The
      Cadre
      +
     
    
   
   
    
     
      9
      February
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      News
      3
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      POLLARD
      NEW
      OMBUDSMAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Student
      Union
      Position
      Deals
      with
      Student
      Problems
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BY
      RANDY
      MCDONALD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Have
      problems
      with
     
     
      UPEI?
      Treated
      unfairly
      by
      a
     
     
      professor?
      Problem
      with
     
     
      your
      on-campus
      job?
     
    

    
     
      If
      you
      have
      any
      type
      of
     
     
      grievance
      regarding
      UPEI
     
     
      affairs,
      then
      talk
      to
      Ryan
      Pol-
     
     
      lard,
      fourth-year
      English
      and
     
     
      Political
      Studies
      major
      and
     
     
      the
      newly-appointed
      UPEI
     
     
      student
      union
      ombudsman.
     
    

    
     
      The
      ombudsman
      is
      a
     
     
      position
      that
      was
      first
      devel-
     
     
      oped
      in
      Scandinavia,
      de-
     
     
      signed
      to
      work
      out
      problems
     
     
      between
      labour
      unions
      and
     
     
      big
      business.
      When
      the
      posi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tion
      crossed
      the
      Atlantic,
      it
     
     
      took
      on
      new
      meanings,
      and
     
     
      evolved
      into
      a
      general
      plat-
     
     
      form
      upon
      which
      anyone
     
     
      could
      complain
      about
      the
     
     
      services
      offered
      by
      an
      insti-
     
     
      tution.
      At
      UPEI,
      the
      position
     
     
      of
      ombudsman
      was
      added
      to
     
     
      the
      most
      recent
      draft
      of
      the
     
     
      UPEI
      student
      union
      constitu-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      The
      position
      has
      been
     
     
      left
      vacant
      for
      the
      past
      three
     
     
      semesters.
      Although
      it
      is
      in-
     
     
      cluded
      in
      the
      constitution
      as
     
     
      a
      vital
      aspect
      of
      the
      univer-
     
     
      sity,
      there
      has
      been
      a
      general
     
     
      lack
      of
      applicants
      for
      the
      po-
     
     
      sition.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Student
      Union
      Vice-
     
     
      President
      Internal
      Pauline
     
     
      Tran
      eventually
      took
      the
      ini-
     
     
      tiative
      to
      actively
      seek
      an
      in-
     
     
      dividual
      to
      fill
      the
      job.
     
    

    
     
      “After
      no
      one
      applied
     
     
      for
      the
      position
      at
      elections,
     
     
      I
      went
      around
      asking
      people
     
     
      to
      take
      the
      position.
      Finally,
     
     
      Ryan
      agreed,”
      she
      says.
     
    

    
     
      Pollard’s
      involvement
     
     
      stems
      from
      an
      interest
      in
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      politics.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      guess
      that
      I
      first
      got
     
     
      interested
      in
      student
      politics
     
     
      last
      year,
      when
      |
      addressed
     
     
      the
      Student
      Union
      about
      the
     
     
      lack
      of
      debate
      in
      last
      year’s
     
     
      student
      union
      elections,”
      he
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Any
      grievence
      may
      now
      be
      forworded
      to
      Ryan
      Pollard,
      UPEI’s
      new
      Ombudsman
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Photo
      by
      Richard
      Haines
     
    
   
   
    
     
      explains.
      “I
      thought
      that
      eve-
     
     
      ryone
      who
      went
      up
      for
      elec-
     
     
      tion
      should
      have
      campaigned
     
     
      on
      a
      platform,
      not
      coasted
     
     
      along.”
     
    

    
     
      He
      marks
      that
      episode
     
     
      as
      the
      first
      thing
      that
      got
      him
     
     
      involved
      in
      student
      union
     
     
      politics.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      stayed
      involved
      in
     
     
      politics,
      and
      then,
      when
     
     
      Pauline
      [Tran]
      asked
      me
      if
      I
     
     
      wanted
      to
      go
      for
      the
      position
     
     
      of
      ombudsman,
      |
      said
      ‘sure.’”
     
    

    
     
      Already,
      in
      his
      short
     
     
      tenure
      to
      date,
      he
      has
      dealt
     
     
      with
      some
      problems
      posed
      to
     
     
      him
      by
      some
      students,
      con-
     
     
      firming
      the
      essential
      nature
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Revenu
     
     
      Canada
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Revenue
     
     
      Canada
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ivi
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “TAME
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Easier
      tax
      filing
      and
     
     
      faster
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      It’s
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      your
      fingertips,
      and
      |
     
     
      available
      seven
      days
      a
      week.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Check
      your
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      site
      at:
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      www.rc.gc.ca/telefile/
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      the
      post.
      “I
      think
      that
      every
     
     
      university
      needs
      the
      position
     
     
      of
      ombudsman,”
      he
      stresses.
     
     
      Pollard
      will
      continue
     
     
      in
      the
      position
      of
      ombudsman
     
     
      only
      until
      the
      end
      of
      the
      se-
     
     
      mester,
      at
      which
      point
      he
      will
     
     
      graduate
      from
      UPEI.
      He
     
     
      urges
      other
      students
      to
      get
     
     
      involved.
     
     
      “We
      need
      more
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      involved
      in
      campus
      poli-
     
     
      tics.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Any
      student
      who
      has
      a
     
     
      problem
      with
      UPEI
      can
      con-
     
     
      tact
      Ryan
      Pollard
      at
     
     
      <rpollard@upei.ca>.
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
       
     
     
           
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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