labs in Kevin St and Bolton St is being redeveloped to accommodate the architects who are moving in! Funding has been secured to redevelop the common room in Aungier St and make it feel like more of a common area and less of a bus station. There will be changes to the canteen facilities rolling out gradually across Aungier St, Bolton St and Cathal Brugha St too. That’s not to say that some of the old problems won’t rear their ugly heads again, but you know where to find me if they do!
Once Freshers’ Week is over, I’ll be in a position to tell you about some more of the events I have lined up for the year ahead, so keep your eyes peeled!
See you during Freshers’ Week!
Eric
09 August 2011
Welcome to a new year, but the same old face! I’m revved up and ready to go with the enthusiasm of a brand new sabbatical! Read on and find out what craic I have in store for ye for the year ahead…
First up, obviously, will be Freshers’ Week! We’re beavering away at finalising a calendar at the moment, but it’ll take on a similar format to last year, with a week of four nights out followed by the Freshers’ Ball the following week! A limited number of wristbands for all four events will be on sale, as well as tickets for each individual night. These events aren’t just for the 3,500 new students we’ll be welcoming to DIT, though! If you’re a returning student, feel free to grab a ticket, pop along and make some new friends or bring along some old ones!
We’re also re-building the DITSU Events Crew from the ground up. I’ll hold my hands up and say that it hasn’t worked well in the past, so we’ve taken on feedback and we’re completely restructuring it this year. We’ll be signing people up during Freshers’ Week and Clubs & Socs Week, so keep an eye out for our sign-up stand. We’ll be offering semesterly reward parties, various different training opportunities, guestlist into DITSU gigs and more!
The Class Party Menu will be updated and ready to rock for the year ahead by the time ye get back. Cast your eye over it and give me a call for all your class party needs! We’ll be running a number of events throughout the year, as per usual, including a Mature Students Black Tie Ball, our Hallowe’en Ball, a Christmas event, not to mention old favourites like RAG Week and the DIT Ball!
This year’s RAG Charity is The Ross Nugent Foundation (www.rossnugentfoundation.ie). Ross was a fun-loving, outgoing 18-year-old lad from Malahide who loved nothing more than singing, playing guitar, drawing, or just being in the company of his family and friends. Ross contracted Ewing’s Sarcoma, a very rare form of cancer, and sadly passed away in May 2010. Ross’ wish was always to raise money to buy equipment for St. Claire’s Oncology Ward in Beaumont Hospital where he was being treated, so his family set up The Ross Nugent Foundation in his honour.
We need your help to raise money for this extraordinarily worthy cause. Please, get behind us in every way that you can, and do whatever you can to raise even the smallest amount. Whether it’s a head shave, skydive, bungee jump, marathon – anything at all goes a long way! Keep an eye out for our RAG Fundraising Week in November, as well as our traditional RAG Week in March.
That’s all from me for the time being, but in the meantime, keep watching the skis…er, skies.
Adios!
Eric
1 May 2011
*The below blog was first printed as an article in TOAST magazine*
So this is it, the last TOAST of the year...and what a year it’s been! We’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs, we’ve been here, there and everywhere, but through it all, we’ve always endeavoured to do what we do best – serve you, the students of DIT.
When I took up this position in July, I thought I had an idea of what to expect, having watched some of my predecessors down through the years. What took me aback was the sheer volume of work involved. It’s been a non-stop race of phonecalls, meetings and emails since July 1st, but I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t loved every minute of it!
It was quiet over the summer months...too quiet, in fact, and we were very keen for students to arrive back so there’d finally be a bit of buzz around the place! That date came in September, when a new batch of first year students arrived in for Inductions Week – or, as I like to call it, the week before Freshers’ Week! It was the first proper introduction to our new batch of students as to college nightlife, and they took to it in their droves! Four mental nights across Dublin city proved one thing that I already knew – DIT students know how to party!
