Ideas for blog entries include:

• Your experience as an international UCD employee
• A new recipe from a cuisine common in a different continent that you've tried out
• Tips to overcome the challenge of working from home while balancing caring responsibilities
• A favourite book or poem you'd like to recommend that reminds you of inclusiveness or belonging
• Tips on minding your mental health and wellbeing during Covid-19
• What is the "new normal" for you? What is a day in the life at work during Covid-19?

We would like to hear them all so please get in touch.

How to Submit an Entry

Submitting an entry is easy. See guidelines below and submit your entry via email to (opens in a new window)edi@ucd.ie.

• Entries should be 100-400 words
• Photographs can be attached as long as people's faces are not visible, due to GDPR
• Entries can be anonymous or named, depending on your wishes
• Entries will be published weekly on this webpage and shared on the Culture & Engagement e-zine and the (opens in a new window)EDI Twitter page
• Entries should ideally have an equality & diversity related theme

EDI Blog Entries #33: Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2022

Welcome to the UCD Neurodiversity Celebration Week Blog

As Chair of the Neurodiversity Working Group, I was delighted to launch UCD’s inaugural Neurodiversity Celebration week on Monday and blog entries from neurodivergent students, employees and supporters today.

Neurodiversity, a term coined to reflect the variation in human brain functioning, reflects the fact that at least 10% of the population is ‘neurodifferent’. Traditional labels for these differences include Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Developmental Coordination Disorder and dyslexia. Neurodiversity highlights that differences do not have to imply deficit as has been the prevailing assumption for many years. Instead Neurodiversity shines a light on the positive aspects of differences in brain functionality and the value to every community in embracing an approach which enables rather than dis-enables. 

This week represents the multiplicity of differences and talents represented by neurodiversity as evidenced by the range of contributors across multiple strands of society – the arts, finance, medicine, technology, architecture and the environment. We want to send a positive message to all students, staff and graduates of the strengths and successes of Neurodiversity across the UCD community. We invite you to read the blogs from neurodivergent students and employees in UCD.

Join us in celebrating these talents and successes via webinars, panels and blogs. -Associate Professor, Blánaid Gavin, Chair UCD Neurodiversity Celebration Group

Blog Entries: UCD Employee and Student Perspectives

Register for events via the UCD Neurodiversity Celebration Week webpage

Watch the launch on playback:

EDI Blog Entries #32: Transgender Day of Remembrance 2021

This week we are encouraging colleagues to take the opportunity to continue to raise awareness and communicate support for an inclusive UCD for trans colleagues and students as part of Transgender Awareness Week which concludes on Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) 20^th November 2021.

"Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice." -Transgender Day of Remembrance founder (opens in a new window)Gwendolyn Ann Smith

“During Transgender Awareness Week we remember and honour those who lost their lives through acts of anti-transgender violence. We continue to raise visibility for all transgender people in our community. On this important date, we re-double our efforts in the fight against transphobia in our classrooms, on our campus and in society as a whole.” -Dr Niamh Nestor, Student Adviser, Chair of UCD LGBTI Subgroup

There are five simple ways in which you can make UCD a more inclusive for trans students and colleagues on UCD’s Transgender Awareness Week webpage.

1. Share our trans awareness e-postcard to promote resources and supports.
2. Update your pronouns on Zoom.
3. Include the trans visibility signature in your email and update your pronouns in your email signature.
4. Promote UCD’s Gender identity and expression policy and guidelines to colleagues and students.
5. Join UCD LGBTI Staff Network in collaboration with UCD Chaplaincy for a short event to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance at St. Stephen’s Chaplaincy Centre UCD, 1pm, Friday 19^th of November.

“This week we can all make an effort to educate ourselves on how to improve the experiences of Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Non-Conforming friends, colleagues, students and people in our community. The impacts of Trans exclusion and Transphobia are significant and devastating; we remember this especially on November 20th, Transgender Day of Remembrance where we honour those who have lost their lives because of Transphobia.” -Dr John Gilmore Co-Chair UCD LGBTI Staff Network

Why update my pronouns on Zoom or my email signature?

Sharing your pronouns on Zoom or your email signature communicates how you would like to express your gender and how others can respectfully refer to one another. Adding your pronouns lets others know that you want to be inclusive and respectful of trans and gender non-binary students and employees in UCD.

For further details, visit UCD’s Transgender Awareness Week webpage: click here.

EDI Blog Entries #31: Exploring Sense of Belonging in Undergraduate Students in the College of Science

'Sense of Belonging' (SoB) is "one's personal belief that one is an accepted member of an academic community whose presence and contributions are valued".

In the School of Computer Science we have been monitoring our undergraduate students' SoB since 2017. Our research has shown that students who identify as women and as a member of a minority have a statistically significantly lower SoB than men and women who do not identify as a minority [1, 2]. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic we found statistically significant reductions in the SoB of students identifying as men and those not identifying as part of a minority. Interestingly, we observed an increase in the SoB of students identifying as women and a minority [3].

At this point we can only hypothesize as to why the SoB of students who do not identify as belonging to a minority decreased during the pandemic. Based on previous research we know that online environments fail to replicate critical facets of physical delivery [4], and that sense of belonging and physical campus space are tightly coupled [5]. Additionally, we observed that SoB appears to increase with social interaction [1]. We also know that gender, ethnicity and race impact sense of belonging [6, 7, 8] and we have observed a lower sense of belonging in students who self-identified as women and as belonging to a minority [2]. However, the reasons that these students experienced an increase in SoB since the onset of the pandemic seems unintuitive and requires further exploration. Recent research has shown that, for some students, working from home could provide a more supportive environment [9] and it is possible that using remote technologies can help to create a more inclusive environment [4]. Additionally, some of our results may not be due only to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other factors such as the globalization of the Black Lives Matter movement and other social factors may be impacting students' SoB in ways that we do not yet fully understand.

This study has provided us with insights that may help us improve student SoB in computer science. We are extending this study across all Schools in the College of Science to provide further insight into factors impacting undergraduate SoB. The project is led by Dr Catherine Mooney and Dr Brett Becker, UCD School of Computer Science, with collaborators from each of the seven Schools in the College of Science. Our expectation is that increasing the SoB of undergraduate students, particularly women and other under-represented groups in the College of Science will encourage a more diverse cohort of students to consider pursuing, persisting with and progressing in STEM careers, where they have traditionally been under-represented.

Authors: Dr Catherine Mooney and Dr Brett Becker, UCD School of Computer Science

References

[1] Catherine Mooney, Anna Antoniadi, Ioannis Karvelas, Lána Salmon, and Brett A Becker. 2020.

Exploring Sense of Belonging in Computer Science Students. In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM

Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (Trondheim, Norway)

(ITiCSE ’20).

[2] Catherine Mooney and Brett A Becker. 2020. Sense of Belonging: The Intersectionality of self-identified Minority Status and Gender in Undergraduate Computer Science Students. In

Proceedings of the 2020 United Kingdom & Ireland Computing Education Research conference

(Glasgow, Scotland) (UKICER’20).

[3] Catherine Mooney and Brett A Becker. 2021. Investigating the Impact of the COVID-19

Pandemic on Computing Students’ Sense of Belonging. In Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical

Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE ’21), March 13–20, 2021, Virtual Event,

[4] Julia M Markel and Philip J Guo. 2020. Designing the Future of Experiential Learning

Environments for a Post-COVID World: A Preliminary Case Study.

[5] Michael J Stebleton, Krista M Soria, Ronald L Huesman Jr, and Vasti Torres. 2014. Recent

Immigrant Students at Research Universities: The Relationship Between Campus Climate and

Sense of Belonging. Journal of College Student Development 55, 2 (2014), 196–202.

[6] Catherine Good, Aneeta Rattan, and Carol S Dweck. 2012. Why Do Women Opt Out? Sense of

Belonging and Women’s Representation in Mathematics. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology102, 4 (2012), 700.

[7] Colleen Lewis, Paul Bruno, Jonathan Raygoza, and Julia Wang. 2019. Alignment of Goals and

Perceptions of Computing Predicts Students’ Sense of Belonging in Computing. In Proceedings of

the 2019 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research. 11–19.

[8] Linda J Sax, Jennifer M Blaney, Kathleen J Lehman, Sarah L Rodriguez, Kari L George, and

Christina Zavala. 2018. Sense of Belonging in Computing: The Role of Introductory Courses for

Women and Underrepresented Minority Students. Social Sciences 7, 8 (2018), 122.

[9]Lauren S Schlesselman, Jeff Cain, and Margarita DiVall. 2020. Improving and Restoring the

Well-being and Resilience of Pharmacy Students during a Pandemic. American Journal of

Pharmaceutical Education84, 6 (2020)

EDI Blog Entries #30: Unseen effects... Caring is never wasted effort...

I got an email this week from a student who had just completed one of my modules. Reading it made me feel relieved, happy, and thankful, but not because the student had mastered project management - that wasn’t in any way the most important thing here.

Here’s the email:

I just wanted to leave you a quick personal thank you for the personal journey that your module has brought me on this semester. Apart from the academic learning, I really felt this module has been amazing for my outlook in the world, my self-belief and my mental health.
Since taking your class I have begun reading more, looking after myself physically and mentally and am now beginning work with a therapist in the coming weeks to help me further and deal with some issues I have been having. No doubt for the rest of my career and life, I will look back to you and your class as a key milestone along my life journey.

In normal circumstances, I'd love to buy you a pint and spin a few yarns but this will have to do for now! Many thanks again Joe, you really have had a positive influence on my life and my trajectory which will not be forgotten. If you ever need anything in return or favour in the future, you know where to find me.

I stopped using the term lecturer a good while ago, and now when asked what I do I describe myself as an educator. And as an educator, I firmly believe that my primary goal is to help those who I have a chance to work with for a while the chance to grow, develop and explore new ways of being. We couch these journeys in module descriptors, assessment criteria, and subject definitions, and yes, the knowledge gained in these areas has value. But the real, deep, intrinsic value of the teacher/student relationship goes far deeper than this.

