Anyone can contribute to The GEM. Submis- sions can be dropped off at the Barn, sent through VAX MAIL to GEM, or stuck on our door down in the basement of the utility building. Our phone number is 566-0629 or 566-0530. We cherish typed and double spaced sub- missions and submissions on computer. disk or through VAX mail. For legal reasons, all submis- sions must include the author’s name and phone number. However, names will be withheld from publication on request. The GEM is published by the University of Prince Edward Island Student Union. Views ex- - pressed are not necessarily those of the GEM staff, the UPEI Student Union, or of anyone in particu- Cora—Lee DesRoches Co-Editors: . ids Dawnne Chappelle Production Editor: Jan Mollison Advertising Manager: Derrick Cameron Typesetter: Simon Berge Photographer: Vivian Huizenga Sports Editor: Matthew Beardsley Entertainment Editor: Dawn Ambler Graphics Editor: Jim Macgrath Systems Manager: James Connolly Circulation Manager: Chris Vessey Blessed are the editors who expect nothing... for they will not be disappointed. Jar. We reserve the right to edit submissions due to space or taste limita- tions. We reserve the right not to print submissions that are sub- mitted after Monday at 3:00pm. $ DID YOU KNOW? By Wendy Drake Master’s program at UPEI? Yes, there certainly is! On April 15, 1986 the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission approved the proposal for an M.Sc. program at U.P.E.I. The first student enrolled in January 1987. - As of September 1988, there were fifteen full-time and four part-time students in the program. Our first successful Master’s examination occurred six weeks ago. Here are facts and comments from the people in- volved...... Richard Gallant, a graduate student from P.E.I. states “ U.P.E.I. is a very logi- cal place to have an M.Sc. pro- gram because students have easy access to field-type data on agri- cultural and aquacultural farms from which laboratory projects can be devised.” As well, Janice Gillis, a graduate student, notes «the Atlantic Veterinary College -has provided all the modern research facilities and excellent equipment with which the highest standards in Master’s.work can be achieved.” some Dr. Jim Bellamy, Coordi- nator of Graduate Studies and Research, points out “this is the first graduate program at U.P.E.I. so all procedures, regula- tions, courses, etc., are being de- veloped for the first time; but, as each year passes more resources and especially people are avail- able to support the grad program, thereby improving it each year.” Dr. Jamie Amend, Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, commented on the advantage/disadvantage of doing grad studies at U.P.E.L; “the greatest advantages are the new- ness and enthusiasm of the fac- ulty, and the extraordinary facil- ities and equipment. The disad- vantages also relate to newness. Courses are not yet optimal in presentation or number and tra- ditions are not yet established in program and policy.” The M.Sc. degree at U.P.E.I. requires the demonstration of a reasonable mastery of a concen- trated field of study. The latter is attested by achieving satisfactory standings in a minimum of four graduate courses, completion of a research project and writing a thesis based upon the research. Grad students can register in one of the four academic departments of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Anatomy and Phys- iology, Pathology and Microbi- ology, Health Management, and Companion Animals. Research projects ranging from the preser- vation of fish sperm to the neu- rotoxicity of domoic acid are be- ing carried out-at this time. Some other areas of study, to name a few, include microanatomy, para- sitology of wildlife, herd manage- ,_ ment, and clinical pathology. De- pending on the individual’s thesis topic, projects could involve one or more of several species of ani- mals. At the Vet College there is also considerable interaction and cooperation among the depart- ments to provide courses and re- search facilities to meet the needs of individual students and their research projects. “The struc- ture and smallness of the College allows for tremendous interdisci- plinary discussion and consulta- tion, something that can be miss- ing from larger places” suggests Bryan Grimmelt, grad student, Toxicolos How does a Master’s student compare to undergrads or profes- sional students? “ The fundamen- tal difference as I see it”, offers Dr. J. Amend, “is the commit- ment to specialty. A graduate student must narrowly identify his/her area of expertise and in- deed begin to become an expert.” Rosemary Hood, a grad student in Physiology, commented on the differences as follows: “under- grads and professional students, once in the program, have one goal - to learn the presented ma- ~ terial and graduate irito their ca- reer (goal). ‘must define their own goals, de- ‘cide on the route to meet. this goal, work out the logistics, re- late to academics in a sharing en- vironment, and do original work, often on their own.” Dr. Arnost Cepica, Assistant Professor in Vi- rology, put it this way, “graduate students are expected to possess curious and investigative minds that are not satisfied with the current knowledge, and are stim- ulated rather than discouraged by problems. The graduate stu- dent is an avid reader of scien- tific literature that is not confined to his/her area of specialization. Graduate ‘students. ‘I'he student has a desire to a alyze facts and synthesize th into the original views. A stude collects and tests methods, willing to work with persistenq and is able to progress in 4 face of unpredictable obstacle Dr. J. Bellamy added “ grad st dents, in general, have an intel interest in their chosen dis pline and their eagerness to le acts as a constant stimulus both undergraduates and facull They.-receive disciplined kno! edge and research experience 4 in turn contribute knowledge their discipline through their “search.” Dr. David Sims, Ass ciate Professor of Microanato" noted “grad» students are ! quently more abstract think less interested in salary, ™ likely to want to explore kn0' edge and learning for their in" sic values.” Dr. J. Amend 544 marized these thoughts by 52) “graduate study is a time i? where self-interest is okay. ing this time students should internally dedicated to the " ory of their field and the tech” ogy of their research. These ! activities should not be disp!4 by anything.” 7 @eCont.on Page Thursday, November 17, 19% cae