That wasn’t the end of it, however. The following week saw around 2,000 DIT students pack in The Wright Venue for our biggest ever Freshers’ Ball and one of the biggest nights in DITSU’s history. The tone was officially set for Semester One! The Hallowe’en Ball, Even Better Than The Real Thing and Christmas Mayhem continued the tone, while behind the scenes, I worked to create the first ever Class Party Menu, which went live in October. You guys showed that the effort was worth it by filling my inbox and clogging my phone with texts looking for class parties – I was only too happy to oblige!
Semester Two saw the SHAG Ball kick things off in Break For The Border, with great music from DIT’s very own No Way Home, along with other surprises, including a mechanical rodeo penis! The Nerd Ball followed, with you guys donning your specs and lab coats for what turned out to be an epic night!
RAG Week was originally scheduled for March, but was regrettably delayed due to scheduling conflicts with our headline act for the RAG Ball, Mr Hudson. We regrouped in April and presented you with DIT’s biggest ever RAG Week and the first ever DIT Ball! Throughout RAG Week, you shook buckets, bungee jumped, shaved your heads, waxed your chests, raved to the grave, donned your wellies and caused a Situation – for all of which, of course, we are truly grateful, and so is our RAG charity, Citywise!
The DIT Ball was our first ever, and if it’s anything to go by, it’ll be a tradition that’ll continue long into DIT’s future! What a fantastic night! We thought we couldn’t get bigger than the Fresher’s Ball but we were seriously wrong! Between DIT and DKIT, we packed 2,500 students into The Wright Venue to be treated to the likes of Mr Hudson, S Club, 5ive and Royseven, alongside some of DIT’s best bands and our very own DJ Soc! The venue was thronged, the tunes were hopping and the craic was mighty! Roll on the DIT Ball 2012!
From a facilities perspective, we had some wins, namely the canteen in Rathmines finally being reclaimed for Rathmines students and protecting you against cuts to library opening hours, but there are some ongoing battles which will doubtlessly continue into my second term, like printing, wifi and the libraries. There have been some disappointments from an events perspective, too, namely the re-scheduling of RAG Week, as well as the fact that Tradfest didn’t happen this year, namely because I couldn’t get ahold of the feckin’ Sawdoctors!
A very proud moment for me this year was my re-election. It was incredibly heartening to think that the students of DIT wanted me back to serve another term, and I give you my word that I will do my very best to improve upon this year. I will accentuate the positives and work on my failings from the previous year, and things will be bigger and better.
It’s also been a tremendous pleasure this year to work with the team I’ve worked with. Ciarán has served as an inspirational leader in his term as President and will doubtlessly continue to do so into his second term, while Clare has been passionate and relentless in her crusade to represent students and defend their rights and entitlements. The six convenors have represented their sites well and have done themselves and DITSU some service. Conor, Suzann, Seona, Graham, Kieran and Gareth can finish their terms with their heads held high. Next year will present its new challenges and new opportunities, and I’m sure it’s one that David Keogan, Glenn, Laura, Anthony, David Rice, Gill and Ciara will relish. I look forward to working with each and every one of ye!
Round two – I can’t wait!
See you in September!
Eric
01 April 2011
The madness of RAG is about to descend upon us, with all the fun, frolics and insanity that it brings!
As a last teaser, we’ve got two great nights coming up for you. We’ve got a Toga Party in Break For The Border on Wednesday April 6th! With savage drinks deals, class music from one of Ireland’s best cover bands J90 and, naturally, toga-themed madness, what excuse do you have not to go?!
Secondly, Thursday April 7th will see the return of a much-loved old chestnut, the Father Ted Table Quiz! We’ll be transforming The Living Room on Cathal Brugha St into a little slice of Craggy Island for a quiz focusing entirely on Craggy Island’s favourite ecclesiastical trio! It’s free to register and the quiz begins at 8pm. Ah, go on, go on, go on...
These are, of course, only tasters of the main course to come...RAG Week! Check out our RAG Week section to find out more! While there are parties and all other sorts of fun goings-on, the main focus of the week is always about raising money for charity.