Another educator I admire is Dr Lollie Mancey. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Lollie for my Plus One podcast (the episode is available (opens in a new window)here ), and she had a wonderful description of the outcome from her programme in creative entrepreneurship - “the students … come out with a different version of themselves - more confident…”

I often open up my courses by saying that “… my job is to re-wire your head. If you are thinking and processing situations the same at the end of this programme as now, I will have failed.” The students look at me blankly, not really “getting” it - then. But it’s amazing how many of them bring that phrase back up months or even years later in the conversation, as they look back over the transformative nature of their educational journey. It stuck with them, and after the fact, they have connected those dots - their brains have been re-wired and they know it.

I’m sometimes flummoxed when talking with other “academic” colleagues - not many, but some - who proclaim that they are not there to offer pastoral care to their students, that they don’t have time to be dealing with “all that stuff”. I feel that this approach loses sight of what is actually really important - far more than any specific discipline-related knowledge. Our primary task is the need to see each other as people, with hopes, fears, challenges, and insecurities. And education is a place where such insecurities are often surfaced, opened up in a crucible of public challenge, competition, and measurement. If we are not careful, the aim of positive development and transformation can very easily be turned into a toxic scenario of self-doubt, feelings of not being “good enough”, and spiral down into outcomes far less positive than the ones we seek to accomplish.

In the past year, our students and educators have all been put under hitherto never before experienced levels of change, stress, and challenge.

Never before has it been so critical for educators to share, openly, that “it’s OK NOT to be OK”.

Never before have we as educators needed to give our students the time, and safe spaces to express their feelings of challenge, insecurity, and doubt.

Never before has it been so important for educators to be flexible in delivery, expectations, and assessment as everyone weathers this global pandemic storm which has negatively affected so many lives, families, communities, and societies.

But if we do empathize, reach out, and care, then it will have an effect. And if just one of my classes has a positive effect on a student’s self-belief, mental health, and outlook on life, then I consider my job has been done, whatever grades they get…

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this - please leave a comment (opens in a new window)here

Thanks for reading this far - do have a look at my summer 2021 project at the Plus One project website, and hopefully give the podcast a listen- there are already some great episodes with more to come on a weekly basis.

(opens in a new window)The Plus One Project

(opens in a new window)My new Plus One Podcast

Joe Houghton

Asst. Professor & Director, MSc Project Management programmes, UCD Smurfit Graduate School of Business

EDI Blog Entries #29: Focus on Your Dreams

The pandemic stopped us all in our tracks and has been a difficult experience for many who have suffered terrible losses and grief. You might now find yourself at a crossroads? You might have evaluated your life over the last year, and discovered there is more to life than you realized was possible before the pandemic? You may now be seeking to access more purpose and meaning from life, than the routine we accepted pre-Covid, which prioritized hustle, and overly busy lifestyles. You may now wish to explore new ways of being, but you don’t know where to start? Never before have we had such an opportunity to step back, press the pause button, and envisage possibilities for doing things a little differently, and living life in the moment, at a slower pace.

I certainly have experienced this longing for greater purpose, throughout this time and long before it. I always seek to discover new ways of being creative to keep my dreams and aspirations close to my heart, so I don’t lose sight of what is important to me. So, focus on your dreams, feel the feelings of gratitude, appreciation, and fulfillment ahead of time, manifest your dreams in advance, and make them happen for you!

So, what holds us back?

Many aspects of our lives can hold us back. Some decisions that we made may no longer serve us, and we may desire more meaning from life. It helps me to believe that wherever you are in your life, and whatever decisions you have made in the past, trust that these were the right decisions at that time, and this is where you are meant to be right now. Once we realise that life is happening for us, rather than to us, we can shift into the energy of manifestation. The now is your starting point. Poor self-esteem, fear, anxiety, or lack of confidence can hold us back from manifesting our dreams and dreaming big. Whatever aspect of your life you wish to change, you can apply some creative tools to explore your feelings about the situation. It might be worth engaging with and investing in life coaching to develop the inner resources, and wisdom to construct this better, and more authentic version of yourself. You might wish to seek support from a counsellor/psychotherapist who will work with you on unresolved challenges, e.g., lose, fear, relationship difficulties, stress/anxiety etc. UCD offer many well-being supports to staff.

For further information on these supports please click here.

You will know which support you may need to engage with to start your journey of growth and discovery. Just know that if you are thinking of making changes, and feel it strongly in your heart that change is required, but you also feel paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and maybe the feeling that ‘I don’t deserve to be happy, loved, etc.’ Try to make small steps, seek help from friends/family or a qualified counsellor/ psychotherapist. Remember that You do deserve to be happy, and to fully living the life where you can authentically live your values, while accessing your true meaning and contribution to society.

Be open to finding new ways of being creative. You might already be motivated and on a journey to manifesting your dreams? if so, that is wonderful, continue on that journey, as there are so many pathways and avenues that will open right in front of you, as you embrace the change.

Here are a few reliable tools and techniques that I use in maintaining a focus on my dreams:

Morning Pages Journal

A good way to start exploring your emotions and thoughts is to try the Morning Pages Journal, (Cameron, 2016). This is a simple and effective tool used by many to boost creative thinking, and to process feelings and thoughts. Journaling is a reflective writing exercise, which stimulates your creativity, and is also very beneficial for processing emotions and unhelpful thoughts, in order to become more emotionally healthy. When you read back on a piece of reflective writing, it can answer some questions that you may not have been able to process at the time. For example, it might allow you to see what you learned from a situation? What would you do differently the next time? It may highlight necessary changes that you need to make in life. It can help you process how these changes can be implemented, supported, and truly lived. Purchase a writing journal and dedicate to your morning pages, and begin writing your thoughts, feelings, aspirations, and emotions.

• Try not to censor your writing. Just BE! Your writing may be fragmented, self-pitying, repetitive, childish, angry, sad, trying to be happy, silly, etc. Just let your hand glide across the page or your fingers across the keyboard and keep on going. Don’t think about sentence structures or spellings in this exercise. You are in a creative process!
• Ask for answers in the evening and listen to you answers in the morning, through your writing. List areas where you need guidance before you go to sleep. Write on these topics the following day. In the morning you may find yourself being able to see what you were not able to see the night before. Be open to all that comes out of the writing process.
• If you don’t know what to write, and nothing comes to mind, that is where you start – write just that! Let the pen guide you. All you need to do is spend 10 minutes each morning for 1 week and see where your pages go. You can spend more time as the pen takes hold of your mind. If you can, allow yourself to draw, doodle or sketch during the writing process. Engaging in this process early in the morning can be a good energizer. If the thoughts/feelings are negative in the morning, write about that, allow that time to be negative and let the negativity go and be released.
• If you have a difficult situation, perhaps a relationship difficulty or challenging work situation write about your feelings in this situation, and see if it helps you to process, and release what is going on.
• If you are using the exercise as a means of Letting Go of a particular situation, you could do a ritual where you write the piece and tear it up/burn it afterwards. Notice that with letting go of situations, your energy will also change and try to tune into this awareness.

I would highly recommend reading and participating in the 12-week creative programme outlined in The Artist’s Way (Cameron, 2016). If you are at a stage where you want more from life, but feel stuck, this delightful book can help discover who you are, and who you want to be. You might even find a meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/) in your area with a host who will facilitate and guide a group of participants through the programme. I followed the 12-week course and also participated in a group to share learning and seek encouragement from others. It was a such a great investment and motivated me to do further training. 

Dreams/Visions Board

What are your dreams/aspirations?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years from now?

Some of us have difficulty focusing our minds on our dreams. We don’t give it time, perhaps now is the time to try and see how you envision your life in 5 or 10 years from now. A Dreams Board is a handy tool to keep sight of your dreams. I purchased a lightweight cork board several years ago (60cms x 45cms) and continue to post images, photographs, words, and phrases on it. It contains images of places I dream of going to, 5-year and 10-year plans, pictures of exercises/activities, spiritual aspects of my life, etc. A Dreams Board can help you see pictures representing your many dreams/plans, your dreams will be witnessed by you regularly, and they can also play a part in your dreams at night. It can include sketches, pictures, words, drawings etc. that present your dreams around relationships, family, animals/pets, work, travel, study, home, and include all the physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological aspects of You. Keep your board close so that before you go to bed at night, or when you get up in the morning, you can see how close you are to manifesting your dreams. Review what is on the board periodically, some may need to be revised/new images added. It can give your life focus and you have control over it.

Spend time looking at your board, use your imagination and go into some of the images on the board. If you have a destination on the board, e.g., a picture of the Taj Mahal, see yourself at the Taj Mahal and try and explore what it would be like to be there? What would the atmosphere be like? Who is with you? What time of year is it? Is it am/pm? How do you feel? What are the different smells, the sounds, sights, feelings, and the energy of the place? Capture those feelings and you can combine the Dreams Board with your Morning Pages Journal. The more you engage in the process, the more you are closer to manifesting your dreams.

