Schols is an elitist institution
The concept of meritocracy, defined as the acquisition or maintenance of power on the grounds of ability alone, regardless of resources or social position, has long been debunked by academics and social scientists, who recognise that a complex web of identities, embedded in a specific social context, shape the abilities and life course of an […]
The Burkean Journal would be dangerous if it were any good
A new year, a new sad and cynical play for relevance by Trinity’s least prolific, but most pompous, student publication. The total of twelve pieces published in the Burkean Journal over the past two months must have had such an effect on the students of Trinity that the Journal feels that it’s time to expand […]
Why the 2018 SU elections offer more of less
A dearth of candidates already confirms that the 2018 Trinity College Students’ Union (TCDSU) elections will stand as a reflection of the growing apathy on campus surrounding student politics. Two uncontested races and several clear favourites seem to guarantee an uneventful TCDSU election season. At its conclusion, students can expect a more homogeneous and less […]
Oprah should not be the US President
I’m sure I wasn’t the only woman who got goosebumps upon hearing the climax of Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance speech at the 2018 Golden Globes. Met with a standing ovation from her fellow Hollywood elites, Oprah proclaimed: “for too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the […]
HEAD2HEAD: Gun regulations in the US
For – Emma Rodgers Nothing will change if gun laws stay the same. Americans deserve to be safe, but bearing arms does more harm than good After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in December 2012, everyone hoped that such an event would never happen again, but it did. In fact, those of us […]
Student loans: a blight that we should not spread
Following the €47.5m increase in higher education funding in the budget, three options have taken centre stage as possible structural solutions to university funding crisis in Ireland: a state-funded system, in which student contributions are abolished, increased state funding with a continuation of student fees (similar to the current system), or a student loan […]
Christmas and the homelessness crisis
In recent weeks, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has claimed that Ireland has a low level of homelessness compared to Ireland’s “peer countries”. There are various methods and measures that Ireland’s “peer countries” use to measure the rate of homelessness, so much so that it is particularly meaningless to compare our rates of homelessness to Germany, […]
Christmas isn’t just about family
Four years ago, on the night before Christmas Eve I posted on facebook that I didn’t think my family could go for another two hours without someone bursting into tears (as a joke). Roughly five minutes later, my then eleven year old sister (accidently) got kicked in the shins by my then 13 year old […]
Students should support the GSU strike
The Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) is planning a strike to protest an increase in fees by 5% for postgraduates this coming year. For most of you, that means that you’ll be able to miss a tutorial without the usual sense of guilt. But the GSU hasn’t just jumped out onto the stage and […]
Schols is not inherently elitist
By Liam Whelan on February 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment
The article ‘Schols is an Elitist Institution‘ raises some important questions about Foundation Scholarships, or Schols. It makes valid points about the questionable ethics of rewarding students on the basis of exam results, without taking into account the various factors that help some and impede other students in their preparation for those exams. The […]
Category Comment · Tags foundation scholarship, meritocracy, Schols