This year, our charity is Citywise, an organisation based in Jobstown, Tallaght, which works with children and young teenagers who have fallen out of mainstream education for one reason or another. Citywise works with these young people to get them back on track towards their Junior Cert, their Leaving Cert and, ultimately, third level education. It’s an extraordinarily worthy cause, and your money can do a hell of a lot of good for a small organisation like Citywise. Please, give what you can into our shakey buckets!
If you’d like to go that extra mile and raise money for Citywise yourself, all you need to do is call down to your local SU office and pick up a sponsorship form – it’s that simple. We don’t care what you do, so long as you gather up some spondoolicks in the process! We also have a 40ft Dive & Swim and a Bungee Jump organised during RAG Week and you can raise money to take part in these too!
The crowning glory of this year’s RAG Week is our first ever DIT Ball. We’re delighted to bring the cream of UK R&B to you in the form of Mr Hudson, as well as taking you back to your younger days with S Club and 5ive! All together now...get on up, when you’re down, baby, take a good look around...
The lineup also includes a great up-and-coming Irish band in Royseven, whose latest single, “We Should Be Lovers”, can’t seem to stay off the airwaves! The Purple Room will be the DIT Room for the night, with DIT acts like No Way Home, David Was An Acrobat & Paper Planes performing, while DIT DJ Soc will keep the Penthouse & Gardens rocking into the wee small hours!
Free buses will leave from Aungier St courtyard from 8.30pm and because we’re so nice we’ll also drop ye back into O’Connell St afterwards! Formal wear isn’t mandatory, but it’s highly encouraged!
RAG Week is coming...make sure to get your tickets early! It’s gonna be epic!
TOGA, TOGA, TOGA!
Eric
08 March 2011
Hi all!
I know this is my first blog in a while, but it’s a big ‘un, so bear with me while I talk you through the RAG Week reschedule!
RAG Week was originally pencilled in for this week, but sometimes our best laid plans go awry. We got a phone call last week to tell us that Mr Hudson had to move his date, and a new venue didn’t materialise. Obviously, this threw up a whole other myriad of problems with posters, tickets etc., so I made the call to move RAG Week. This way, we get more to plan, prepare, promote and, overall, make it a bigger and better week!
The only available week was the week beginning April 11, the last week of classes before Easter. The DIT Festival is happening late March, and I didn’t wanna take away from that, so I made sure to leave enough space between both events so they can both stand on their own and be the best that they can be!
The RAG Week lineup will be pretty much the same as it was originally intended to be, except with one major improvement – instead of the RAG Ball, the first ever DIT Ball will be the centrepiece of RAG Week! The week will look a little something like this;
Monday April 11th
Daytime:
40ft Dive & Swim
Come along, dress up and dive into the ocean for charity!
Night-time
RAG Rave @ Andrew’s Lane Theatre (Tickets €5, Doors 10pm)
Neon, UV and glowsticks are the order of the day for our RAG Rave! With DIT DJ Soc hitting the decks and seriously good drinks promotions on offer, it promises to be a seriously good way to kick off your RAG Week!
Tuesday April 12th
Daytime
Bungee Jump in Aungier St Courtyard
Throw yourself from a height on a springy cord for charity! Minimum raise of €100 required.
Night-time
Farmer’s Night @ The Big Tree (Tickets €5, Doors 10pm)
Don your wellies, peaked cap and your finest tweed for a RAG Week institution! The Farmer’s Night is back and it’s returning to its spiritual home in The Big Tree! We’ll have hay, sheep and all sorts of culchie delights on the night, with music from a céilí band and a few rebel songs thrown in for good measure! Sure the craic will be only mighty!
Wednesday April 13th
Daytime
RAG Bucket Collection
We’ll be shaking buckets for Citywise in the city centre to try and raise a bit of direly needed cash for our RAG charity! Wanna help out? Email Eric at vpservices@ditsu.ie!
Night-time
Jersey Shore Beach Party @ Break For The Border (Tickets €5, Doors 10pm)
There’s gonna be a Situation on Lower Stephen’s Street! Set your watches to T-Shirt Time and lather on the fake tan for our first ever Jersey Shore Beach Party! With tunes from DIT DJ Soc as well as music from The Seducers, not to mention sand and sunglasses, you’ll be fist pumpin’ like a champ!
