December 3, 1996

We Are Not The Worst!

The only consolation UPEI students have regarding the latest Maclean’s Univer- sity ranking is that UPEI did not place last - Ryerson did.

Universities are divided into three categories: Medi- cal/Doctoral, Comprehensive, and Primarily Undergraduate. Within these categories, uni- versities are graded on student body, classes, faculty, fi- nances, library, and reputation. Each category has different sub-sections that have weighted scores.

How did we score?

Not that well. On the

section for average entering grade UPEI placed 6th out of 19. The average of students entering UPEI out of high school is78.7%. Proportion of those students who had 75%

or higher 63.9%. In the cat-—

egory of graduation, (percent- age of full-time second-year undergraduates who complete their degrees within one year of expected graduation), UPEI ranked 9th. About 72% of our students graduate within four or five years of starting uni- versity.

Ever wonder how many of our students, (first year only), are CFA’s? (Come From Away)

The answer 20.3% which places UPEI in sixth position for this category. The number of UPEI students who receive national awards, 1.9 per 1000. (7th place)

With only 53.4% of our first year classes taught by tenured or tenure-track pro- fessors UPEI placed 17th in the Classes Taught by Tenured Faculty category. While our average class size for first and second year students placed us in Sth position, our third and fourth year classes tied with four other universities for 12th place.

Only 66.4% of our fac- ulty have PhDs, a far cry from Saint Mary’s 91.9 %. UPEI did not place well in the Fac- ulty category. None of our full-time professors have re- ceived national awards.

Finances. UPEI placed Ist in the operating budget section. UPEI spends $9,646 per weighted full-time equiva- lent student. The University College of Cape Breton spends only $3,451. (UPEI receives

News

$8, 271 per full-time equiva- lent student.) Approximately 1.56% of UPEI’s total operat- ing expenditures is devoted to scholarships and bursaries, (12th place). UPEI spends 3.87 % of its total operating budget on student services, (13th), almost 7% less than the winner of this category, the University of Lethbridge.

Ever wonder how many books there are in the Robertson Library, well there is about 264 books per stu- dent. Brandon University has 436 books per student and while Ryerson has only 44.

Although UPEI spends 37.17% of its library budget onupdating its collection, only 5.27 percent of the university budget is devoted to maintain- ing library services.

In the category of Alumni support, UPEI placed 9th, with 19.4% of alumni having made a donation/gift to the university over the last five years.

UPEI suffers in the reputational section of the rankings placing 18th, only one position higher than Nipissing.

2 on . @e- The Panther Prints

Acadia (2nd)

Full-time 3,691 Part-time 468 Tuition: $ 3,670

UCCB (15)

Full-time 2,747 Part-time 569 Tuition: $ 3,210

Dalhousie (9**) Full-time 9,364 Part-time 1,556 Tuition: $ 3,395 (Arts) $ 3,895 (Science)

Memorial (6***) Full-time 12,512 Part-time 3,502 Tuition: $ 1,335

Mount Allsion (1) Full-time 2,319 Part-time 325 Tuition: $ 3,665

Mount St. Vincent (11) Full-time 2,267 Part-time 1,456 Tuition: $ 3,355

New Brunswick (8*) Full-time 9,700 Part-time 2,536 Tuition: $2,610

UPEI (12)

Full-time 2,428 Part-time 477 Tuition: $ 2,920

St. Francis Xavier (8) Full-time 3,089 Part-time 568 Tuition: $ 3,500

Saint Mary’s (9) Full-time 4,789 Part-time 2,017 Tuition: $ 3,380

St. Thomas (10) Full-time 1,883 Part-time 352 Tuition: $ 2,420

* Fredericton and Saint John combined. 8th in com- prehensive category

** Oth in medical-doc- toral category

*** 6th in comprehen- sive category

All ratings taken from the November 25, 1996 is- sue of Maclean's Magazine

Visit the Maclean's World Wide Wed site at http:/ /www.canoe.ca/macleans or on Compuserve (Go Macleans)

Pot Club Promotes Some Peaceful Toking

By Brad Hetherington, The Martlett University of Victoria

Joints, grams, eighths and quarters are being sold openly and "legally" by anew organization intent on making Vancouver the "Amsterdam of North America".

David Malmo-Levine,

founder of the Harm Reduc- -

tion Club, has been selling pot publicly from his East Van- couver home since Oct. 19, when he officially launched the club ata rally on Commer- cial Drive. Malmo-Levine, a long- time hemp and peace activist, says he's confident the police

will leave his pot-selling co- op alone.

"They've got better things to do with their time," said Malmo-Levine. "We are all about harm reduction and responsible use and they know that." Located in the Drive's "green-light" district, the club offers membership to anyone who promises to use the herb responsibly. Members must promise not to use heavy ma- chinery if impaired, must be over the age of 13, and must not disturb the club's neigh- bours. They also have to pay a $10 membership fee.

Afterthat, grams are only $10.

over 300 members and is growing by 20 new members everyday. Such rapid growth has forced it to buy, on aver- age, a quarter pound of mari- juana everyday.

"We try to buy or- ganic,” said Malmo-Levine, "and we always test before we sell.”

As a non-profit organi- zation, the club gives 10 per cent of its earnings in trust to their lawyer. "[This] is in- tended tocover any legal costs should the club get busted,” Malmo-Levine said. "After all, that’s what it's all about."

The club's founders are always careful to promote the

Currently, the club has peaceful, non-harmful aspects

of the club. They also provide an extensive library of activist literature, videos, and Cypress Hill CD’s available for mem- bers’ enjoyment.

_ "We are calling for an end to the parasitic corporate monopoly that is denying peo- ple access to the most impor- tant plant on earth," Malmo- Levine said.

He said that hemp's uses are limitless and that it can be substituted fora variety of uses ranging from paper products to fuels to building materials. But what about all those an- noying crank-calls and glazed- eyed pot-heads hanging around his home from 10 a.m. till 4 a.m. seven days a week?

"It's a short-term nui- sance for a long-term solu- tion," Malmo-Levine said. "We've already won just by resisting."

MISSING

Many of Canada’s migratory birds are disappearing. To help save them, call 1-800-26-PANDA and ask about adopting a kilometre

of migratory bird flyway.