Other Creative Tools

• Be mindful – practice meditation and mindfulness.
• Seek out opportunities to be grateful everyday by practicing an attitude of gratitude.
• Feel abundance in all aspects of your life.
• Find ways of releasing your emotions creatively through music, reading, poetry, drama, drawing/sketching, writing, dance, sports activities, and cooking/sewing etc.). There are so many ways to feed your creative spirit.
• Invest time in seeking help from a counsellor/psychotherapist if you need to work through difficult issues from your past.
• Consider partnering with a life coach, if you have mainly resolved any issues from your past, and you are more focused on becoming high performing, and setting concrete goals for the future.
• Use affirmations – if affirmations help to set up your day, keep a short list of them at the side of your mirror or somewhere visible and easily accessible.
• Be gentle and compassionate with yourself during difficult times. Keep at your own pace and avoid comparing your life to others. Ask yourself, does it help to compare?
• Allow yourself to practice self-love. Talk to yourself as you would a loving child or dear friend.
• Practice daily gestures of kindness towards family and friends.  
• Smile at and say hello to at least one person that you meet during the day.
• Sit for 5 minutes each day, visualise all that you wish for in your life, and see them become alive in your imagination.
• There are many tools out there for managing and coping with stress. The one reliable tool that helps me endlessly is to breathe and know that whatever is causing the stress will pass in time.  
  • Tip: Place a few small sticky-coloured dots in locations in your home (on a mirror, fridge, cupboard/wardrobe). The association with the dots once you see it, is to take a deep breathe if you feel stressed/anxious. Only you need to know what these dots represent. Every now and then when I spot one of them, it makes me pause as I make the association with it. Try it out, it is easy, and you would be surprised by the effect of a little red/yellow dot.
• Maintain physical exercise daily. Take a walk, jog, or run at lunchtime to take a conscious break away from work. While you are exercising you can listen to songs, podcasts or meditations related to improving your mental and emotional health. There are so many free resources to access to help us on our personal and emotional development journey.
• At night, our thoughts can grab hold of us, and the fear monster can take over resulting in anxiety and sleeping difficulties. At bedtime, scan through your day and feel grateful for getting through the day, and for all its formative experiences. If it was a bad day, try to find a blessing in all of it. If you start to become more aware of seeing the good, it will shift your energy and you will start to look more for the good.
• GO DREAM BIG…

Anne Hallinan, School Manager, School of Music (Mental Health First Aid Peer)

EDI Blog Entries #28: Tips for working from home while balancing caring responsibilities

Caring for a parent with dementia at home can be very rewarding. Having them stay at home, in the home and community that they have built up for themselves, creates comfort and stability for them. They also get to regain a sense of independence.

Unfortunately for many, the pandemic has prevented them from visiting loved ones in nursing homes.  Working from home provides choice, your parent can remain with you for as long as is possible, you can maintain a relationship and support them throughout their journey. Working from home has allowed me to be very successful at my job and to provide a caring environment for my mother.

Here is my journey… My mother is now 90yrs old (9 March 2021). The whole neighbourhood came to celebrate her birthday. It was an amazing sight, people arrived wearing masks armed with flowers and gifts. Mother was always a generous fun-loving, free spirited woman. She was very creative and picked up arts and crafts very easily. She values her independence and loves to live in her little house. I lived with her for some years before the pandemic. I would make her breakfast, light the fire and go to work.

 When I began working from home, March 2020, I was initially confused and frustrated. I did not understand why my mother was changing so much. Hospital tests told us she is now in the early-mid stages of Alzheimer’s Dementia. This was a shock. We had a burglary at our home in July 2020. I received a broken wrist. As a result, I turned to the Employee Assistance Service. This was so helpful; not only did I deal with my concerns about being burgled again but I got to discuss the wider issues about my role as a carer, and how to manage my work/carer routine.

I then enrolled in an online course with Alzheimers Ireland: Home based care – home based education. This course is aimed at supporting carers who are looking after a member of their own family who has been diagnosed with dementia. I have enrolled for a second course, dealing with later stages of Dementia. The course taught me a lot and provided so much support.

 Tips I have learnt:

• Take care of yourself. You will be a better carer if you take care or your physical and mental health
• Reach out to the many different supports/groups/societies
• Educate yourself. Understand your loved one’s type of dementia.
• Understand your loved one. What they like to eat and do nowadays.
• Think “safety first”
• Be prepared. Be flexible. There will be days when they cannot make decisions. You will have to do this for them
• Communication is approximately 55% Visual, 38% Vocal, and 7% Verbal, so watch the tone of your voice
• People with dementia can be sensitive to emotions, so keep everything calm
• As the short term memory goes they rely on long term memories. Be aware of triggers to good and painful events/traumas
• Increase your positivity. I do tango, meditation and Feldenkrais. ((opens in a new window)https://relaxation-guru.com/).
• Create routines that work for you and your loved one. (My mother likes to watch programmes on YouTube while I work on my laptop)
• Write out your daily schedule. It always looks much better when it is written down.
• Tell yourself that you are doing your best, and that you are doing a good job.

I feel very lucky that I can successfully work from home. I am grateful to have this time with my mother, and to be with her for as long as I can. My mother is not demanding and is easy to manage. I receive support from the HomeInstead Agency and my brother. Life is good.

Dr. Mary Bushe, Assessment & Logistics Officer, UCD Registry - Assessment  (Mental Health First Aid Peer)

EDI Blog Entries #27: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at UCD Library

UCD Library is a hub on campus where all members of the UCD Community, from undergraduates to alumni, researchers and staff, interact with our services. The Library takes its commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion very seriously, as recognised by our vision of providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for learning, collaboration, knowledge creation and community and our values of treating all with dignity and respect and with consistency and impartiality, assuring equity of access to services and facilities.

As librarians we have chosen to highlight just a few titles available through the Library which can support members of the UCD community on their own journeys to awareness and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion issues. We particularly want to focus in this blog post on titles that give voice to individuals from a variety of communities. 

The James Joyce Library opened its door in 1973 at the heart of the relatively new Belfield campus and all five branches of UCD Library remain at the heart of the University to this day. The Library is more than just a collection of books -  we aim to inspire engagement and learning, while connecting people and ideas. While we realise that reading primary source materials, books and journal articles alone will not change the world, as librarians these are the tools most familiar and accessible to us. Because of the current pandemic and limited access to our physical collections we have chosen to also focus on resources that can be accessed online.

	Bécares L, Kapadia D, Nazroo J. ‘Neglect of older ethnic minority people in UK research and policy,’ BMJ 2020, 368 doi:(opens in a new window)https://doi-org.ucd.idm.oclc.org/10.1136/bmj.m212 This editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)’s special issue on racism in medicine discusses how “exclusion from population studies is a form of institutional racism”. It identifies the fact that members of ethnic minority communities aged over 65 are disproportionately under-represented in surveys such as the UK Household Longitudinal Study, leading to insufficient data to understand ethnic health inequalities for this group. This is a timely reminder that invisibility in the data is a form of discrimination.
	Burch, S. & Rembis, M. (2014) Disability histories. University of Illinois Press. ProQuest Ebook Central: (opens in a new window)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucd/detail.action?docID=3414453  This is an edited anthology collecting nineteen articles by leading experts on disability studies. It adopts an intersectional approach to exploring the lives of disabled people in various countries and historical periods, making their voices heard and their contributions to society visible and exploring the changing definitions of disability. The writing is engaging and accessible, and the use of primary sources such as letters, diaries, and legal documents make the circumstances of the individuals included in the studies and their families come alive.
	Dabiri, E. (2019). Don't touch my hair. Allen Lane. Emma Dabiri combines her personal experience of growing up mixed-race in Ireland with the history, politics and culture of Black hair. While Dabiri’s debut book is available only in hard copy in UCD Library, the (opens in a new window)Journal of African Cultural Studies (Volume 33, Issue 1) features a roundtable on Don't Touch My Hair in the form of a series of reviews of and a response to the book.
	Douglass, F. (2014) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass : An American Slave. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, . [Original work published 1845].Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (opens in a new window)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucd/detail.action?docID=5446283 Frederick Douglass (ca. 1817-1895) was an American abolitionist, writer, newspaper editor and statesman, born a slave in a Maryland plantation. His first autobiographical narrative is a harrowing account of conditions in slave plantations in 19th century America and the corrupting effects of absolute power over other human beings. Between 1845 and 1847 Douglass went on a lecture tour of Ireland, Scotland and England, which had a lasting impact on his life, documented in Tom Chaffin’s Giant's Causeway: Frederick Douglass's Irish odyssey and the making of an American visionary. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2014. (opens in a new window)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucd/detail.action?docID=3444188
	Eddo-Lodge, R. (2017) Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race, Bloomsbury. (opens in a new window)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UCD/detail.action?docID=5246807. Through her book Reni Eddo-Lodge explores the structural and institutional racism that exists in Britain and across the globe and challenges White readers to recognise that racism is a White problem.
	(opens in a new window)Gale Archives of Sexuality and Gender  This title is a collection of digitised archives from LGBT+ communities in North America and the U.K., documenting many aspects of the history of LGBT+ activism. There are personal diaries, newsletters, posters, photographs, oral histories, government reports, and much more. The material is at times very moving, challenging  and always enlightening. The archives cover a vast array of topics, from the (opens in a new window)AIDS crisis to the (opens in a new window)FBI’s surveillance of the LGBT+ community.
	Guyan, K. (2021) ‘Constructing a queer population? Asking about sexual orientation in Scotland’s 2022 census,’ Journal of Gender Studies, DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2020.1866513 For the first time, Scotland’s 2022 census will ask a question about sexual orientation. This article critically examines decisions made about the design of the question and considers the work done by various groups involved in the process.
	O’Toole, B., Joseph, E., & Nyaluke, D. (Eds.). (2019). Challenging Perceptions of Africa in Schools: Critical Approaches to Global Justice Education (1st ed.). Routledge. (opens in a new window)https://doi-org.ucd.idm.oclc.org/10.4324/9780429467127 This book  explores  ways of changing negative stereotypes of Africa via changes in educational practices at all levels. Two of the book’s co-editors and several of the contributors are UCD authors, and each chapter introduces new understandings about Africa using a global justice education lens.
	Saad, L. F. (2020). Me and white supremacy : Combat racism, change the world, and become a good ancestor. (opens in a new window)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com In this book the author leads the reader through ‘the work’ of exploring their relationship with white supremacy and unpacking their biases in relation to anti-Blackness, racial stereotypes, and cultural appropriation.
	Wong, W. & Hamamoto, D. (2001) Yellow journalist: Dispatches from Asian America. Temple University Press, Mapping Racism Series. (opens in a new window)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucd/detail.action?docID=534278 In this collection of newspaper columns and other writings exploring the Asian American experience, William Wong writes as an insider with warmth, humour and poignancy about language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, anti-Asian racism and a multitude of identity issues faced by Asian communities. Although Wong’s stories are U.S.-centred, the experiences he narrates are relevant to many other multi-cultural societies across the world.

