Marcu
      1,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      ©
      5
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LETTERS
      TO
      THE
      EDITOR
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor,
     
    

    
     
      Re:
      Ian’s
      response
      to
      my
      opinion
      on
     
     
      Saint
      Mary’s
      University’s
      decision
      to
     
     
      ban
      an
      exploitative
      calendar
      from
     
     
      campus
     
     
      I
      will
      happily
      explain
      my
     
     
      rationale,
      Ian.
      To
      begin
      with,
      allow
      me
     
     
      to
      clarify
      some
      things:
      At
      no
      point
      have
     
     
      I
      claimed
      that
      the
      individual
      women
      who
     
     
      were
      photographed
      for
      the
      calendar
     
     
      were
      personally
      “exploited”
      (although
     
     
      many
      scholars
      could
      and
      would
      argue
     
     
      that),
      or
      that
      their
      “free
      will”
      should
      be
     
     
      “taken
      away”.
      I
      argued
      that
      the
      women
     
     
      were
      dehumanized,
      and
      that
     
     
      exploitative
      images
      (those
      which
     
     
      exploited
      the
      female
      body
      as
      strictly
      a
     
     
      sex
      object,
      and
      thus
      exploited
      all
     
     
      females)
      should
      be
      disallowed
      at
     
     
      universities,
      which
      are
      supposed
      to
      be
     
     
      institutions
      of
      higher
      learning.
     
     
      “Exploitation”
      and
      “dehumanization”
      as
     
     
      you
      may
      or
      may
      not
      know,
      are
      not
     
     
      interchangeable
      words.
      Dehumanization
     
     
      is
      the
      act
      of
      which
      Pederson
      is
      guilty.
     
     
      He
      stripped
      the
      women
      of
      their
      human
     
     
      qualities,
      and
      presented
      them
     
     
      specifically
      as
      sexual
      objects.
      Ian
     
     
      MacDonald
      (someone
      you
      know?)
     
     
      unintentionally
      illustrated
      the
     
     
      impropriety
      of
      Pederson’s
      actions
      when
     
     
      he
      attempted
      to
      defend
      the
      calendar,
     
     
      saying,
      “the
      female
      body
      is
      a
      beautiful
     
     
      thing,
      let
      it
      be
      partially
      exposed”.
      Ian
     
     
      MacDonald
      doesn’t
      seem
      to
      grasp
      that
     
     
      there
      is
      a
      great
      deal
      more
      to
      a
      female
     
     
      than
      her
      physical
      form,
      and
      when
     
     
      females
      are
      reduced
      strictly
      to
      their
     
     
      appearance,
      they
      are
      unarguably
      being
     
     
      dehumanized.
     
    

    
     
      I
      agree
      with
      you
      that
      what
     
     
      individuals
      do
      with
      their
      bodies
      is
      their
     
     
      own
      business.
      Contrary
      to
      your
     
     
      impression,
      I
      am
      in
      full
      support
      of
      free
     
     
      speech,
      free
      will,
      and
      free
      expression
     
     
      of
      the
      individual
      -
      that
      is,
      until
      one
     
     
      person’s
      “freedom”
      infringes
      on
      the
     
     
      freedom
      of
      others
      and
      jeopardizes
      their
     
     
      health,
      safety,
      or
      well-being.
      I
      think
      it
      is
     
     
      also
      integral
      to
      question
      the
      very
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      concept
      of
      “freedom”
      and
      what
      cultural
     
     
      constructs
      and
      ideas
      dictate
      the
     
     
      expressions
      individuals
      make
      “‘freely”’.
     
     
      An
      example,
      as
      it
      pertains
      to
      this
      case,
     
     
      might
      be
      that
      many
      esteemed
     
     
      sociologists
      and
      psychologists
      have
     
     
      speculated
      that
      the
      high
      rate
      of
      male
     
     
      sexual
      violence
      against
      women
      is
      due
     
     
      in
      part
      to
      the
      common-place
      sexual
     
     
      objectification
      of
      women
      in
      our
      culture:
     
