Ain a a A a aap eb linn ete ne FR Ta a ea What is "French Inversion’ anyway? by Vivian Huizenga Surprising enough, many people have misconceptions as to what the French Immersion pro- gram is all about. They say things like: “God, you must be re- ally good to take your sub- jects in French!” “So what are the courses you take in French?” “Holy Toledo, its worth 5 courses!” Listen, prior to the course I had _ absolutely no French schooling. All my secondary schooling was in the USA and we had the choice of German or French. I took German because only prissy girls took French. Well... liv- ing in Canada, French is such an advantage, I de- cided to take a deep breath . and dive in. I was so scared,especially because I knew I’d be at the bot- tom of the pile unlike most Canadian students. I went to see Professor Blouin about what I could do to prepare myself and started a series of tapes and a book to practice with over the summer. Merci beaucoup! Immersion student group is divided into A and B classes based on a compre- hension test taken the first day.) Yes sir, we are try- ing to concentrate on the present class but our stom- achs are churning with anx- program iety for the next class! So is worth five courses. but far, one hour is devoted we are studying the French to grammar and vocabu- language, upside down, in- lary, another to repetition side out and all around. and familiarity with sim- The course starts at 9:00 ple structures and sounds, AM and finishes at 12:00. and then the scary class is No break, no English, no comprehension that is just mercy. We rotate profes- out of reach and we must sors with a diflérent one for strain to respond to forceful ‘each hour, each with their interrogation like; What! own presentation. Some Repeté, say it louder, I are sweet, gentle and en- don’t like your monsieur, couraging. “Come on, your it’s not sh sh sh, monsieur!, brains are like computers, If you look down, I’m going it’s amazing what we can to ask you a question, ha learn” or “Oh, if that’s too ha! I’m not going to shoot hard for you, don’t worry. you! (no, just ours feeling) It takes time to learn all What? He put the car in this.” Then there is one his pocket? C’mon Tracy. whom you can hear all the Again. Again. Again. way down the hall with the - A class. (The total French The French Immersion Help us! It’s like run- ning for cover from a rapid Alle SMITH “UME CORONK OMORROW’'S TECHNOLOGY AT YOUR TOUCH. JUST WRITE FOR ANY COURSE... Smith Corona On Campus © Spell-Right™ electronic dictionary checks spelling of 50,000 words. ®@ WordFind™ locates errors. @ Full line memory correction allows correction from one character to an entire line. ® WordEraser® removes an entire word return, auto center, auto ha e, auto PORE ea rrae awS, Save $40.00 $309.95 $39.95 month (x9 XL:1000 Electronic Typewriter Save $30.00 $259.95 or Rent to Own $34.95 month (x9) Carter & Co. Ltd or Rent to-Own | | 74 Queen St. "566-4260 =—Page 12 | Marian/ Bernadine Update With the start of a new year things are busy for ev- eryone and the residents of Marian and Bernadine are no exception. With everything from elections to parties, haircuts to water raids going on, this year promises to be one of the best yet. Congratulations are extended to this year’s new ex- ecutive. —Marian’s include: Dave Valley, President; Brady McVarish, Vice President; Greg Wilson, comptroller; and Mark Ronahan, treasurer. From Bernadine we have Tracey Gullage, President; Dorothy Hachey, Vice Presi- dent; Karen Anne Ellsworth, treasurer; Brenda Gallant, secretary; Lori Barry and Laura Kilfoil, food representa- tives. A special word of congratulations goes out to Cathy Ronahan, the new head resident at Bernadine Hall. The new year also brings thoughts of initiation for the Freshmen and fun for the Upperclassmen. Though noth- ing formal in this area has been done yet, there are stories of a few Freshmen getting wet during a swim in Lake Mar- ian. Take it from a former Freshmen, the best is yet to " come. In other news, it seems the seems the friendly ri- valry between Bernadine and Marian is as strong as ever. Bernadine girls recently retaliated to a water attack from the guys. Though no details of the girl’s attack were given, . it was said that Marian bathrooms could have been used as laundry rooms!(?) The attack of the girls took place in’ the early morning after which both houses enjoyed break- fast at the cafeteria. It was all in fun and no offense was intended. Is the war over or will Marian retaliate once more? : Speaking of fun, a special thanks should be given to Brady MecVarish and Gregg Flynn for hosting that great “Welcome Back” party. It was a rocking party and a good time was had by all. Thanks guys. So that’s all from the residents for now. Next column will be on a more serious topic: Bernadine’s adoption of their own foster child. For now here’s a thought for the. week; If you need a haircut see Kelley in room 200B Mar- ian. He may even initial it for you! . fa eA A Oe TS MS Oe ee eS eae Ae ee 2 ee ee firing machine gun. Some- ra one even fainted before that ys class! Seriously, it’s all RY done in good spirit and the ¢y fruits are sweet. QB Bon, nous etudient et _ > ; France. Nous pouvons F France parle de plus en plus. Moi aussie. Merci. =. %© wv @ ae Correction Correction i The story on page 3 of last week’s Gem “Gift Donated for Rink Restoration” listed the amount donated far be- low the correct sum. Mr. Young actually made a gift of - $300,000. We apologize for this error. . Notice Nominations for the following Student Council posi- tions will be opening Thursday, Sept. 24 1987: 1 Science Representative 1 Education Representative 1 Vetrinary Medicine Representative 2 Senate Representativéa 1 Board of Governors Representative 1 Business Representative 1 Freshman Class Representative Nominations will close Wednsday, Oct. 7 1987 at 4:30pm. with a compuslory nominee’s meeting at 5:00pm Elections run October 15-16. Nomination forms may - be picked up at the Student Union Office in the Barn, Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:00 pm. : 24 1984 SS ee