Letters
      to
      the
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Mysterious
      Concept
      of
      "Free-Time”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      the
      surprise
      of
      us
      all,
      those
      of
      us
      taking
      the
      one
      year
      "instant
     
     
      teacher"
      program
      are
      still
      very
      much
      alive
      and
      kicking.
      Just
     
     
      think,
      here
      it
      is
      the
      beginning
      of
      November
      and
      we
      have
      only
     
     
      75%
      of
      our
      course
      work
      to
      complete
      before
      Christmas!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Nevertheless,
      what
      really
      gets
      my
      goat
      (no
      farm
      jokes,
      please!)
      is
     
     
      the
      tendency
      of
      our
      wonderful
      professorship
      to
      assume
      we
      don’t
     
     
      have
      enough
      work
      to
      do
      as
      it
      is.
      Here
      we
      are
      with
      six
      courses
     
     
      a
      term
      already,
      and
      a
      number
      of
      our
      intrepid
      faculty
      members
     
     
      insist
      on
      giving
      us
      extra
      work
      to
      fill
      up
      all
      the
      "free-time”
      we
     
     
      must
      (supposedly)
      have
      far
      too
      much
      of.
      Now,
      it
      seems
      to
      me
     
     
      that
      I
      had
      a
      life
      outside
      of
      school
      once
      (in
      fact,
      I
      can
      almost
     
     
      dredge
      up
      memories
      from
      my
      four
      years
      at
      Dalhousie
      that
     
     
      confirm
      this
      theory...),
      but
      any
      recollections
      of
      such
      a
      thing
      as
      a
     
     
      "social
      life"
      have
      all
      but
      become
      extinct
      due
      to
      lack
      of
     
     
      reinforcement
      (Who
      says
      Educational
      Psychology
      doesn’t
      come
     
     
      in
      handy!?!
      For
      example,
      I
      haven't
      stepped
      inside
      a
      club
      or
     
     
      movie
      theatre
      since
      late
      August
      and
      the
      mail/Red
      Cross
      packages
     
     
      are
      rapidly
      piling
      up
      since
      my
      friends
      and
      relatives
      figure
      I’m
      in
     
     
      serious
      trouble
      as
      I
      haven’t
      written
      to
      them
      in
      so
      long!!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Now,
      far
      be
      it
      from
      me
      to
      say
      that
      what
      we
      are
      doing
      is
      not
      of
     
     
      practical
      value
      (Yeah,
      I
      know
      what
      you’re
      thinking,
      but
      does
      the
     
     
      program
      have
      to
      be
      so
      intense?
      I
      don’t
      remember
      the
      words
     
     
      "intense"
      and
      "practical"
      being
      synonymous
      (and
      my
      trusty
      "Roget’s
     
     
      Thesaurus"
      confirms
      this
      fact).
      So
      perhaps
      it
      would
      be
      possible
     
     
      to
      ease
      up
      a
      little
      on
      the
      work
      (?!)
      On
      the
      other
      hand,
      after
      this
     
     
      year,
      anything
      has
      to
      be
      easicr...even
      teaching!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tory
      Thorkelson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’m
      Scared
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      do
      not
      want
      to
      admit
      to
      this,
      but
      for
      the
      first
      time
      I’m
      too
     
     
      scared
      to
      walk
      by
      myself
      on
      or
      off
      campus.
      A
      five
      minute
      walk
     
     
      from
      UPEI
      -
      down
      the
      path
      -
      and
      I'm
      safely
      home.
      Hundreds
      of
     
     
      students
      travel
      "the
      path"
      and
      Marysfield
      to
      UPEI
      and
      home
     
     
      again
      every
      day.
      (This
      isn’t
      even
      considering
      the
      hundreds
      of
     
     
      students
      that
      walk
      through
      out
      the
      city
      to
      UPEI.)
      Nothing
     
     
      unusual
      about
      this.
      t
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      have
      been
      travelling
      to
      UPEI,
      via
      this
      route,
      for
      three
      years
      and
     
     
      today
      I
      ran
      home.
      I
      had
      tears
      in
      my
      eyes
      when
      I
      got
      in
      my
      door.
     
