SEPTEMBER 13, 2005

But I digress...

Ray Keating Managing Editor

September. We are all in the same boat; our year here at UPEI is just beginning, but, what does that mean? If you look it up in the dictionary, a beginning is a source or a point of origin. “So what”, you say... we all know it’s just starting... we’ve all paid our thousands of dollars to the finance office and are set to beat our heads against the proverbial wall for the next eight months in the hope that some little piece of knowledge might stick. The reality is, it’s more than that. For those of you coming here for the first time, it’s a chance to get away from home and parents... to spread your wings and let loose a bit. For the rest of us, it’s areturn to a zone of comfort with old friends and new knowledge. It may seem like a long road... but in the big picture it’s really not.

Let’s assume you’re here for four years doing your degree; if you manage to make it to Canada’s average life expectancy (between 76 and 80 years depending if you’re male or female) you will have spent 5% of your life here. That doesn’t even amount to a bad tip at the local pub. The funny thing is... the memories you’ll build here are nowhere near proportionate to that 5% of your life. You’ Il spend the next 50 or 60 years telling anyone who’ II listen the stories about the bygone days of your youth. You all know it’s true. You’ve heard it from parents and grandparents and other older relatives. You look at them now like they’re nuts... one step away from the Alzheimer ward at the local old people’s home.

Well... before you all decide I am ready for the home, I am going to tell you a story. Compared to a lot of students here... I am an old fart. I

maintain my youth by proclaiming that I am nineteen. It seems, however, that Inow have fifteen years of experience being nineteen.

When I started university for the first time... I couldn’t wait to get out and away from all the crazy old people holding me back from being “me”. You see, I had five parents. Huh!? you say, five parents? How could anyone have five parents? Well... it’s like this. lam the youngest in my family. My parents were about 40 when I was born. I have three older brothers and an older sister who are all between 12 and 17 years older than I am. Growing up in my house, I couldn’t move without someone correcting me or trying to teach me some great “life lesson”. And Iresented every minute of it. I wanted some freedom.

From age 20 to 30, I chased my freedom all over Canada and even halfway around the world. Now, I wouldn’t trade my life as a kid for any of those places.

At 34, I am back in school, re- living my youth at the same time as I help to shape the youth of my nine year old son. It took returning to school to figure out that I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for the people in my life all those years ago.

So, now that I’ve shared my sappy story with all of you, Iam going to resort to the sad old cliché of using a movie quote... but this one’s really good because the character in the movie shares my last name...

In the words of Robin Williams. .. a.k.a. John Keating in “The Dead Poet's Society”... “Carpe Diem”... seize the day.

THE CADRE © 2

UPEDs Building A Legacy Campaign Receives Large Donation From Chancellor

Chancellor Bill Andrew gave UPEI students, faculty, and staff something else to smile about at Founder’s Day Celebrations last Thursday when he announced his $310,000 donation to UPEI’s Building a Legacy Campaign.

The money will be distributed as follows to departments which don’t often receive financial contributions:

— $60,000 will be donated for Cass Building renovations;

— $50,000 will go towards developing a graduate scholarship for the Island Studies program;

— $50,000 will go towards buying new instruments for the music

program; — $50,000 will go to the Faculty of Education;

— $50,000 to UPEI School of Nursing; |

— the remaining $50,000 will be given-to women’s athletics.

Volunteer Opportunity

The PEI Rape & Sexual Assault Crisis Centre needs volunteers to staff its Crisis Line. The Crisis Line offers support 24 hours / 7 days a week to survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. Training has been scheduled to begin October 2005. If you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible. Contact: Kelly Robinson 894-5510.