     
      When
      youth
      are
      constantly
      exposed
      to
     
     
      images
      of
      sexualized
      women
      and
      the
     
     
      message
      that
      women
      are
      primarily
      sex
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      objects
      is
      reinforced,
      it
      is
      not
      surprising
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      the
      rates
      of
      rape,
      sexual
      violence,
     
     
      and
      sexual
      domination
      by
      men
      are
      as
     
     
      high
      as
      they
      are
      in
      this
      country.
      Thus,
     
     
      widespread
      sexual
      objectification
      plays
     
     
      a
      role
      in
      perpetuating
      sexual
      violence
     
     
      against
      women.
      Perhaps
      those
      women
     
     
      who
      chose
      to
      “express
      themselves”
      as
     
     
      sexual
      objects
      should
      have
      first
     
     
      considered
      the
      implications
      of
      their
     
     
      involvement
      in
      the
      calendar,
      just
      as
     
     
      Pederson
      should.
      In
      any
      case,
      I
      have
     
     
      minimal
      interest
      in
      the
      “free
      will”
      or
     
     
      “expression”
      of
      the
      women
      who
     
     
      participated
      in
      the
      calendar.
      My
      interest
     
     
      lies
      in
      the
      prohibition
      of
      exploitative
     
     
      images
      of
      women
      specifically
      on
      a
     
     
      university
      campus.
      |
      maintain
      that
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      place
      for
      gender
      inequality
     
     
      at
      a
      modern
      institution
      of
      learning,
      and
     
     
      that
      “showcasing
      some
      of
      the
      beautiful
     
     
      girls
      Saint
      Mary’s
      has
      to
      offer”
      is
      an
     
     
      offensive
      act
      which
      promotes
      gender
     
     
      inequality.
      To
      whom
      and
      for
      what
      is
     
     
      Saint
      Mary’s
      “offering”
      these
      beautiful
     
     
      girls
      that
      it
      supposedly
      possesses?
     
    

    
     
      For
      your
      information,
      there
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _been
      plenty
      said
      about
      calendars
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      male
      firefighters
      and
      the
      like.
      In
      fact,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      there
      are
      loads
      of
      books,
      articles,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      essays
      all
      about
      sex
      and
      gender
      politics,
     
     
      and
      sexual
      exploitation
      concerning
      both
     
     
      women
      and
      men.
      Check
      out
      your
      local
     
     
      library.
      Authors
      such
      as
      Michael
     
     
      Kimmel,
      Michel
      Foucault,
      Kate
     
     
      Bornstein,
      Anne
      Fausto-Sterling,
     
     
      Natalie
      Angier,
      Wendy
      Chapkis,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dorothy
      Smith,
      Eleanor
      MacDonald,
     
     
      and
      many
      others
      would
      be
      a
      good
     
     
      starting
      point
      for
      your
      research
      into
      the
     
     
      issue.
     
    

    
     
      When
      will
      “this
      whole
      topic
      of
     
     
      dehumanizing
      women
      end”
      you
      ask?
      It
     
     
      will
      end
      when
      the
      dehumanization
      of
     
     
      women
      ends.
      Makes
      sense,
      doesn’t
      it?
     
     
      Sincerely,
     
    

    
     
      Lauren
      Warbeck
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor,
     
    

    
     
      This
      letter
      is
      a
      response
      to
      the
     
     
      allegations
      printed
      in
      a
      February
      1st
     
     
      “letter
      to
      the
      editor”
      concerning
     
     
      weekend
      drinking
      at
      Marian
      Hall.
      We,
     
     
      the
      residents
      of
      that
      house,
      must
      state
     
     
      that
      we
      feel
      somewhat
      slighted
      by
      both
     
     
      the
      stance
      and
      manner
      Student
      Council
     
     
      has
      taken
      in
      dealing
      with
      those
     
     
      complaints.
      However,
      before
      we
     
     
      address
      this
      issue,
      we
      must
      articulate
     
     
      and
      clarify
      the
      problem
      at
      hand.
     
    

    
     
      To
      begin,
      the
      February
      1st
      issue
     
     
      of
      the
      Cadre
      carried
      a
      “letter
      to
      the
     
     
      editor”
      portraying
      the
      residents
      of
     
     
      Marian
      Hall
      as
      a
      pack
      of
      wild
      dogs,
     
     
      void
      of
      any
      civility.
      As
      a
      guest
      of
      this
     
     
      residence,
      that
      letter’s
      author
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      entitled
      to
      express
      herself,
      however,
      her
     
    
   
   
    
     
      views
      did
      not
      accurately
      portray
      the
     
     
      events
      of
      that
      evening.
      To
      respect
      the
     
     
      anonymity
      of
      that
      letter’s
      author,
      we
      will
     
     
      refer
      to
      her
      as
      either
      “the
      author”
      or
     
     
      “the
      guest.”
     