Not all of the resources that we wanted to include here are available online, so below are some physical books available to borrow from UCD Library. Alternatively check your local library ((opens in a new window)www.librariesireland.ie), who may have audio or ebook versions available to borrow.

• Adichie, C. N. (2015). We should all be feminists. Anchor Books.
• Criado-Perez, C. (2019). Invisible women: Exposing data bias in a world designed for men. Vintage Digital.
• DiAngelo, R. J. (2019). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Allen Lane.
• Evaristo, B. (2019). Girl, woman, other. Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books.
• Heneghan, J. (. t., Moriarty, M., & O ́hAodha, M. (2012). Travellers and the settled community: A shared future. Liffey Press.
• Joyce, N., & Farmar, A. (2000). My life on the road: An autobiography ([New]. ed.). A. & A. Farmer.
• Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. The Bodley Head.
• Kendi, I. X. (2017). Stamped from the beginning: The definitive history of racist ideas in America. The Bodley Head.
• Obama, M. (2018). Becoming. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books.
• Oluo, I. (2018). So you want to talk about race. Seal Press.
• Sissay, L. (2019). My name is why. Canongate.

If you can think of any other books and resources that we could add to this list please get in touch and we may do a follow up post.

Dr Marta Bustillo, College Liaison Librarian, UCD Library

(opens in a new window)Dr Marta Bustillo is Liaison Librarian for the College of Social Science and Law and represents UCD Library as a member of the university’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee.

Jenny O’Neill, Data Manager, Research Services Unit, UCD Library

(opens in a new window)Jenny O'Neill

EDI Blog Entries #26: Ramadan - The fasting month

It starts with the moon sighting in the evening of the 29^th or the 30^th of Sha’baan, the end of the month before Ramadan.  The actual physical sighting of the moon, was the only tool of marking the beginning of Ramadan before the modern era of science and technology. Where Muslim families would walk to their balconies or outside of their homes to look for the perfect shining crescent in the darkening clear sky. Cheers and shouts would fill the air as the moon is sighted marking the beginning of Ramadan, the fasting month from the next morning.

However, unlike what one might expect, the convenience of technology and a global world united by the internet, did not only make moon sighting easy, but also gave rise to the moon sighting dilemma; as various moon sighting bodies and authorities of different countries around the world try to figure out which method to follow, and confirming at different times and days; adding all the complexity and fun to the start of the month. With families now distributed all around the world, messages on WhatsApp start flooding groups and chats to find out who is fasting when and whether the moon was sighted physically, or following authorities using telescopes or binoculars.  Sometimes even two cities of the same country end up marking the start of Ramadan on different days. There are memes and tweets about this, and if you know, you know how funny it can be, and with that; the start of Ramadan we millennials, mark.

Apart from; the uncalled funny beginning of Ramadan of the modern era, the root of this month serves as a month of reflection, compassion and empathy for Muslims.  Ramadan is the 9^th month of the 12-Month Islamic Lunar Calendar. Muslims observe this month through fasting from dawn to dusk, Prayers, and service to humanity; which lasts 29-30 days depending on the next moon sighting (with the moon fighting again); ending with the celebration of Eid.

Growing up in Malaysia, a tropical country, fasting of 12-13 hours wasn’t a big challenge, I would wake up before dawn at 5:00am, for Suhoor/Sehri (The breakfast of Ramadan before dawn) to eat something to fill me up for the day. Ideally something whole and slow energy releasing food to take the body without food or water (Yes, that’s right, Not even water!) till dusk around 7:00pm, making up a 12-13 hours of fasting everyday for a month. My challenge was rather; waking up that early and eating something filling at that odd hour, in race with time before the, Azan (the call of the first prayer of the day) is made marking the start of the fast. The Azan for prayers would be in nearby mosques, live and loud on speakers covering a large area, that everyone could hear easily in their homes.

Suhoor/Sehri Meals

Traffic would be different in this month as routines of most would change, with some going to and back from work earlier. Life at work would naturally take a relaxed and easy approach as everyone would be fasting and quiet. Restaurants and cafeteria; closed during the day to open in the evening; so there was less temptations around, less stress and everyone could focus on fasting and reflection and make it easy to just get on with one day at a time. Some would even take their annual leaves in this month to spend it with family and observing the month in its due purpose.

In the evening, the kitchen of every home would become busy in preparations of the ‘Breaking the fast meal’ known as Iftar. Which would comprise of anything of dinner menu or some very special Iftar menu items unique to different cultures such as, soups, samosas, savory snacks, dumplings, Pakoras, Fruit platters, Lassis (Milkshakes), juices and not to forget the most important item, the Dates.

Iftar Meals

As the city becomes busy, restaurants open and everyone would rush to be home before Iftar, traffic in the evening would get worst. Especially if you are caught up close to Iftar time.

Iftar time would be the most celebrated, exciting meal of the day in Ramadan as families gather for prayers and blessings around a table filled with delicacies in anticipation of the Azan of the Maghrib prayer (4^th prayer of the day), at which everyone would pick a date and break their fast with it. After having a good meal, families would pray, individually or in groups, followed by a break before the last prayer and the special Ramadan prayer (Taraweeh) and sleep, marking the end of one day of fast. And the cycle repeats everyday for the rest of the month.  

I have also experienced Ramadan in the UAE, where this routine was pretty much the same, with the length of days and hence the length of fast being the same, for about 12-14 hours. It was also helpful that in consideration of this fasting month, work would officially finish earlier to let employees go back home and rest before Iftar if they wished. And with countless restaurants and beautiful mosques to celebrate the month in its essence of worship, reflections and purification of the soul and balanced nicely with rest, Ramadan is worth spending there.  

 It was when I moved to Ireland, was the first time I found fasting to be a real challenge! As back in 2013 Ramadan would fall in July in the solar year, when Dawn is at about 2:30am and Dusk at 10:00pm; making up about 20-21 hours of fasting a day. That was the first time I learned something about myself, that I am a foodie, and don’t take hunger that well!

Fasting in Ireland presented me with challenges I didn’t face before, for instance, in Ireland I would be following routines not natural to the place where I am and so it took a bit more responsibility and effort at a personal level on my part. And consequently, it was when I truly started to reflect on the true essence of Ramadan. However, with the solar year being longer than the Lunar year, the month of Ramadan is getting further away from the summer with shorter hours of fasting every year, which gives me hope that by the time my kids will fast, it should fall in winter, hopefully getting to 8-10 hours of fast.

Every year, Ramadan is the month when, Muslims practice re-aligning, self-reflections, empathy and compassion.  It is by starving the body and feeding the soul, a deeper spiritual connection is forged. Food is just one component of fasting; there is a huge emphasis on all the other aspects of abstinence that is established. Abstinence from unhealthy habits for the soul. Through which one learns to be humble, abstaining from pride and greed. By abstaining from food and drink, one is stretched thin, tired and weak. You realize your dependency on food and water, on sleep and rest. And how vulnerable and dependent we are as humans.

Fasting by its very nature, teaches self-discipline and control. You have to muster reserves of patience to help you bear not only the hunger and thirst but to refrain from bad habits that have managed to pollute your life over the past year. It takes 21 days to change a habit, and this month gives that timeframe to reflect and make resolutions to change habits you choose, carving away at your character: a goal towards a better you. It is a time that allows for introspection, to listen with quiet attention to your inner self, to what really calls your soul – a break from the constant noise of your normal world. For many, Ramadan in its essence, helps create a momentum of good habits, reflections and spirituality that lasts the whole year round.

This is the time to grow spiritually and get back to basics with life and what’s really important; Family, humanity, spirituality, charity - goodness in every sphere of life. This is the month to let go of grudges, to re-establish ties, to practice empathy and compassion and to serve the community by giving to those whose fasts begin well before dawn and carry on well after sunset - the perpetual fasts of the poor, homeless and hungry, who’s fast have no time frame, who depend only on the help of others in charity. 

End of Ramadan - Celebration of Eid:

Eid marks the end of Ramadan when the new crescent moon of the month of Shawwal; is sighted. 

The most important ritual on Eid is the Eid prayer at the mosque, when everyone dresses in new clothes and heads to the mosque to pray and meet and greet friends, family and the rest of the community.

Back in Malaysia and UAE, this day would be marked as a national bank holiday. But in Ireland, I only wish it falls on a weekend, or take a few days off from work otherwise. Many travel back home to celebrate the month of Ramadan or at least Eid with their families and relatives.

Different sweets and food is prepared for this occasion. Children get presents in the form of cash or toys and new clothes to wear, so this is one festival we look forward to. And since it is right after the Fasting month, food is definitely a part of this celebration.

So here we are in Ramadan of this year, which started on the 13^th of April 2021, and it is going to be another year we spend this month in COVID-19 quarantine restrictions. The work from home has been a tremendous help in spending Ramadan at home, its been an opportunity to spend the month in its essence of reflections and more time with family. But at the same time, with closed mosques and gathering restrictions, the social aspect and community service is truly missed.  

Being the lone cultural representative most of the time in my groups of friendships and professional life in Ireland, I tend to be the ‘Ramadan 101’ host for questions which I love to answer. Growing up in a multicultural environment, I have always loved and welcomed inter-cultural questions as compared to silent judgements, as it gives me a chance to explain my part of the story. It also gives me an insight into the thought process of others, and mostly, Ramadan 101 questions have left me feeling proud of myself for being able to do something that most would find challenging. So here are 10 most commonly asked questions about Ramadan; that I have compiled:

Ramadan 10 Questions:

1. What is Ramadan about?

It is about realigning the self for a better you, practicing self-control and discipline, spirituality – a better connection with God, and community service. It is a month of reflections and empathy for the perpetual fast of the poor and consequently for compassion and serving the community with charity.