Thursday April 14th
Daytime
TBC
Night-time
The DIT Ball @ The Wright Venue (Tickets TBC, Doors 10pm)
The first ever DIT Ball will be taking place in the plush surroundings of The Wright Venue, Swords. Your ticket will get you into the night (of course!), as well as your bus to and from The Wright Venue.
Buses will be leaving DIT Aungier St from around 9pm and will be leaving the venue from 1am until 3.30am.
Formal wear is not mandatory, but is highly encouraged!
We’re currently working on the line-up, which will include Irish and UK acts, a few DIT favourites, as well as some tribute act DJs, including the debut of DIT’s own Deadmau5 tribute act, Deadlymau5!
What else can you expect from RAG Week?
That’s not all! We will be selling a limited number of RAG Wristbands which will get you into all four events, thus saving you dosh! We’ll be announcing their availability and price fairly soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
We’ll also be selling charity wristbands in the SU offices for €2 a pop! Each one you buy means €2 goes to charity! Simples!
Remember, don’t wait ‘til then to start raising money for the charity! Any mad ideas you have, like waxing, shaving, walking, running, swimming, jumping, anything, just pop down to your local SU office and grab a sponsorship form!
Eric17 February 2011
Holá, and welcome to another edition of my blog! I’m gonna be talking mainly about RAG Week here, but there’s room for other stuff too!
First thing’s first – you guys want to know what’s happening for your RAG Week. RAG Week will take place on 7-10 March this year, with a packed calendar of events during the day and night! We’re not in a position to confirm anything 100% yet, but we can say that you might see a Horse Outside, that there could be a Situation, that you’ll have a Ball and that the Craic will only be mighty! I think ye might be able to hazard a guess at some of the lineup from those hints...
Don’t forget to potter along to the Kevin St Nerd Ball on Thursday 24 February! There’ll be killer drinks promos, prizes for Best Nerd and Best Nerdette, and, best of all, music for DIT’s very own No Way Home! Get down and get nerdy! Only €5 on the door – this is one offer that DOES compute!
You might notice that we’ve re-negotiated the price of the jukeboxes! We overheard a few complaints that it was too pricey, so we lowered the prices to 30c a song or €1 for four! Happy tuneage!
That’s about all the news I have for ye for now, but be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more!
Ciao!
Eric
01 February 2011
Right, so, Semester Two has begun! All the fun and frolics of lectures, tutorials and timetables resumes...urgh. But don’t be too down about it, because we’ve got lots planned for your second semester!
First thing’s first – you’ve probably noticed a few new additions on your sites! Well, that is if you’re from Bolton St, Aungier St or Kevin St! We’ve had some new games and jukeboxes installed over the holidays, so now you can entertain yourselves to your heart’s content! The pool tables are also spick and span! Want to see some new games or fixtures on your site, or have some feedback on the new stuff?
Email me at vpservices@ditsu.ie or text me on (086) 6031076 and let me know!
Planning for RAG Week has begun, and while I don’t have a lot of details to confirm for you right now, I can let a few rumours slip here and there...for example, a Jersey Shore night (T-SHIRT TIME!), a quality headliner for the RAG Ball, a comedy night and the return of an old DIT favourite! Who knows, there might even be a horse outside...
RAG isn’t just about the night-time stuff, though (even if that is pretty fun) – there’s also a raft of different ways that you can get involved raising money for our RAG charity, Citywise. From bungee jumps to diving off the 40ft in Dun Laoighaire to firewalking, as well as whatever crazy ideas you might have yourselves, our aim is raise as much money as we possibly can – and everything tells me that we will!
That’s about all from me this time around, but be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more information about RAG Week – it’s gonna be epic!
Stay classy!
Eric
11 January 2011
Unfortunately, it’s that time of year again, when the dreaded menace of exams rears its ugly head! Never fear, though, your Students’ Union is here to answer all your questions about exams, assessments, and everything in between.
