The Panther Prints

Smoking Debate... Continued From Page 4

is part of the university’s mandate to provide convenient locations for the satisfaction of addictions. It may be beneficial for the university to pro- vide spaces for smokers if there are others like yourself who base their choice of educational institution on smoking policy. However, if the university does provide a space for smokers (i.e. the Barn), it would most likely be out of concern for enrollment, not because it is a duty.

I realize that you are willing to “back down in the face of public opinion,” but you seemed to think that it was an “intrusion on your rights” for the university to enforce one of its policies. As a non-smoker I feel that it is an intrusion on my rights to be forced to walk through clouds of smoke (which some would consider a health risk) just to get an education. If the university has a responsibility with regard to smok- ers, I would say it is to make sure that people who choose not to damage their health are not subject to the toxins emitted from cigarettes. If you choose to continue a habit which is detrimental to your health, I really don't think that the university has a responsibility to help you.

As for the money spent on Kleenex and Aspirin, I think the price of dealing with the sniffles is nothing compared to the medical bills which are brought about by smoking. If it is the money you are concerned about, quitting smoking would work wonders. I realize that quitting is not for everybody, but if you are prepared to spend the money to smoke you should be ready to take on all of the expenses, yes even Kleenex and Aspirin if necessary.

-- Co

ers

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

We, four girls of Bernardine Hall are very perturbed with a recent violation of our rights.

The evening of Monday, March 4, 1996, we were imposed upon and coerced (NO means NO) to act as subjects of a candid videotaped interview fora Wom- en's Studies 202 group project, designed to increase awareness of Women's issues. We are more than miffed as we feel that we -- ironically as womyn [sic]-- have been exploited, our courtesy played upon and our trust betrayed. We had been assured by one group member -- ironically a boy -- that the footage we consented to providing in an intimate and interactive setting would be screened by Prof. Jelliffe, who would be the sole viewer.

Once he "got what he wanted" from us, "the weaker sex", the cameraboy conveniently remembered to warn us that the best presentation could possibly merit special feature presentation before a class of 80-90 students, 12-14 of which have a Y chromosome.

We find this conscious contortion of the truth a true blasphemic action, and find it appalling that they had clear consciences to screen this documentation and wittingly commit an outright travesty of Justice.

Once again, this is a blatant illus- tration that men manipulate womyn [sic]

to get what they want. . . all too often toting video camera. TRANSLATION FOR MALES:

(grunt-ugh-grunt) Women no stupid.

Yours very sincerely, The Violent Femmes

-

Labeling Professors...

Conta from

student-professor molaticechip. The word “sexy” is grey in itself, but con- tains an obvious degree of sexual connotation.

Sexy, according to Aldera Chisholm, managing editor of the Panther Prints, “is an attitude,” it is the way a person “carries” his or herself. The word includes both the mind and the body. In the past, the X-Press had asked a similar type of question, however, they asked students to rate celebrities -- a question that was becoming mundane. Changing the subjects to be rated made the question more original and captivat- ing. The sex survey, in general, was meant to be entertaining, not informa- tive. The cartoons, the survey, the corruption quiz -- all these were bait to attract UPEI students to the more informative articles, such as tattooing, HPV, and the prices of condoms in Charlottetown.

The paper argued that the profes- sors are public figures. Unlike celebri- ties, however, their business is not entertainment. They are not sex sym- bols, rather they are figures of intelli- gence and skill. Some of the professors pointed out that they are continually on

_ display to the students, and even after

years of teaching they can still experi- ence “stage fright.” According to one professor, standing in front of a class, knowing that some of the students might be looking at you to see if you are sexy is rather intimidating and distracting.

There is also an element of danger in rating individuals on sexiness. There are a lot of perverted and unstable characters in the world, and labelling a professor as sexy may encourage one of these individuals to take action on their desires. In fact, one professor at UPEI was a victim of such a situation. It

occurred in a another university not long after the Montreal massacre. A student of this professor got drunk one night and told a friend that if his professor did not sleep with him then he was going to kill her. The professor was warned and security had to sit in her class until the situation was cleared. The professor’s personal life was invaded and abused, with her profession supporting an environment for such abuse.

Chisholm sympathized with the potential danger of tagging sexy onto professionals, however, she argued that there is danger in many stories that the student newspaper prints, and if the paper took every potential danger into consideration, then many important issues might not be covered. You can never be sure who you are going to offend.

According to one of the “sexy” professors, the student newspaper represents the students, and students should be represented as thinkers.

Unfortunately, the survey rating the sexiest professor exemplifies lack of thought and consequently undermines the image of the student. What was gained from this survey? The paper should have observed that there is a place for work and there is a place for sex, and mixing the two is inappropriate.

When asked if she would conduct the same question again next year, Chisholm said yes. But she would rephrase the question, and give a list of professors who were willing to be a part of such a survey. Her new question would ask which of these professors is the sexiest, and what makes him or her sexy?

As a student reader, what do you think of the ratings? Comments to the paper are welcome.

x

Nateition To Go!

Give Your Busy Lifestyle a Boost...

choose healthy eating whenever and wherever you go!

™ . The Canadian The Dietetic Dietitians of Association your Province

and the 1996 Nutrition Month Official Sponsors:

March is Nutrition Month™

A message from:

EAT WELL, UVE WELL™ t

eae

Dairy Bureau

SAREING AStncy of Canada

MacDougall