Letter
      to
      the
     
     
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      "A"
      Student,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      hope
      you
      are
      an
      "A"
      student.
      You
      certainly
      won’t
     
     
      get
      anywhere
      in
      life
      with
      your
      personality.
      (which
     
     
      I
      suspect
      is
      absent)
      I
      would
      say
      this
      to
      your
      face
      but
     
     
      you
      didn’t
      have
      the
      courage
      to
      reveal
      your
      name.
     
     
      (I
      think
      your
      name
      is
      Brian
      Mulroney).
      I
      want
      to
     
     
      address
      some
      of
      the
      better
      points
      in
      your
      letter
      to
     
     
      the
      editor:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1,
      When
      speaking
      of
      "slanted,
      —
      highly
     
     
      propagandist
      mass
      media",
      do
      you
      include
     
     
      yourself
      in
      this
      group?
      Are
      you
      not
     
     
      perpetuating
      propaganda
      about
      the
      "small"
     
     
      group
      of
      university
      students
      with
      Student
     
     
      Loans.
      (You
      know
      the
      ones
      who
      spend
      all
     
     
      their
      money
      at
      Myrons
      and
      clothing
      stores).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      iz
      You
      wrote
      that
      the
      3%
      administration
      tax
     
     
      is
      fair
      because
      people
      get
      student
      loans
      only
     
     
      because
      Mommy
      and
      Daddy
      (these
      words
     
     
      are
      capitalized-have
      some
      respect)
      "won’t"
     
     
      pay
      for
      school.
      Did
      you
      ever
      consider
      that
     
     
      maybe
      Mommy
      and
      Daddy
      "can’t"
      pay
      for
     
     
      school.
      As
      for
      the
      government
      not
      charging
     
     
      us
      interest
      on
      our
      loans-
      get
      your
      facts
     
     
      straight-
      you
      don’t
      know
      how
      wrong
      you
     
     
      are.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3
      Then
      in
      your
      brilliance,
      you
      enlightened
      us
     
     
      ’
      about
      working
      at
      a
      burger
      joint
      for
      $5.00/hr.
     
    

    
     
      How
      many
      burger
      joints
      pay
      $5.00/hr.?
     
    

    
     
      How
      many
      people
      could
      even
      pay
      for
      rent,
     
    

    
     
      bills,
      groceries,
      and
      school
      on
      that
      kind
      of
     
    

    
     
      wage?
      I’m
      not
      lazy
      and
      I
      worked
      my
      butt
     
    

    
     
      off
      for
      $6.00/hr.
      last
      summer.
      In
      Sept.,
      I
     
    

    
     
      still
      didn’t
      have
      enough
      for
      school.
      I
      guess
     
    

    
     
      it
      was
      the
      three
      trips
      to
      Myrons
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      bathing
      suit
      that
      broke
      me.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4.
      By
      the
      way,
      could
      you
      please
      name
      the
      countries
     
     
      that
      demand
      a
      97%
      average
      to
      qualify
      for
     
     
      entrance
      to
      university?
      Many
      who
      were
      mediocre
     
     
      in
      high
      school
      fly
      to
      the
      top
      of
      the
      academic
     
     
      world
      in
      university.
      Call
      me
      a
      "whiner",
      but
      I
     
     
      think
      that
      these
      people
      deserve
      a
      chance.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      5.
      Finally,
      I
      would
      like
      to
      address
      the
      old
     
     
      "university
      is
      a
      privilege
      not
      a
      right"
     
     
      slogan.
      Yes,
      university
      is
      a
      privilege.
      I
     
     
      thank
      God
      everyday
      that
      I
      live
      in
      a
     
     
      country
      where
      I
      can
      better
      myself
      through
     
     
      education.
      We
      students
      are
      the
      future
      of
     
     
      this
      country.
      Creating
      a
      bigger
      gap
      in
      the
     
     
      Class
      system
      by
      regulating
      who
      can
      and
     
     
      can’t
      attend
      university
      is
      a
      step
      backward.
     
     
      It
      moves
      toward
      a
      feudal
      system
      that
      has
     
     
      proved
      to
      be
      an
      economic,
      academic,
     
     
      cultural,
      and
      yes-social
      poison.
      I
      guess
     
     
      some
      folks
      are
      just
      more
      equal
      than
     
     
      others.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Michelle
      MacCallum
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Supported
      by:
      Libby
      Whelan,
     
     
      Suzanne
      Worth,
     
     
      Joanie
      McPhee,
     
     
      Ella
      Holt,
     
     
      Jennifer
      McKinnon,
      and
     
     
      Patricia
      deJong.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
      November
      8,
      1990
      3
      ‘Page
      4