We’re also here to help you organise a great class party to de-stress after the exams! Take a look at our Class Party Menu (link), then gimme a shout either by text (086603 1076) or email (vpservices@ditsu.ie), letting me know how many of your class are going and where and when you want it. I’ll get it sorted ASAP!
What do you have to look forward to in Semester 2? Well, loads, actually! There’s SHAG Week, the DITSU Elections, and loads from an events perspective!
In February we’ll have the SHAG Ball as the centrepiece of SHAG Week! Nothing concrete to tell ye yet, but initial discussions suggest that it’s gonna be an epic night with plenty of surprises! February will also see the resurrection of an old DIT favourite, Tradfest! We’re looking at a major Irish headliner, along with some of our own local talent as well as something a little bit different. Tradfest in the past has been nothing short of mental, and I guarantee that this one will be no different!
Moving on to March, RAG will be the major focus of attention. Between daytime fundraisers, night-time shenanigans, and, most importantly of all, all your crazy people raising money for a worthy cause, it promises to be a week to remember! If you’ve got a fundraising idea, get into your local Students’ Union office now and grab a sponsorship form! One guy has already raised approximately €1,000 from shaving off his much-loved dreadlocks! Our target is €20,000 – there’s no reason why we can’t reach it!
That’s about all for now! Keep an eye on my blog for more details about Semester 2 events as they emerge, and best of luck with the exams!
Regards
Eric
25 November 2010
There’s no rest for the wicked here in DITSU! No sooner than we’ve put Even Better Than The Real Thing then we’re working on Christmas Mayhem! We’re hoping to pack out a big city centre venue with loads of DIT students for a big blowout before the Christmas holidays! We’re looking at Thursday December 16th, so it’s the only thing we’ll be offering for class parties for that night!
DIT Societies are well up for it as well, and they’re on board to raise money for St Vincent de Paul. Keep an eye out for SVP Soc’s Christmas Appeal, which will be taking place all of the week beginning December 6th. They’ll be running local events around the sites, so make sure to dig deep and donate, or take part in their Giving Tree!
Wifi and printing are still massive issues across the DIT. The DIT IS Service will be attending Class Rep Meetings across all of the sites in the coming weeks, so make sure that you let your class rep know what the issues are and your voice will be heard. Money is really tight for facilities issues in DIT. The overall Buildings Manager requested €6.5 million to repair stuff across the college and was only awarded €1 million – it’s that bad.
The old bakery in Kevin St is being renovated into an exam room and Gleeson Hall should be fully available for use for student events come second semester! See, it’s not all bad news...
That’s about all the updates I have for ye for now! Keep the heads down, study hard, and come December 16th, party hard!
Sin sin,
Eric
08 November 2010
The
best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and in this case, they
have. While I’d originally hoped to have two cracking events on for
ye all in November, that’s unfortunately changed!
Even Better Than The Real Thing will still be happening in November, just later than expected! The delay is largely due to the National Protest giving us feck all promotion time to let you folks know what a great event it’s gonna be and why you should get your ticket!
Of course, when you try to reschedule an event, venue and act availability becomes an issue once again, so it’s a merry dance we have to do! We’ll let you know the definite date and venue once they’re confirmed!
Tradfest is a different story altogether. The act we were looking at to headline are simply unavailable until next semester. So, instead of skimping on quality and downgrading the quality of headliner, we decided to push the event back to next semester. Trust me – it’ll be worth it!
Apologies for all the mix-up and confusion, but sometimes that’s life!
Eric
04 November 2010
I’m still shattered from the National Student Protest on November 3rd, but I’m also delighted. 40,000 students marched peacefully to demonstrate their opposition to proposed Government spending cuts to education in an enormous show of strength and unity. Remember, though, that this is only the first step. We will be taking further action to ensure that the government listens to the student voice. Remember to contact your local TDs through TellYourTD.com.
