,4\J-l¥;fihe... Since September people have been talking about apathy on campus. Who is to blame for this poor situation? The freshman feel as they felt that first year in high school.

"The grade twelves think themselves so~much more sophisticated and they won't talk to us. They get everything they want." "They don't want us around." "They form clicks and don't want any butt—ins." etc., etc., etc.... It was like being a mouse trapped in corner by an elephant only he couldn'tunderstand that the elephant was too big even to see him. Had he the wisdom to tap the elephant on the toe the elephant would have been glad to step aside and make room for the mouse to move in to the open.

The way we felt that first year in high

school, we are also feeling now in university. Why? Because in high school we experienced

the life of the stupid mouse, grew into the unnoticeable elephant and now we're back to the stupid mouse again saying the self same phrases we said in high school.

In university this year there are 654 freshmen.’ we outnimber the Seniors by 332. we outnumber the Juniors by 368. we cut- number the sophmores by 145. This resembles full-time students. It seems to me that if we want our voices heard on campus we can yell louder than any other "sophisticated" class.

we freshmen are finding out this year‘ what this life is all about and maybe its too late to hold an office title this year. May be next year in Sophmore we will be more ready Kor it.

I would like to give you one example why we should hold office early in university life. The ice carnival which is one of the main events in the year leaves the freshmen kind of off—side. How? well this year in The Cadre the events were stated this way:

wednesday — official opening, torchlight parade, beer party. Thursday a Dance Friday - Carnival Ball - B.Y.O.B. Saturday - Beer party, dance in Barn On Thursday, Friday and Saturday the Lounge in the Barn was open in afternoons and in some cases at nite to beer lovers. There were other events like pie throwing, tug-of— war, ice race, co-ed heckey etc. but where could you bump into the bigger crowds? At the beer stations filling up. It is to my belief that some freshmen didn't go to too *many beer stations because no one told them I.D.'s wouldn't be checked. The freshmen range from ages 16 - 22. This leaves ages 16—17—18-19—20 separated on the most part from the older crowd whom they need for sup- port and encouragenemt. When there was a dance there was a beer party elsewhere. This, I feel helped to create a gap larger than before between the young and the older. It probably made more of them think that they were of little use before they reached Jun— 'ior and Senior year. The person who entered U.P.E.I. at age 16 certainly wouldn't get to see or attend many drinking events. Bless his or her heart for not being exposed. we freshmen who are beginning univer- sity this year don't appear to be overjoyed at the"new culture" we have entered into. When we lived home we were never threatened to having our toes cut off from walking over broken beer bottles before reaching the shower or bathroom: we didn't walk out of the bedroom in the morning and face a hole in our bro+3\r's door across the hallway: we weren't

kept awake all hours of the nite by rip— roaring music and loud gross yelling of

filty sickening remarks tended mostly towards homosexual attitude than to the opposite

sex: when we sat around our living—room sipping beer we didn't end off jumping through tables and dancing on chairs. University life is by no means a home away from home.

A drunken person may fire his beer bot— tle down the corrider but what about the ot= her drunk who has to rush to the can to vomit. He certainly won't stop to look for glass in front of his door or even expect it. There are tendons in your feet you can cut that will cripple you for life. How did anyone escape? "There was glass broken every niteduring carnival week", so I heard one janitor say to another. You may say ' things like this happen once a year. I would doubt that if it happened every nite

‘during carnival week it happens every time

a university drunk occurs. Can you des- cribe it as childish? No! A child would not have that kind of senselessness in its head.

some people show what consideration they possess by that loud psyched out music all mite. But you don't tell him to “cool it" because your unappreciated request is recieved with the answer "fuck right off!" You see he may be high and has to have this to calm his nerves while he wrecks yours. If its a party nite or week— end music isn't minded too much even if it knocks down the walls of Jericho.

I am not mentioning any names in this letter nor do I have any individuals in mind. To have any individuals in mind would be absolutely unfair being that I spent only two mites in residence during ice carnival week. Not only that, but I am not a resident student and maybe ' shouldn't be writing it if I did live in residence.

I also want to mention a word of a- pology to the carnival planners for men— tioning certain faults. Personally I feel the plans were based on previous years.

Here are two phrases stated in Feb.

4 Cadre:

"Sometimes I wonder what I'm going to do When my youth is over and my manhood is throug “

It should have stated:

"Sometimes I wonder what I‘m going to do

To mature into manhood when my youth is through."

Another quote stated:

Cat quote: "The easiest thing to do in

life is make it hard on yourself".

Did anyone ever get the hunch that some of us supposedly mature university students are taking it easy?

A final word to freshmen: If there are people on campus who insists it was all in fun and enjoyment, must we follow those footsteps to the future? If you plan to make any kind of move please read and heed "Soap-Box" February4 issue of Th§_gag£g again and maybe we can let the people be- hind us have a home a little, at least, like the one they come from.

Thank you

Francis Gallant Freshman P.S. Other alternative —— wait till they lower the drinking age to 18.

H» x '7 “(-0000