2. So, you don’t eat for 30 days?

No, fasting is only from Dawn to Dusk every day for 29/30 days of Ramadan. We can eat between Dusk and Dawn.

3. Can you have water?

Not even a sip!!

4. Why can’t you have water?!!

Then it’s not really fasting. And the perpetual fast of the poor, has no guarantee of water or food. At least we are guaranteed food at the end of the day. Absolute fasting makes the reflection and empathy that much more impactful.

5. Why is it so cruel?

Well, cruel is whatever has created imbalances of power and prosperity and hence poverty in our world. The least we can do with fasting is reflect, empathize, and help. But its not that hard really. Humans are naturally adaptable to anything and you do get used to it. I surprised myself that I could manage fasting in Ireland 20-21 hours, never thought I could do it.

6. Can I eat in front of you?

Yes, you can. Back home, it is a considerate gesture not to eat in front of a fasting person, but here in Ireland, I don’t expect everyone to know I am fasting. Although, the smell of food around lunch time in the office, does make me count the hours to Iftar time! But then, that’s the powerful and reward earning bit of it, the patience.

7. What if you are sick?

People with chronic illnesses that does not allow fasting are exempted; including, children, pregnant ladies and breastfeeding mothers who are unable to fast for health reasons. However, the exemption for adults, is by either paying a certain amount of money in charity per day, of exempted fasts that is equivalent to feeding a certain amount of homeless group or practically feeding them through hosting a food festive for the same.  

8. What if you faint in the office, can we give you water?

Fast can be broken if you get sick during the day. Missed fasts are then made up later after Ramadan, by fasting the number of missed days, in the remaining non-Ramadan months of the Islamic Calendar.

9. Is it healthy? Will you lose weight?

That varies from person to person. I tend to lose weight in Ireland as the numbers of hours of eating vs fasting is very low and my sleep gets out of routine because of the demands of Ramadan, office and the long days in summer. But in the tropical countries, people tend to gain weight during Ramadan as they stay up at night eating, praying, and celebrating the month and sleep during the day so it kind of balances out the fast. Also depends on what and how much you can eat after dusk. 

10. Can you chew gum? Brush your teeth if you can’t drink water?

Technically no we can’t chew gum, as its usually flavoured and has other ingredients that tend to be swallowed. But yes, we can brush our teeth carefully not to swallow any water accidently.

I wish all Muslim UCD employees a very Ramadan Mubarak, may Allah accept our deeds. As we fast this holy month, may our souls fill with gratitude, compassion and enlightenment. Wishing you a happy, safe, and blessed Ramadan.

Suad Taimur Inam, Research Administrator,  Research Administration

EDI Blog Entries #25: Becoming a Socially Distant Social Committee - UCD Global 

Remember how, back in March 2020, most of us thought we would be back to the office after two or three weeks? We took up new hobbies and explored ways to stay connected online. Our newsletters now included tips for free workout apps and High School Musical gifs saying “We’re all in this together”.

One year on, we are still working from home and missed oh so many chats, lunches, birthdays, farewell and welcome parties. We hosted many virtual activities to keep us all socially (distantly) connected and I hope that this list will help you find new ideas for staying in touch with your colleagues.

Friday Coffee Mornings

Our recurring zoom meeting is perfect to stay connected with colleagues we do not directly work with and we always (always) love to see home office dogs and cats. The best thing is that, now that it is online, our colleagues from the Global Centres can also join us.

Craft Along 

Following instructions from the (opens in a new window)National Gallery of Ireland, we had a super creative evening, recreating a portrait using scraps.

Cook Along 

Our in-office food blogger Alka (psst: check out (opens in a new window)her Instagram) sent a list of ingredients ahead of the event and then we all learned to cook delicious vegan Sheikh Mahshi (stuffed eggplant) together, admired the results and had a nice dinner with our colleagues.

Murder Mystery Party 

Using a (opens in a new window)free Murder Mystery kit, we had a virtual party with costumes, fake accents and dramatic accusations. Preparing the event took some time but it was definitely worth it.

Pancake Tuesday

We had a zoom meeting and everyone brought pancakes. Sounds simple, but it turned into a multicultural show and tell of pancakes, crêpes, Berliners and Poffertjes, favourite toppings, local traditions...

Game Nights / Lunches

Our favourite games to play on zoom are (opens in a new window)Kahoot quizzes (some preparation time but free), (opens in a new window)Jackbox Games (no preparation time but need to be purchased), (opens in a new window)GeoGuesser, (opens in a new window)Pictionary and Lip Reading.

While it is sometimes difficult to organise something new and to get our colleagues involved when our workloads tower above our heads, I found that everyone is still keen to meet and that a quick chat always lifts my spirits. And much like our Pancake Tuesday, a very simple theme can turn into a really nice event.

Anna John, International Mobility Assistant, UCD Global 

EDI Blog Entries #24: Coming together (even virtually) through song - The UCD Community Choir

The UCD Community Choir is now coming up on five years of singing together and an EDI initiative that was originally started as mechanism to promote wellbeing to our community has become so much more than that. Our choir has become a mechanism to bring colleagues from across our campus together to generate a sense of community and collective belonging through the joy of singing. Prior to COVID-19 we met each week on Tuesday lunchtimes to sing and practice for various events we are asked to sing at on campus. Under the wonderful guidance of our choir director Ms. Caoimhe O’Neill (now an honorary UCDer for life) we meet up, we form friendships, and we sing. Through all of that we have developed a wonderful cross community group bringing all aspects of UCD together, it doesn’t matter your background, whether you’re a professor or an executive assistant, a retired technician or a new postdoctoral researcher, as long as you can hold a tune, we are all in it together as one voice and boy do we have a lot of fun doing it.

Singing is a fantastic way to improve mental health, the endorphin rush from singing in a group is measured by the smiles and laughter as we all depart after our hour on Tuesday lunchtimes. So many friendships have developed because our choir brings people together from all across our UCD community. If positivity is infectious then surely our choir has created an epidemic of it in UCD…... see what I did there. 

COVID-19 kinda scuppered our big plans though, after the success we had at the OSKARs event in 2019 we planned to host our very first charity concert on March 23^rd 2020 – boy was our timing bad with that one. Half a year of practice and preparation was halted just one week to go. To say we were sad and disappointed was to say the least (heartbroken and gutted would be more apt), but we pulled ourselves together and thought how can we keep our choir going during the pandemic, how can we bring joy into our homes at a time of so much uncertainty and fear. We began our online zoom choir sessions soon thereafter. Our director Caoimhe for an hour twice a week enthusiastically brings us together to practice a whole plethora of new songs and we’ve been doing that ever since the first lockdown began. We’ve practiced over twenty new songs and even managed to do some recordings for Christmas, the Choirs for Cancer event and LGBTQ History Month. So, while we cannot be together in person, we can keep our community going virtually with laughter and much joy. Our UCD Community Choir continues, and we look forward to the day when we can all be back together singing on the top floor of the Science Centre and getting ready for a new concert. In the meantime, we’ll just keep on singing.

Dr. Conor Buggy, UCD Centre for Safety and Health at Work.

EDI Blog Entries #23: "Celebrating Lunar New Year in Ireland" (Part II), 16 February 2021

This week we are delighted to publish Part II of the UCD students Lunar New Year celebrations and to include two blog entries from Chinese and Vietnamese students who had to celebrate remotely or more reservedly this year due to the current COVID-19 restrictions. wishing everyone a happy New Year of the Ox!

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is called "Tet" or “Tet Nguyen Dan” in Vietnamese, typically celebrated in China, Vietnam, Korean, Tibet, Mongolia, and other Asian communities that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar. It is the most important and biggest holiday of the year in Vietnam. A traditional Tet festival often lasts for a month, however, the busy life makes it shorter, usually a week. It is considered an essential mark for changes, plans, and progress. Tet festival is also the most significant occasion for all family members to have happy moments together after a year of hard-working. This year, it falls on the 12^th of February, celebrating the year of Ox. 

Before New Year’s Eve 

In the days leading up to Tet, people often gather and cook special holiday foods such as “Chung Cake” - the traditional cake that is the symbol of Earth as it combines all the unique ingredients of Vietnamese agriculture, served with “Gio Lua” (lean pork pie). Preparation for these foods is quite extensive, luckily, I got the from my friend as the new year gift. Another traditional food is “Mut” (candied fruits) – common snack to welcome guests on the Tet holiday as Vietnamese believe eating sweet things on Tet holiday will bring them luck; fat meat, pickled onions, “Mam ngu qua” (tray of five fruits) are other common foods.

Typically, on the last day of the lunar year, every member of different generations gathers around a grand banquet to enjoy the last meal of the year. In Vietnamese, to celebrate Tet also means to "eat", there is a traditional proverb denoting that you can be hungry all year except three days of the Tet Holiday because dozens of delicious dishes and desserts will be prepared on Lunar New Year in Vietnam to feast on the ancestors as well as every family member. That’s why I tried my best to keep this tradition when first celebrating Tet in Dublin. I spent 7 hours cooking year-end meal with loads of joy, wore “Ao Dai” – traditional costume, and enjoyed dinner with my Irish host family.

The New Year

Another interesting tradition which is most awaited by children or single people - "lucky money." Typically, the elderly will give the "lucky money" to their grandchildren; the adults will give it to their parents, children, niece, nephew, or friends. In exchange, they will be received New Year wishes and greetings; the most popular ones are “Chuc Mung Nam Moi” (Happy New Year), “Song Lau Tram Tuoi” (long life of 100 years), “An Khang Thinh Vuong” (security, good health, and prosperity), “Van Su Nhu Y” (may myriad things go according to your will).