We’ve got lots planned for the month of November, including two awesome events in the form of Even Better Than The Real Thing and Tradfest. Even Better Than The Real Thing will be a night of tribute acts, specifically, Knights of Leon, Daft Funk and The Australian Pearl Jam. They mightn’t be the real thing, but in our humble opinion, they’re even better than the real thing! (now you see where we got the name...)
Tradfest is a event that some of the older DITSU heads will remember. It was always a night of trad music, with a bit of céilí thrown in for good measure, and an act like The Sawdoctors as headliners. Traditionally, it was one the best nights on the DITSU calendar. Not seen since 2007, it’s being revived this year! We’re working on securing a top quality headliner to make sure that this year’s Tradfest will be worth the wait.
The Class Party Menu is live on the website, so it’ll be your one-stop shop for organising a great class night out. It’s a living document, which means that we’ll be constantly updating it as soon as we hear of new nights and better deals. We also need your feedback to make it work, so make sure to email vpservices@ditsu.ie after a class party to let us know how it went for you!
So, another blog entry draws to a close, but, as always, keep checking ditsu.ie and our Facebook page for all the latest updates!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Eric
21 October 2010
As I don my costume for tonight’s Hallowe’en Ball (link to page), I can’t help but reflect on the last few
weeks...but hey, isn’t that the purpose of a blog?
October has been an insane month. With preparations for the National Protest in full swing, myself
and the other two sabbatical officers have been meeting TDs and letting them know that students are
angry! Not a single one of you wants the reg fee to double to €3,000. Not a single one of you wants
to see further cuts to the maintenance grant and the student assistance fund. Not a single one of you
wants to be totally unsure about your future after you graduate. We’re not gonna stand by and let the
government trample on students anymore, so march with us on November 3rd – there is no excuse!
We also had two whopper DITSU RTÉ Ten Table Quizzes in October, one in Break For The Border and
one in The Living Room. The Southside kicked the Northside’s ass on this one, I’m afraid to say, with 21
teams packing out Break For The Border for what was a class night with some seriously savage prizes.
The RTÉ presenters, Tara Loughrey-Grant and Michael Doherty, who MC-ed on the night, loved it and
said that ye were a great crowd!
I’m also slaving away working on two big events for November, Even Better Than The Real Thing and
Tradfest! What are these, you ask? Wait and see...trust me, they’ll be worth the suspense!
I’ve already organised a few class parties, and I’m hoping to get the Class Party Menu up on the website
by October 29th! If I don’t, though, make sure that your Governing Councillors hold me to account –
that’s what they’re there for!
That’s about it for this edition, but there’ll be more! Remember, it’s your Union and your voice!
Eric
4 October 2010
Sadly, Freshers’ Week is over, but happily, I can comfortably say that is was a resounding success! The feedback from all of you guys so far has been overwhelming positive, and it’s great to see that you all enjoyed yourselves so much! Whether you were soaked with foam, doused in paint, bopping along with your headphones on or decked out in your finest shoulder pads, we sincerely hope that you had a savage night out!
What about the Freshers’ Ball, eh? 2000+ students, Dublin’s biggest and best nightclub, The Wright Venue and seven acts on the bill – you guys came in droves and showed the world that no college parties harder than DIT! There are so many highlights to make from it, from Fight Like Apes’ insanely energetic set to Bluemoose packing the Purple Room to the sheer weirdness that was The Rubberbandits! MayKay (she of the crazy hair and keyboard face-smashing antics from Fight Like Apes) told me that they loved playing the gig and that you guys were mental – high praise indeed! Something tells me that this isn’t the last trip we’re gonna be making out to The Wright Venue...
Clubs & Socs Sign-Up was a smashing success, with the roadshow trucking out to Aungier St, Kevin St, Cathal Brugha St and Bolton St. The four campuses were so lively with the 80 societies and 40 clubs jostling for position (and members!) and there was a great atmosphere across DIT during the week. Best of luck to each and every one of you, and remember, the Students’ Union is here to represent and defend the interests of Clubs & Societies as well!
There’s lots more to look forward to throughout the year. October 11-12th will see two RTÉ table quizzes running Northside and Southside. The October 11th quiz will be on in Break For The Border and the October 12th quiz will be on in The Living Room. With prizes worth €1,000 and free entry, you’ve no excuse not to get involved!
