14 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Cadre 
     
    
   
   
    
     October 28, 1997 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Women's Centre 
     
    
   
   
    
     or 
     
    
   
   
    
     Help Centre? 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     By Colin Bassett 
     
    
   
   
    
     For many students of 
     
     UPEI, the first year of univer- 
     
     sity is also the first year away 
     
     from home. 
     
    

    
     In this new environ- 
     
     ment, these students are quite 
     
     likely to encounter any of the 
     
     many problems that today’s 
     
     students do face, be it drug 
     
     abuse, alcoholism, stress 
     
     caused by this new environ- 
     
     ment, homesickness, financial 
     
     difficulties, sexual abuse or 
     
     harassment, or pregnancy. 
     
     These instances are not rare. 
     
    

    
     The point is that once a 
     
     student finds that he/she is 
     
     faced with a problem, the next 
     
     obstacle is finding help. A 
     
     student in unfamiliar .urround- 
     
     ings runs therisk of just letting 
     
     the problem fester, rather than 
     
     seeking help, even though there 
     
     is a building on campus that 
     
     can offer services and liaisons 
     
     to services which would help 
     
     the students. 
     
    

    
     The services of the 
     
     Women’s Center are avail- 
     
     able to both males and females 
     
     who find themselves in any of 
     
     the above predicaments. 
     
    

    
     Thedilemmahere is that 
     
     many male students are most 
     
     likely unaware of the fact that 
     
     men and women alike are 
     
     welcome to the center, and 
     
     even if they were, most male 
     
     students may not feel very 
     
     confortable in seeking guid- 
     
     ance at a place called the 
     
     Women’s Center. 
     
    

    
     This is not tosay that 
     
     UPEI needs a “Men’s 
     
     Center,” nor does it imply that 
     
     the services offered at 
     
     the Women’s Center are more 
     
     applicableto male students. It 
     
     does imply, however, that if 
     
    
   
   
    
     CHEE DRNO TADS OH 
     
    
   
   
    
     the doors are open to both 
     
     sexes at the Women’s Center, 
     
     it would make more sense to 
     
     change the sign to better rep- 
     
     resent the center’s services. 
     
     Perhaps renaming it the UPEI 
     
     Student Help Center. 
     
    

    
     An informal poll of fe- 
     
     male and male students sup- 
     
     portthis transition. 
     
    

    
     Female students were 
     
     asked “if you were in need of 
     
     hlep, would it matter what the 
     
     name of the Center was called 
     
     where you sought help?” All 
     
     of the women asked revealed 
     
    
   
   
    
     that there was nothign in a 
     
     name. 
     
    

    
     Male students were 
     
     asked “If you were in ned of 
     
     help wild you feel comforatble 
     
     in seeking help at the Wom- 
     
     en’s Center located on cam- 
     
     pus?” All of the men replied 
     
     no. 
     
    

    
     Although a very unsci- 
     
     entific poll with a relatively 
     
     low cross-section of the cam- 
     
     pus, these answers do reflect 
     
     popular opinion. The change 
     
     of the sign would be a step in 
     
     the right direction. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     FOV at VET eae 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Faculty Lounge, undergoing major facelift - photo K. Patterson 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
     The Cadre 
     
     welcomes 
     
     anyone 
     
     who is 
     
     interested 
     
     in informing 
     
    
   
   
    
     A meeting will be 
     
     held on Thursday, 
     
     October 30th at 
     
    
   
   
    
     Main Building 
     
     at 5:00 PM. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Rm 6 
     
    
   
   
    
     No experience 
     
     necessary. 
     
     No shirt, no shoes, 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     no service. 
     
    
   
   
    
     © AE EEIMIE OE EEA ARISEOL I EAN MOCEL IL MER CCEE LL OEE EP OPIETE fF PPT ES BST TE LEDER TAA BEE A AS TS