After having dinner and sharing the new year's resolutions together, I gave lucky money to all Irish family members, along with a Vietnamese word standing for a specific meaning.

Besides, I also had a family video call to express my gratitude, wishes to all family members in the new year. We celebrated and enjoyed the Tet holiday full of laughs and talks, as saying that "physical distance, not emotional distance."

Since the Vietnamese believe that the very first visitor a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, a person of good temper, morality and success will be the lucky sign for the host family and be invited first into the house. This special activity is called “Xong dat” which is one of the most important rituals during Tet. Fortunately, I got my Vietnamese friend to do so, however, due to the current social distancing level 5 in Ireland, we met each other outside to ensure safety.

Celebrating Lunar New Year away from home under the Covid situation is such a once-in-a-lifetime experience to me. Thanks to this special circumstance, I have learned to cherish life more, as well as have the opportunity to participate in activities spreading joy and Vietnamese culture to international friends.

Above all, on this occasion, I would like to send all the best wishes to you, the readers, in the new year. I believe Tet is such an unforgettable experience of Vietnamese cultures, customs, and traditions. Let’s pack up your luggage and reserve a trip to Vietnam!

Tran Diem, Quan Vu, Education in Ireland Vietnam

Virtual Lunar New Year Celebration

The 2021 Chinese New Year will be an unusual one due to the Covid-19 outbreak, with several restrictions imposed on us globally.  Unfortunately, many international students won’t be able to reunite with their families.  For Chinese students, the celebration of the lunar new year symbolizes a new start for us.  For this year, it’s particularly important to celebrate this holiday differently and safely.  I am going to introduce you to the view of the traditional celebration in China and the virtual celebration at the UCD community.

The Lunar New Year is also known as the ‘Spring Festival.’  It is the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar equivalent to the Christmas holiday for western countries.  People believe that the holiday represents a new start and it eliminates all the bad luck from the previous years.  In line with it, the color ‘Red’ plays a significant role in the celebration from different forms.  For example, people put up house decorations with red banners and signs. Everyone is encouraged to wear new clothing with at least one item in red, children will receive money / gifts wrapped in red envelopes, etc.’  The center of the celebration, with no exception, is creating joyful moments with families like the beautiful memories carried forward from my childhood to attend the family reunion dinner on New Year’s eve and visit relatives. 

As all of us went through the difficult and extraordinary year 2020, making the international students feel the support and caring from the UCD community becomes increasingly important.  The UCD Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) has organized a variety of shows and evening performances to celebrate the lunar new year from the previous years, and there is an upcoming virtual event aimed to connect all Chinese students wherever they are to be part of the celebration this year.  For those students who remain on campus from proby residence, the ‘virtual café ‘ is the best way for us to stay connected.  The celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year this year was inspired by the principle of ‘home’, our virtual event was accompanied by international students, including Chinese and other nationalities.  Through the group-chat students shared their experience of practicing dance through Tiktok, making dumplings from scratch, utilizing new technologies to improve learning, etc.  Although all of us are far away from our home countries, this year’s Chinese New Year presents a special opportunity for all international students to come together and celebrate all that we are grateful for.

Best wishes to everyone for a wonderful Chinese Lunar New Year filled with health, joy, luck and prosperity!

Yingting Jiang, Student in Human Resources Management, UCD Michael Smurfit. 

EDI Blog Entries #22: "Celebrating Lunar New Year in Ireland", 9 February 2021  

For Lunar New Year on 12 February 2021, EDI collected entries from UCD students from around Asia who are celebrating Lunar New Year in Ireland this year. Read the colourful two blog entries below from students from China and Malaysia. More entries will be published next week about how UCD students celebrated Lunar New Year virtually this year in view of COVID-19 restrictions. Make sure not to miss them, check back next week. Happy Lunar New Year to all!

"Chinese Spring Festival"

Spring Festival is a crucial festival in Chinese culture, similar to Christmas in the Western world. Spring Festival means a lot to many Chinese people. For years, my parents and I celebrated the Spring Festival together. Our family resided in Dublin since 2016, and I am going to introduce how we celebrate Chinese New Year in Ireland. We would clean up the house in the Lunar New Year’s Eve which means sweeping the bad luck of the past and welcoming the new year. I usually do Facetime with my relatives in China to communicate with those I did not get the chance to visit during Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year is China’s official holiday). In the evening, my parents and I have traditional Chinese cuisine together in which dumplings and hot pot has always become a popular choice in our family. Having a deluxe New Year dinner also means to imply a better new year! After dinner, we usually go watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV and count down the new year's arrival.

Photo taken at previous LNY events, before COVID-19

In the past, UCD Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) invited Chinese students or students who are fascinated by Chinese culture, we were invited to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year together. UCD Chinese society organized a talent show last year and asked many Chinese students to show their talents, which seemed like a live Chinese New Year Gala in front of us. After that, we watched the broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala and made dumplings together. Hundreds of Chinese people gathered together to make dumplings as if it were a big family, an unprecedented warm feeling. The Spring Festival Gala of the society helps the students who can't go back to China to celebrate the Spring Festival feel the unity of the "bigger community". The event made many students who study in Ireland alone feel joyful and warmth of " the sense of Reunion" and are no longer so lonely.

This year has been challenging to many of us. Under the government regulations and strict restriction, our Chinese society decided to shift the on-Campus celebration to virtual one. The most popular social media in China is wechat, CSSA will invite many Chinese students who still stay in Ireland to join a groupchat. Participating and answering many of Chinese traditional couplets, riddles, anagrams etc. Our intention is to connect as many as Oversea Chinese students together to have a wonderful, amazing and enjoyable Chinese New Year online (Our hearts are always together.)

Wish everyone to have an Amazing, Happy and Healthy Lunar New Year!

Happy Year of Ox  

Daizy Liu, student in Social Policy & Sociology, UCD

 "Lunar New Year Celebration"

The timeline of ringing in the Lunar New Year (LNY) back in my home country, Malaysia, usually begins with a hearty meal on the Eve of the Lunar New Year. This reunion dinner is considered the most important meal during which the whole family, including my extended relatives, would travel for miles to make it for this celebratory meal. If a family member is unable to attend due to unfortunate circumstances, an empty seat is left to symbolize the family member’s presence.

The morning of the Lunar New Year brings a glorious sight with family members fully dolled up and young children eager to get their hands on the “red packets” given by the married elders. Throughout the day, it is common to hear new year greetings being thrown in every direction, along with words of wisdom from my grandmother, keeping herself on repeat with the few taboos of the celebration:

• NO wearing black clothing
• NO crying
• NO washing hair
• NO sweeping or mopping the floors
• NO sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors (to be put away)
• NO breaking objects

This is to avoid “sweeping”, “throwing” or “breaking” away the good luck for the rest of the year. Some may find this ridiculous - even I do - but I have always stayed on the safe side of tradition, and never dare to put this old folk’s tale to test.

It is my second year in Ireland, and my second year celebrating LNY away from family. Nevertheless, the celebration in Ireland last year which consisted of a get-together with the rest of the Malaysians here, perfectly replicated the feeling of LNY at home (albeit in a different setting and a colder climate). A wide array of food was prepared for us, just as how it would be during a typical LNY Eve dinner with “lou sang”* and pineapple tarts. The Mandarin oranges and “red packets” given as door gifts completed the whole celebration.

Photo taken at previous LNY event, before COVID-19

*”Lou sang” also known as Prosperity Toss, usually consists of strips of raw fish (sometimes (opens in a new window)salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. It is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity, and vigor

Being a part of the Malaysian Society committee for this year, in the middle of a pandemic, is certainly a trying time to be replicating the LNY event virtually. However, it is a challenge my committee and I have confidently taken up. Being stuck at home brings no excuse to not being able to indulge in good food; hence, we have spent the weekend perfecting the recipes for our upcoming LNY Bake Sale and the results are amazing! We have prepared a scrumptious selection of Lunar New Year cookies which will suit your taste buds and most importantly, not make a dent in your wallet!

A joyful sight of celebrating LNY last year amongst our peers from other races and cultures (Photo taken at previous LNY events, before COVID-19)

On top of that, we have organized a Movie Night in conjunction with our Lunar New Year celebration. However, a movie night is never complete without food or snacks! Hence, we have prepared a LNY Care Package containing comfort foods that will make this celebration even more meaningful.

Do not hesitate to email Malaysian Society @malaysian.society@ucd.ie or follow us on our Instagram page @ucdmsoc to get your hands on all the goodies we have to offer!

UCD Malaysian Society students

EDI Blog Entry #21: "Are You Looking for an International Coach?", 17 November 2020

According to Skiffington and Zeus (2000): ’Coaching is about change and transformation’. Bluckert, (2006) gave a much broader definition of coaching: ‘Coaching is the facilitation of learning and development with the purpose of improving performance and enhancing effective action, goal achievement and personal satisfaction. It invariably involves growth and change, whether that is in perspective, attitude or behaviour.’

I have worked in a postgraduate student support role that focuses on helping international students uncover ways to grow since joining UCD in 2007. Every day I explore the challenges they face and seek to uncover inhibitors to growth. Over the past three years I have increasingly used a ‘coaching approach’ in my work, continually seeking to get to the root cause of a problem. While managing coaching programmes in Smurfit Executive Education I became familiar with some of the concepts and I started to get to the root cause of students’ problems. This shift towards a structured coaching approach with graduate students led me to undertake Diploma in Business and Executive Coaching in Smurfit Executive Education. As an Internal Coach at UCD People Development and Organisation Effectiveness I work closely with UCD staff, however my passion is working with international colleagues.