Remember, any facilities issues, suggestions for events, or E Team applications, send ‘em my way!
Toodles!
Eric
10 September 2010
Apologies for the delay in blogging – things have been absolutely manic! It’s only about to get even crazier now, though, ‘cos Inductions begin the week of September 13th! I’m really looking forward to welcoming our new students for the first time! Congratulations on getting into DIT – you’ve made the right choice!
Everything has fallen into place for the most jam-packed, fun-filled, manic Freshers’ Fortnight ever! You’ve all got an 80s Night, a Paint Party, a Headphone Disco & a Foam Party to sink your teeth into. All the details can be found here...
That’s not all that we have lined up for you! The piece de resistance of the Freshers’ Fortnight lineup is, of course, the DITSU Ulster Bank Freshers’ Ball 2010! Taking place in Ireland’s best nightclub, The Wright Venue, with the hottest Irish act at the moment, Fight Like Apes, headlining, amongst others, it promises to be a night not to be missed! Wanna know more? Just take a look here...
Of course, the only way for first years to get a ticket to their Freshers’ Ball is to sign up for an Ulster Bank account. We’re not asking you to sell your soul or sign away your life! Just set up an account with Ulster Bank in Aungier St after collecting your ID card and get your FREE Freshers’ Ball ticket! Simples!
There’s also gonna be lots of cool stuff going on locally during Freshers’ Week, from bands to mentalists to comedians and much more besides! Keep an eye out for what’s going on and, as always, check the website and our Facebook page!
Aside from that, Portland Row students will have a fully functioning, serviced vending machine on site soon, as will students in Beresford St. The new canteen in Cathal Brugha St is up and running, and the table tennis tables in Cathal Brugha and Aungier St should be fixed soon. Remember, if you have any facilities issues, email me at vpservices@ditsu.ie or ring me on (086) 6031076.
That’s all for now! See you during Freshers’ Week! Whether you’re covered in foam, wearing your power shoulderpads and a puff ball skirt, messy with paint or bopping along silently, it’s gonna be great!
Let’s make party happen!
Eric
19 August 2010
Howdy ho!
We’ve finally been able to make sure of something for Freshers’ Week! The first batch of acts to be announced for the Freshers’ Ball include;
Delorentos
Walter Mitty & The Realists
TKO
Superblondes
Stay tuned, because there are more to be announced! It’s really just a case of working out some minor details, but hopefully the full package will be online soon for your edification and delectation within a week or two.
I’m starting to think to myself that there aren’t enough hours in the day – and this is before students come back! The hallways are beginning to get busier with students back studying from repeats (and we wish all of you the best of luck), but it’ll be truly manic once the doors open on September 13th to leave in the eager groups of wide-eyed freshers. We can’t wait!
In other news, I’m working on compiling a class party menu for when ye get back to take the hassle out of booking your class party. We’re looking into the possibility of appointing an official campus pub for each one of the six main sites, as well as making sure that the Bolton St library repairs are on schedule. If the DIT drops the ball on this one, I’ll be demanding that adequate replacement facilities are put in place so you, the student, does not suffer as a result of the DIT’s failings.
That’s about all the news I have for you at the moment, but stick around, there’ll be more to come soon!
Arrivederci,
Eric
11 August 2010
It’s starting to get a hell of a lot busier lately! Between meetings, meetings about meetings and more meetings about meetings about meetings, we’re kept going preparing for you all to come back.
Freshers’ Week 2010 is starting to get much clearer, thankfully! We don’t have everything fully confirmed yet, but when we do, it’ll be up on the website, Tweeted, Facebook-ed, everything! Fingers crossed we get the line-up we want for the Freshers’ Ball, ‘cos if we do, it’s gonna be savage!
From a facilities perspective, Cathal Brugha St students will notice a few changes upon their return. The canteen is being moved from Marlborough St to the front of Cathal Brugha St, with Baking students finding a new home in the old canteen. Kevin St students will have bigger labs where the bakery used to be, while Bolton St students will (hopefully!) have a newly renovated library awaiting them come September 20th.