     
      No
      one
      was
      chasing
      me,
      but
      I
      didn’t
      feel
      safe
      walking
      alone.
     
     
      Why
      did
      I
      suddenly
      feel
      this
      terror
      inside
      of
      me?
      What
      put
      it
     
     
      there?
      Can
      I
      ever
      get
      rid
      of
      it?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Someone
      said
      to
      me
      that
      it
      was
      normal
      to
      feel
      this.
      (What
      the
     
     
      feeling
      is
      not
      summed-up
      in
      one
      word!)
      Well,
      I
      don’t
      like
      feeling
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "normal".
      I
      would
      much
      rather
      feel
      in
      control
      of
      my
      environment
     
     
      and
      not
      having
      to
      depend
      on
      someone
      else
      to
      walk
      with
      me
      or
     
     
      give
      me
      a
      drive,
      just
      because
      its
      not
      safe
      for
      a
      person
      to
      be
     
     
      walking
      alone
      at
      night.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      tend
      to
      think
      that
      on
      our
      peaceful,
      beautiful
      Island
      that
     
     
      nothing
      could
      harm
      us.
      The
      horror
      stories
      that
      we
      hear
      for
      the
     
     
      larger,
      highly
      populated
      cities
      about
      crime,
      assault
      (in
      all
      its
     
     
      varying
      degrees)
      and
      the
      like
      would
      never
      touch
      us
      personally
      on
     
     
      PEI.
      Let’s
      open
      our
      eyes
      and
      take
      a
      good
      hard
      look
      at
      what
      is
     
     
      happening.
      PEI
      is
      subject
      to
      the
      same
      crimes
      and
      brutality
      as
      is
     
     
      any
      other
      large
      city
      or
      rural
      area.
      We
      shouldn’t
      be
      any
      less
      open
     
     
      or
      educated
      about
      this.
      Probably
      a
      bit
      more
      so!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      too
      often
      we
      cover-up
      taboo
      happenings
      for
      the
      sake
      of
      the
     
     
      family
      and
      friends
      of
      the
      victim;
      we
      wouldn’t
      want
      to
      embarrass
     
     
      the
      family
      any
      more
      than
      need
      be.
      I
      respect
      this.
      But,
      do
      we
     
     
      not
      have
      an
      obligation
      to
      the
      rest
      of
      society
      to
      educate
      them
     
     
      about
      such
      things;
      things
      that
      can
      happen
      to
      you
      and
      I.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Assault-brutal
      assault,
      is
      closer
      to
      you
      than
      you
      think.
      Do
      your
     
     
      part
      in
      safe
      guarding
      yourself
      from
      these
      sick
      people.
      Do
      not
     
     
      walk
      home
      alone,
      buddy
      up;
      take
      a
      self-defense
      course;
      don’t
     
     
      walk
      as
      if
      your
      scared-keep
      your
      head
      high.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Don’t
      be
      scared
      -
      be
      in
      control.
     
     
      Anonymous
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      was
      very
      much
      intrigued
      by
      the
      ostensibly
      weak-minded
      (and
     
     
      whining)
      letter
      in
      the
      November
      1
      issue
      of
      Panther
      X-Press
      which
     
     
      condemned
      the
      apparent
      weakmindedness
      of
      the
      CFS.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      letter
      was
      signed
      "A
      student".
      The
      word
      student
      is
      usually
     
     
      reserved
      for
      those
      who
      are
      learning
      something.
      However,
      in
      this
      -
     
     
      case
      it
      is
      obvious
      that
      achieving
      an
      education
      amounts
      to
      little
     
     
      more
      than
      a
      farce
      for
      this
      person,
      who
      has
      no
      understanding
      of
     
     
      the
      CFS,
      no
      understanding
      of
      the
      80's
      or
      90's,
      and
      most
      likely,
     
     
      no
      understanding
      of
      the
      60's
      either.
      '
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I'm
      sorry,
      but
      such
      a
      person
      is
      not
      worthy
      of
      the
      title
      "student".
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sincerely,
     
     
      Gaynor
      Watson
     
     
      Student
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      15,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      4