The internal coaching panel is a voluntary service provided by one colleague who is professionally trained to another colleague who is seeking a coaching relationship. Coaching ordinarily involves approximately 4 or 5, sixty-minute meetings, once every 3-6 weeks, arranged at a mutually convenient time for the coach and coachee. The meetings are usually completed within 6 months.  

If you are interested in working with an international coach to develop new skills, deeper self-belief or confidence, obtaining closure on some unfinished business in the workplace or finding greater meaning, satisfaction and balance in your life and work please feel free to contact me on (opens in a new window)agnieszka.wisniewska@ucd.ie

To find more information on coaching and services available for you visit UCD People Development and Organisation Effectiveness webpage internal coaching panel.

Agnieszka Wisniewska, UCD School of Business

EDI Blog Entry #20: "Hidden Stories: Living With an Invisible Disability", 20 October 2020

To mark Invisible Disabilities Week (18-24 October 2020), the EDI Disabililty Sub-Group undertook a podcast in collaboration with UCD’s MoLI and chaired by RTE’s Ailbhe Conneely, which you can listen to (opens in a new window)here. Our panel of UCD colleagues (Clare Hayes-Brady, Blanaid Gavin, Veronica Keegan, Deirdre O’ Connor and Colin Scott) discussed their lived experience of invisible disabilities (Deirdre and Veronica), how best to support our colleagues, how literature helps us make sense of it all and lots more.

In advance of recording the podcast, and as a way of inviting contributing to it, we asked UCD staff to share their thoughts about invisible disabilities with the panel via an anonymous suggestion box.  We got lots of really interesting responses, both from those who are living with such conditions and those who want to support them. A number of themes came up repeatedly.  These included:

• The “Iceberg” analogy that is often used to describe Invisible Disabilities is true for many people.  So much of what our colleagues with hidden disabilities experience goes on under the surface and is invisible to the onlooker. 
• Disclosing an invisible disability to colleagues can be a difficult and sensitive decision.  More than one contributor likened it to stepping off a cliff! 
• Awareness of this issue is currently low.  Many contributors said it was the first time they had been asked about, or had considered, the topic of Hidden or Invisible Disabilities. However, we got lots of responses expressing a strong desire to support colleagues and looking for guidance on how to do so.  

We wanted our podcast to serve as a starting point for raising awareness about the issue, enabling us to hear the stories of those who live with these conditions and reflecting on how we move forward to support our colleagues in a manner consistent with EDI values.  

I will be in conversation with Adam Harris from AsIAm, the national autism charity to further discuss autism and invisible disabilities, this Thursday 22nd October 11am-12:30. As part of this webinar we are inviting UCD staff to give feedback to the review of the UCD Code of Practice for the Employment of People with Disabilities. We welcome input from all staff, those who have experience of a disability, those who know someone with a disability and managers or colleagues who would like to learn more about how to make UCD more inclusive. Register (opens in a new window)here.

Dr Deirdre O'Connor, Chair of UCD EDI Disability Group

EDI Blog Entry #19: "Learning from Experience in Reviewing Dignity and Respect Policies/Procedures at UCD", 23 September 2020

Colin Scott, Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, UCD

The experiences of sexual harassment of our colleague Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin at UCD were appalling. Our President Andrew Deeks subsequently issued a statement in which he said: "I apologise to Aoibhinn on behalf of UCD. I also apologise to other colleagues and students who have suffered such experiences while in our care." His public apology demonstrates an unequivocal denouncement of sexual harassment and violence and an intent to strengthen our policies to deal with these situations more effectively. It will fairly be said that the test of that commitment lies in the actions we take to understand what needs to be done and to effectively take those actions.

Sexual harassment and violence are a scourge in our society, adversely affecting safety, well-being, equality and attainment, in particular, of women. As the United Nations Development Programme notes, gender-based violence, physical and psychological, is neither acceptable nor inevitable.

Testimony about sexual harassment raises urgent and vital questions on how our society and, in particular, how our university can develop and sustain a culture which is respectful and safe for all and in which incidences of sexual harassment and violence can be prevented or otherwise called out and addressed swiftly and effectively, whether affecting staff or students. Courageous acts of public disclosure should empower others to speak out, both with respect to their own experience and to unacceptable behaviour that they are aware of or have witnessed. As a community we need to listen with empathy and without judgement to those who come forward and to learn from what has happened, how we have allowed sexual harassment and violence to creep into our culture, and how to stamp it out. 

As a university we are a community of learning and we have a culture both of strong internal critique of policies and measures, from staff and student communities, and also a real capacity for engaging through mechanisms of reflection to understand better what is working well and what is not, and how to define and attain key goals – in this case zero tolerance for sexual harassment and violence. 

It is widely recognised that a key element in addressing sexual harassment and sexual violence is through cultural change involving, amongst other things,  clarity of objectives and expectations,  strong leadership, deep and broad engagement with staff and student community, strong communication, effective staff/student development actions, mainstreaming of supports. accountability of, and reporting on, outcomes, and alignment to systems, structures, rewards and recognition. 

We are asking ourselves how our university should address key challenges including:

• How can we better embed current positive measures and leadership to address zero tolerance culture, including campaigns, bystander intervention training, and staff development?
• How should we effectively engage all parts of staff and student communities to identify and work towards shared objectives for eradicating sexual harassment and sexual violence?
• How can all people affected by sexual harassment and sexual violence be empowered to disclose their experiences to secure support and effective action?
• How can we ensure that those to whom disclosures are made are trained and supported to act effectively on those disclosures?
• How can we empower bystanders to speak out and to support those who experience sexual harassment and violence?
• How should we balance rights of all parties, respecting legal process, within formal Dignity and Respect procedures?
• How can we further enhance both the development and accountability of those with roles at all levels of responsibility?
• How should we include reporting of informal contacts and disclosures alongside anonymous reporting and formal complaints in new Dignity and Respect policies?
• How should a culture of zero tolerance of sexual harassment and sexual violence feed into wider equality, diversity and inclusion objectives at UCD?
• How can we develop, sustain and institutionalise the capacity both to act effectively, but also to learn and to enhance the mechanisms of communication. empowerment, disclosure, complaint, investigation and sanction to signal, deliver and sustain zero tolerance for sexual harassment and violence at UCD?

Many of these questions are not new but each requires attention, alongside the measures we take to address equality more broadly, not only with respect to gender, but also race, disability, sexual orientation and all the University equality grounds.

There was extensive consultation over the development of a new Dignity and Respect Policy at UCD in 2017 and this policy is currently under review. The Review Group is recommending that the Dignity and Respect Policy is split into two sets of policies and procedures, one addressing Bullying and Harassment and the second, for the first time, addressing distinctly Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct. 

This change, alongside many other proposed changes, is informed by UCD’s participation in the national ‘It Stops Now’ campaign (Ending Sexual Harassment and Violence in Third Level Education), led by the National Women’s Council of Ireland since 2017, and the Government Consent Framework (opens in a new window)Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions, published in 2019. UCD has been a key participant in implementation actions for the framework

• leading on some initiatives, including the introduction of the Report and Support tool earlier this year, 

• learning from others with other key actions such as the introduction of Bystander Intervention Training for all new undergraduate and taught graduate students at UCD as part of orientation this year,  and

• contributing to the Irish Universities Association guidance,  (opens in a new window)How to Respond to Alleged Staff or Student or University Related Sexual Misconduct.

Following up on the message from the President, I encourage staff and students to participate in the current review of Dignity and Respect policy/procedures and the new draft Policy/Procedures on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Conduct (details on website). I have already learnt of a number of important new approaches that we might take to addressing some of the key challenges we face in developing and sustaining a zero tolerance culture and look forward to learning more as a result of this consultation and wider engagement.

Professor Colin Scott, Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, UCD

EDI Blog Entry #18: "Purple Tomorrow", 1 September 2020

Purple Tomorrow

Tomorrow will be purple, yellow and brown 

today may look white 

pure, clean, bright 

but that’s soon to be over 

colours will guide us 

we will give in, follow 

while today looks white 

tomorrow, diversity will come  

no more racial prejudices 

separation, segregation, alienation 

tomorrow we will win 

in plurality lies the power 

embrace what’s unique 

forget about the grey, uniform 

make your day brighter 

spice up your life 

it might not stop the famine 

we may fight, the war among us 

death, disease, destruction 

they’re not going away 

but we are 

loud as the roaring storm 

let the peoples roll 

Anonymous

EDI Blog Entry #17: "W.A.Y.F.? The Question so Many ‘Non Typical’ Irish are Asked", 11 August 2020

Where are you from? A rather innocent question, isn’t it? Well… it depends. To many Irish, this question carries no emotional charge. At the same time, to many of my friends and colleagues who do not quite have the ‘typical Irish look’, this question evokes emotions, which can range from amusement to annoyance or frustration. So let’s unpack this a bit more, shall we?

What prompted me to write this piece is a 2018 YouTube video titled “What Does “Irishness” look like?” posted by a friend (you can see this poignant 6-minute video below and on (opens in a new window)YouTube.) Although I’m much older than the youth in that video, it resonated deeply with me and reflected many of my own experiences. The topic may be sensitive for some, which is why I think we should address and talk about it and, more than in any other place, in a university setting. No better place for starting such a conversation is UCD, the most internationally diverse university in Ireland. 

I’ve lived in Ireland nearly 17 years and for about 10 of them as an Irish citizen. Though I didn’t spend my formative years here, it’s the second longest place I’ve lived in. Though, ethnically, I’d be considered ‘white’ (or off-white...), I have experienced HUNDREDS of those mini exchanges and heard nearly every response quoted by the young ones in the video (I especially loved Karen’s re-enactments... so apt!). Many of the Irish people who asked me this question and didn’t get the ‘right’ answer (that is, what they expected, which was anything but “I’m from south Dublin”) were unhappy with me and, as mentioned in the video, displayed mini-aggressions, which often took the form of ‘why are you being difficult?’