There’s not much else to report besides that, but whenever we get news that affects you, it’ll go straight up on the website, our Facebook and our Twitter. Keep an eye out!
Regards,
Eric
27 July 2010
Well, after a week-long training seminar in Galway, I’m refreshed, relaxed and ready for action!
The Union Organisation Seminar (UOS) was five days where all of the sabbatical officers from across the country came together under the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) banner to learn, exchange info and get to know one another. It was a very beneficial seminar that empowered us to fulfil our roles as sabbatical officers.
From my side of the house in DITSU, work continues apace on Freshers’ Fortnight. We’ve the ideas in place, it’s just a case now of booking all the bits and bobs and finding a home for each night. I’m very excited about the planned line-up, and if it all comes together, it’s gonna be savage. The minute we have everything 100% confirmed, I’ll be tweeting the details and putting them up on the Facebook page, so keep an eye out!
Facilities wise, it’s difficult to create a snaglist with all the lecture rooms locked, but where there’s a will, there’s a way! I’ve been looking back through old class rep meeting minutes as well to make sure that what your reps brought up at meetings has been dealt with.
That’s about all for now, but stay tuned for more news! Looking forward to welcoming each and every one of you back.
Until the next cartoon,
Eric
12 July 2010
So, what’s new in the world of DITSU? Lots, actually – and here’s just a snippet of what you can look forward to next year.
Preparatory work has begun on the events calendar for Semester One. Although I can’t reveal anything yet, we’ve a few tricks up our sleeve and we’ll be hoping to bring you a few things outside of the ordinary. It’s a secret for now, but hopefully it’ll all be worth the wait…
On the facilities front, the Bolton St library is closed as of July 12th to facilitate much-needed refurbishment. Books are still available on request, so if you know which book you’re looking for, call 01 402 3681 to arrange a collection. Study spaces will be available in Bolton St in some of the larger lecture halls and you can always call into any of the other DIT libraries. The work is expected to finish before students come back for the new term. Don’t worry – we’ll be breathing down the necks of the DIT to make sure that the library is up and running again for September.
Myself and the other two sabbatical officers, Ciaran & Clare, will be heading to UOS (Union Organisation Seminar) next week. It’s being hosted by GMIT Galway and is essentially a week-long training session for sabbatical officers of every college affiliated with the national students’ union, USI (Union of Students in Ireland). It’s an opportunity for us to learn our craft and meet other officers from around the country. Making these kinds of connections can only be beneficial and will ultimately assist us in helping you, the student.
That’s about all for this dose of blog-esque goodness. If you’ve any questions or queries about facilities or events, I’m at the other end of the phone on 086 6031076 or an email away at vpservices@ditsu.ie. Looking forward to seeing you all again in September.
Bye for now,
Eric
01 July 2010
Guess what? Your Vice-President of Services & Trading has regenerated! While he may look different, he's there for the same purpose – to represent the students of DIT, deal with their facilities issues and organise some pretty class events!
All Doctor Who references aside, I'm delighted to be taking up the mantle. I've so many ideas for the year ahead and I'll try and get as many of them implemented as possible. First stop is Freshers' Week, and we're planning on continuing the fortnight of madness that was pioneered by Seán Campbell. Expect four savage themed nights followed by a Freshers' Ball with an epic line-up! Got any ideas as to what you'd like to see?
Just drop me a line at vpservices@ditsu.ie or 0866031076.
We don't just do the large-scale events, you know! We're always looking for people to perform during lunch times or entertain students, so if you're in a band, a DJ, a magician, a fire breather, a juggler or any sort of entertainer, give us a bell!
We've got a really deserving RAG charity this year in the form of Citywise. Citywise work with kids in Jobstown to help them stay in primary and second level education. We here in DITSU are going to be raising money for Citywise's worthy cause throughout the coming year, but we can't do it without your help! If you have any ideas for fundraising, drop into your local SU office and grab a sponsorship form!
