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The Year in Review

By CHRISTOPHER MICHAUD

Well, fellow classmates. It seems another school year has come to an end. For some of us, it is time to put down our school bags and pick up tas- sels and briefcases, as we head to graduation, and the uncer- tainjob market. Anybody bring bait? Watch out for sharks. and good luck to the Class of 1997.

For the rest of us who are less fortunate and are to be retained by these stone walls, the most we can look forward to is the continuous cycle of working underpaying jobs for the summer, and re- turning next fall. Has every- body got a summer job yet? It almost brings a tear to my eye Just thinking about it.

Those of you that know me know that I enjoy griping about the system, and a few other things. Guess what? | haven't even begun to gripe. I figure it is now time for the

“Year In Review’. Ya'll ready for this?

The 1996/97 Academic Year at UPEI began with a bang, as tuition was up over last year...again. On top of the tuition increase was a dark fiend new to us, the Building Fund. They, the “System”, called it a Mandatory Dona- tion, and non-refundable, too. Now what the HELL is that?! We donate because we HAVE to?! Did we all miss a memo or something? Well, according to our absent-cen- tred Student Union, we did miss a memo...among other things. Speaking, for the last time this year, of tuition in- creases, watch out for the new provincial government budget to be dropped on the table soon. If it is as bad as pre- dicted, expect a tuition increase next year...again. This is some- thing I warned about back in September/October (ie an in- crease sometime after the New Year, to which a SU rep replied, “to the best of my knowledge, there are NO plans to increase tuition’’), so be pre- pared to find something to re- place those moths in your wal- lets.

This year has been ear- marked in history by a number of interesting events. The first was, of course, the ~Burns- Grey” shuffle in the Student Union. We know the story behind Burns’ coming to power, and his subsequent fall from grace. Since Grey has taken over the reins, has anybody noticed any changes? Has anybody noticed ANY- THING? Of course not, we have barely heard a peep from that red building on the far side of campus...again. Which re- minds me, they act like a bunch from the Far Side. Aside from their 45 second decision to in- crease our fees and other such bungles. any good from there? Besides. our continued apathy...again...don't expect things to change.

The latest fiasco would be last Wednesdays handling of the snowstorm crisis by UPEI administration officials. The first news reports we all awoke to was that campus would openat 10:30am. Those of us who live close enough to walk. began our trudges through already knee-high snow and gusty topple-you- over-treat-you-like-a-kite winds towards campus, only to discover that, by the time we got our snow-covered bod- ies into a warm building, cam- pus was closed until | pm. Apparently, no one had heard the change announced until 10:25 on local radio stations. And when classes were can- celled for the day (by 12:30), a few of us had arrived on cam- pus snow-soaked for the sec- ond time that day. Ifthe RCMP was recommending everyone stay off the roads unless abso- lutely necessary and portions of the Trans-Canada were closed, why wasn’t one deci- sion made early enough?

My last and final com- plaint (had enough yet?) is very simple, and it is one I voiced last year at this time. Anybody remember my piece on “R.IP.”? No, no, not “Rest In Peace”. Rather, it stands for “Retirement Incentives Pro- gram’, but the misnomer is

fitting enough. By this “*pro- gram’, the university has been able to save money. How? The retirement of tenured-fac- ulty, replaced by sessionals. We ve all heard the pros and cons on sessionals and the loss of tenured faculty members, the whole idea of saving money. What we seem to have forgotten, or at least what the university's Board of Di- rectors has overlooked, is the people that wé are losing, put out to pasture (sorry!) before their time. Last year, we lost

the poetic genius of Frank Ledwell and the timelessness of Brendan O'Grady. Joining their ranks this year, will bethe gentleness of Prof. Foley: the hearty theatrics of Ian Gallo- way: and my favourite. the...the...well, as my mother said, “can't be described in three words”, un-sum-up-able Charles Blouin. Their pres- ences in the classrooms are and will be greatly missed. There are, of course, many others that deserve mention, but [just don’t know them. and

wish I did.

So. as we step off the stage after our fifteen seconds in the limelight. or as we leave our last exam room for this year, let us look towards a new year with at least a little hope. Put aside the new faces on campus, the loss of dear friends, the higher cost of edu- cation, the impotent student union, the apathetic student body. and...well...at least that’s one less year to go.

App

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“WANTED Student Union Office Assistant

Responsibilities include:

Cash Floats Cash Receipts Gank Deposit

Accounts Receivable Computer Data Entry

Part-time Student Position Approximately to hours per week

£6.00/hr.

Starting September 1997 Cash experience an asset

lications available at the Student Union Office ist Floor of the Barn

lication Deadline: & Friday, April 11, 1997 at 4:00pm

*PATAOA AB AA AAA ARB bbb bh bP

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MBAR HD CORN H RHR ID BB AAA DA ATMA RBA AA ATR Aare

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