I have chosen Ireland as my second home for many good reasons, the top one being its people. They are among the most humane, considerate and gentle I found in the world. I also think that, on average, they are less racist than most Europeans. At the same time, it has been an ethnically and religiously homogenous country for so long. And, as a relatively new modern nation, Ireland still deals with a lot of identity issues. The combination of these, coupled with a history of foreign invasion, leads to a commonly held narrow views on what ‘being Irish’ constitutes; the notion of most Irish on Irishness is still a generation or two back, before the strong changes in demographics its experienced in the past 20 years.

Curiosity is a most natural phenomenon and I’m sure have my share of it! As an avid traveller in far-away lands, I have been asked where I am from more times than I could ever recount. But here there is an additional element: it is the reluctance to accept one’s answer to this question. Most Irish I met are really nice people who do not want to see themselves as having ethnic or national prejudices or holding stereotypes; they feel that they are asking the ‘Where are you from?’ question from a well-intended place; I don’t want to argue that this isn’t so; however, for those who wish to be genuinely honest with themselves, they need to examine what presumptions exist in their mind when they ask this question. And, moreover, their reaction when one of us, the not typical-Irish looking folks, tells them: ‘I am from Dublin’. This will create a ground for much richer and genuine dialogue. 

Dr Jacob Eisenberg, Associate Professor, College of Business

EDI Blog Entry #16, "The Silver Lining of COVID-19 - Feeling more Connected to Colleagues than ever Before!", 27 July 2020

EDI Blog Entry #13 - #15, "UCD employees on the meaning of Pride", 23 June 2020

EDI Blog Entry #9 & #10, "A Message to my Fellow Fathers" & "Spag Bols & Zoom", 26 May 2020

We might not always realise it, but our lives are far more multilingual than at any other point in recorded history. With easily accessible language learning and exposure to international entertainment content, learning and maintaining languages can happen anywhere. Our languages are vitally important to us. They can connect us to the past, enrich our lives, and show us the paths towards the future. So much of our cultural history is tied up with elements of different languages, sometimes ones that we don't (or no longer) speak. When young people are told to watch their language, this can sometimes be a rejection of the multilingualism that creates a huge amount of cultural diversity. 

This is why myself and Dr Mary Farrelly have started the  'Living Multilingually' project, of which  UCDictionary plays a pivotal role. Funded by the Careers Network SPARC programme, the UCDictionary is a multilingual, multimedia crowd-sourced dictionary that celebrates the great and the mundane of living multilingually. Now you, too, can contribute your favourite words to the dictionary, increasing visibility of your own lived experiences. Contributions can be made at:  (opens in a new window)https://forms.gle/h7vcqkvGxkax4KL2A.

Stephen Lucek, Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics

Although this is a difficult time for many, I have noticed over the last few weeks that there are unexpected benefits to this new way of working and I wanted to share my perspective with you. As an introvert, I find that working in an office five days a week can be exhausting and now that most of us are working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in some ways my work life has changed for the better.

It took me a while to realise this but being introverted is not “wrong.” Contrary to popular belief, introverts are not anti-social: we enjoy socialising but tend to prefer one-to-one meetings and get-togethers with small groups since being around other people for long periods of time drains our energy. We also tend to take our time to process thoughts and do not generally speak up until a thought or idea is fully formed. Extroverts, on the other hand, feel energised from being around other people and from bouncing new ideas around – they need social interaction.

Modern workplaces, particularly in the West, seem to favour extroverted workers with numerous (and at times unnecessary!) face-to-face meetings, networking events and open plan offices. Confidence and gregariousness are often valued so it follows that extroverts, to whom these qualities come naturally, are at an advantage.

Over the last few weeks, I did a bit of self-reflection (surprise surprise!) and also picked up on comments made by similar-minded colleagues about this new way of working. I cannot help but feel that now that all of us - including our colleagues, bosses and customers - are required to work from home, life is easier:

• Most correspondence now takes place via email - no more face-to-face meetings or sudden walk-ins. Phone-calls are very rare which suits introverts who prefer a less direct way of communication. The pace has also slowed down because of this - we can now take our time to type our responses to ensure the tone is just right and the information correct, and we can manage our workloads better. 
• A colleague notes how they love not having to constantly interact with others and finds that when they do chat to colleagues now, they are genuinely excited. Working from home “also means that when I get to the end of the day, I am far less tired, which allows me to have a healthier work/life balance.”
• Another friend joyously proclaims on Whatsapp “no more forced small talk and no more office gossip!”
• We have more control over our environment – we can play our favourite music or nature sounds in the background and “get in the zone”. No office noise and continuous distractions, which allows us to focus on our tasks more easily and makes us more efficient.
• We have been given the gift of time – most of us are saving 1+ hour commuting time, which we can devote to whatever helps us to start the day in the best way – be it sleeping an extra hour, getting us and our family organised, doing a home workout, yoga or meditation session, going for a short walk in nature…
• The stress of the morning rush, public transport, or what to wear has also disappeared. Mornings are gentler.
• One colleague says “What I enjoy is the stillness, the feeling that I don't have to rush anywhere. I like that I don't have to be anxious about commuting and cycling in traffic, and I have more time to read”
• Zoom meetings and webinars make it easier for everyone to participate: as a small icon on a screen, we are all equal and people do not talk over one another. It feels less intimidating to speak up when you’re in your own home rather than in a boardroom surrounded by people.
• Also, video calls and video meetings tend to be more intense, which means care is taken to schedule them with less frequency and keep them short and to-the-point - bliss!
• The chat function is often used as a means to efficiently collect feedback during webinars (with comments often only visible to the host) – this gives introverts a way to express opinions comfortably and increases the chances of us contributing in real time.

Although extroverts may disagree, this new way of working feels more inclusive overall. I wonder if people are beginning to appreciate the slower pace and this time of self-reflection.

Anonymous (you didn't expect to find a name here, did you?!) 

You might enjoy some of these:

Books:

"(opens in a new window)Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking", Susan Cain

"(opens in a new window)Sorry I'm Late, I didn't Want to Come - An Introvert's Year of Living Dangerously", Jessica Pan

Ted Talk: (opens in a new window)The Power of Introverts, Susan Cain

Articles: 

(opens in a new window)Working from Home is Heaven 

(opens in a new window)An Introvert Guides an Extrovert through Self-Isolation

(opens in a new window)Coinfessions of a Black Introvert

Podcasts:

(opens in a new window)The Intronaut

(opens in a new window)The Traveling Introvert

Get in touch: (opens in a new window)edi@ucd.ie. We want to hear form extroverts too!

EDI Blog Entry #5, "Connecting Across Cultures", 28 April 2020

EDI Blog Entry #4, "Five Things my Cat Taught Me about Mental Wellbeing", 21 April 2020

EDI Blog Entry #3, 14 April 2020: "Daffodils"

In leaving an event before COVID19 took hold, I had the Daffodil pinned to my coat. An Italian colleague who is new to Ireland admired the flower - as a newcomer to Ireland – I explained about (opens in a new window)Daffodil Day  –  the tradition of the Irish Cancer Society in normal circumstances holding Daffodil Day in March as an opportunity to raise funds and to give hope to those suffering with Cancer.

For me personally the Daffodil is a symbol that Irish Spring is here – it is one of the first flowers to bloom, bright and yellow, beautiful in itself and also in foretelling that summer and longer and brighter days will follow.  Daffodils remind me of childhood -  when they appeared sometime during February to March – a period marked at the beginning by (opens in a new window)St Brigid’s Day and the (opens in a new window)St Brigid’s Cross and drawing near an end with St Patrick’s Day and the family taking a ‘big day out’ into Dublin city centre (all of 4 miles) to see the parade and then (opens in a new window)GAA Club Finals in Croke Park.  Daffodils make me smile and symbolize family - my mother loves daffodils and growing up our garden was filled with daffodils in Spring.    Daffodils also form part of my earliest associations with Europe and the European Union – which at the time was accessible to me via very limited channels – one being the Eurovision song contest - Daffodils feature in (opens in a new window)Dana’s All Kinds of Everything winning entry in 1970 (which was regularly broadcast on TV when I was young - I’ll leave it to you to decide on whether that is something to best remember or forget!!!).   For those from Japan – the appearance of daffodils represents for me what I think (opens in a new window)Hanami may be for you. 

Finally daffodils remind me of poetry and the English poet William Wordsworth’s poem below which I learned at an early age and to this day stays with me always coming out again in Spring.  

Please share an entry from your culture and in the meantime I hope this brings a flash of pleasure to your heart and dancing with the Daffodils.

Elaine Cregg, Newman Building Project Manager 

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Returning to the ‘frontline’ of the ICU this month, in efforts to care for those impacted by COVID19, I am reminded of the importance of community to our wellbeing. Day in day out, the physical, mental, and emotional labour put into our shifts in the ICU would be almost impossible if it wasn’t for the comradery, compassion and understanding of our ICU community. Nurses, Doctors, Physiotherapists and others coming together, not only with the shared goal of making our patients well again, but with the shared knowledge that in order to achieve that goal we must support each other. Working in academia can often be isolating, and demanding in ways not easily expressed. Whatever our role is, creating and sustaining communities of compassion and support is integral to our wellbeing and success.

John P. Gilmore RGN FHEA, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health System

Working as a student nurse I encounter a lot of new experiences everyday out on the wards. Some can be quite challenging yet some most rewarding as I perfect a new skill with a willing patient allowing me to do so! And this is no different during the covid-19 pandemic. Yes, it is a very stressful time, especially I feel for students as there is so much pressure to perform as best as we can right now. But this hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’m surprised at all the appreciation I’m getting from my patients. I’m working as a HCA, and all my patients give me nothing but thanks and understanding. Every night when I’m going home and doing my final checks, without fail most will tell me to stay safe and look out for my family. It’s this kindness which makes it easier to keep coming in everyday to try help these people get home to their families too.

A student nurse, April 2020, anonymous