    

    
     
      Firstly,
      no
      one
      is
      punished
      for
     
     
      responsible
      drinking.
      The
      fact
      that
      the
     
     
      author
      of
      the
      letter
      was
      banned
      from
     
     
      residence
      was
      a
      reflection
      of
      her
      lack
     
     
      of
      respect
      for
      these
      university
      facilities,
     
     
      this
      residence
      and
      the
      people
      who
      live
     
     
      here.
      The
      question
      is,
      Why
      was
      this
     
     
      student
      barred
      from
      residence?
      The
     
     
      answer
      is
      not
      complicated.
      Her
     
     
      excessive
      drinking
      and
      subsequent
     
     
      vomiting
      made
      an
      entire
      section
      of
      this
     
     
      residence
      inaccessible
      (for
      72
      hours),
     
     
      a
      fact
      she
      neglected
      to
      mention
      in
      her
     
     
      letter.
      To
      appreciate
      the
      severity
      of
      such
     
     
      an
      act,
      one
      must
      consider
      the
      fact
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it
      took
      two
      hours
      for
      the
      custodians
      to
     
     
      clean
      her
      mess.
     
    

    
     
      Secondly,
      the
      author
      of
      the
     
     
      February
      1st
      letter
      portrayed
      her
      time
     
     
      at
      the
      male
      residence
      as
      a
      harrowing
     
     
      experience.
      Why,
      then,
      did
      she
      return
     
     
      the
      following
      weekend?
      In
      her
      letter
      she
     
     
      explains,
      “a
      voice
      within
      [her]
      refused
     
     
      to
      let
      go
      of
      the
      partying
      scene.”
      We
     
     
      wonder,
      Why
      would
      she
      not
      go
      to
      the
     
     
      Wave
      or
      any
      other
      establishment
      in
      the
     
     
      city?
     
    

    
     
      Lastly,
      we
      have
      learned
      much
     
     
      from
      this
      guest’s
      experience.
      Her
     
     
      behaviour
      in
      our
      place
      of
      residence
      was
     
     
      met
      with
      understanding
      and
     
     
      responsibility.
      Had
      the
      actions
      of
      the
     
     
      residence
      advisors,
      security
      staff,
      and
     
     
      our
      fellow
      house-mates
      been
      anything
     
     
      less
      than
      sympathetic,
      the
      author
      of
      the
     
     
      February
      1st
      letter
      would
      likely
      have
     
     
      been
      arrested
      or
      sent
      to
      the
      hospital.
     
     
      Instead,
      we
      pooled
      our
      efforts
      and
     
     
      contacted
      her
      guardians,
      who
      in
      turn
     
     
      came
      and
      picked
      her
      up.
      Furthermore,
     
     
      by
      cleaning
      her
      vomit
      off
      of
      her
      and
     
     
      ensuring
      she
      was
      somewhat
      re-
     
     
      hydrated,
      residents
      of
      this
      house
     
     
      mitigated
      the
      embarrassment
      her
     
     
      parents
      would
      have
      undoubtedly
      faced
     
     
      had
      she
      been
      presented
      to
      them
      in
      the
     
     
      state
      in
      which
      she
      presented
      herself
      to
     
     
      us.
     
    

    
     
      This
      brings
      us
      to
      our
      main
     
     
      issue,
      that
      after
      reading
      the
      February
     
     
      1st
      “letter
      to
      the
      editor,”
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Student
      Union
      Executive
      is
      refusing
      to
     
     
      “make
      available”
      Security
      Staff
      to
     
     
      residence
      events.
      Perhaps
      the
      simplest
     
     
      way
      to
      illustrate
      our
      annoyance
      over
      the
     
     
      Executive’s
      decision
      is
      in
      a
      series
      of
     
     
      rhetorical
      questions:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1)
      Why
      did
      the
      Executive
      base
      their
     
     
      decision
      on
      one,
      seemingly
      flawed,
     
     
      perspective?
     
    

    
     
      la)
      If
      the
      Executive
      understands
      the
     
     
      complexity
      and
      severity
      of
      the
     
     
      allegations
      made
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      on
      page
      6