News
      &
      Features
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Student
      Union
      President
      Michelle
      McCallum
      and
      Bruce
      Davison
      (displaying
     
     
      the
      pleasant
      demeanour
      required
      of
      a
      V?E
      )
      2t
      the
      rally.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Students
      protest
     
    
   
   
    
     
      funding
      freeze
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stacy
      Dunn
     
     
      he
      provincial
      government
      got
      an
      early
     
     
      i;
      Valentine’s
      Day
      card
      from
      the
      Student
     
     
      Union
      on
      Thursday,
      February
      11th
      in
     
     
      front
      of
      the
      Shaw
      building
      downtown.
      This
     
     
      card,
      which
      was
      presented
      by
      Student
      Union
     
     
      President
      Michelle
      MacCallum
      to
      education
     
     
      minister
      Paul
      Connolly,
      said
      ‘‘Cuts
      are
      Break-
     
     
      ing
      Our
      Hearts’’
      and
      was
      signed
      by
      students
     
     
      who
      are
      concerned
      with
      the
      Liberal
      govern-
     
     
      ment’s
      freeze
      on
      funding
      to
      the
      university
      and
     
     
      the
      inaccessibility
      of
      provincial
      bursaries.
     
     
      Approximately
      thirty
      people
      joined
     
     
      MacCallum
      on
      a
      cold
      Thursday
      afternoon
      to
     
     
      voice
      their
      views
      on
      the
      government’s
      treat-
     
     
      ment
      of
      university
      students.
      Vice
      President
     
     
      External
      of
      the
      Student
      Union,
      Bruce
      Davison,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      stated
      that
      post
      secondary
      education
      has
      to
     
     
      resort
      to
      lobbying.
      He
      adds
      that
      we
      don’t
      want
     
     
      this
      pressure
      on
      the
      government,
      but
      it
      is
      the
     
     
      government’s
      choice
      that
      this
      (rally)
      is
      happen-
     
     
      ing.
      ‘‘As
      this
      budget
      deficit
      is
      worsening’,
     
     
      Davison
      remarks
      ‘‘(it
      is
      creating)
      the
      develop-
     
     
      ment
      of
      the
      human
      deficit.”’
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      rally,
      Paul
      Connolly
      met
      with
      the
     
     
      crowd
      outside
      to
      receive
      his
      card
      and
      show
      his
     
     
      support
      for
      the
      students.
      He
      said
      that
      he
      realizes
     
     
      the
      importance
      of
      education
      and
      he
      was
      going
      to
     
     
      meet
      with
      cabinet
      to
      discuss
      the
      funding
      freeze.
     
     
      Connolly
      blamed
      the
      funding
      situation
      on
      the
     
     
      reduction
      of
      the
      federal
      government’s
      equaliza-
     
     
      tion
      payments
      and
      stressed
      that
      he
      stands
      by
      the
     
     
      bursary
      program.
     
    

    
     
      While
      Connolly
      was
      outside,
      some
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rally-goers
      asked
      him
      about
      the
      funding
      inad-
     
     
      equacies.
      To
      these
      people.
      his
      acknowledg-
     
     
      ments
      fell
      short
      of
      satisfactory.
      Connolly
      just
     
     
      kept
      saying
      he
      stands
      by
      the
      students
      and
      will
     
     
      address
      their
      concerns
      to
      cabinet.
     
    

    
     
      Interestingly,
      a
      father
      of
      two
      daughters
      and
     
     
      New
      Democratic
      Party
      leader
      Larry
      Duchesne
     
     
      attended
      this
      rally.
      The
      father,
      who
      is
      a
      carpen-
     
     
      ter,
      told
      Connolly
      that
      he
      is
      frightened
      that
      he
     
     
      won’tbe
      able
      to
      afford
      to
      send
      his
      two
      daughters
     
     
      to
      university
      and
      added
      he
      worries
      about
      the
     
     
      growing
      unemployment
      situation.
      On
      the
      other
     
     
      hand,
      Duchesne
      noted
      the
      government’s
      poor
     
     
      handling
      of
      education
      and
      stressed
      the
      NDP’s
     
     
      mandate
      to
      provide
      adequate
      funding
      and
      to
     
     
      make
      education
      free
      to
      those
      who
      can’t
      afford
     
     
      the
      expense.
     
    

    
     
      The
      small
      group
      of
      lobbyists
      proved
      by
      their
     
     
      strong
      chants
      (‘‘UPEI
      not
      UI’’)
      and
      questions
      to
     
     
      the
      Education
      Minister
      that
      they
      will
      not
      stand
     
     
      for
      the
      current
      funding
      freeze
      and
      bursary
      una-
     
     
      vailability.
      At
      the
      end
      of
      the
      rally,
      MacCallum
     
     
      and
      Davison
      left
      around
      two-hundred
      cards
      at
     
     
      premier
      Callbeck’s
      office.
      ‘rhese
      cards
      urged
     
     
      her
      to
      show
      her
      understanding
      of
      the
      funding
     
     
      problem
      by
      responding
      to
      the
      students
      who
     
     
      signed
      the
      individual
      cards.
      Even
      if
      Callbeck
     
     
      doesn’taddress
      each
      person,
      at
      least
      the
      Student
     
     
      Union
      knows
      this
      rally
      was
      a
      productive
      one.
     
    

    
     
      @
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LETTERS
      (continued
      from
      last
      page)
     
     
      have
      this
      must
      we
      make
      it
      two
      and
      a
      half
      pages
     
     
      long?
     
    

    
     
      Another
      problem
      is
      that
      there
      is
      rarely
      (al-
     
     
      though
      Feb.
      11th
      issue
      did
      have
      a
      few)
      any
     
     
      U.P.E.I.
      news.
      We
      have
      sports
      teams
      here
      from
     
     
      basketball
      to
      volleyball
      to
      hockey
      yet,
      I
      never
     
     
      see
      any
      news
      on
      the
      games,
      any
      action
      shots,
      or
     
     
      moreimportantly
      personal
      interviews.
      The
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      also
      has
      intramural
      sports,
      Student
      Union
     
     
      functions,
      committee
      meetings
      and
      general
     
     
      U.P.E.I.
      information
      that
      the
      students
      never
     
     
      hear
      anything
      about
      unless
      of
      course
      it
      is
      nega-
     
     
      tive.
      We
      have
      a
      beautiful
      Field
      House
      that
      the
     
     
      newspaper
      could
      have
      a
      fitness
      page
      with
      dif-
     
     
      ferent
      nutrition
      and
      exercise
      tips
      every
      week,
     
     
      but
      no,
      we
      have
      to
      read
      about
      Superman
      or
     
     
      Twentysomething
      instead
      of
      reading
      about
      the
     
     
      most
      important
      people
      on
      campus...all
      of
      us!
     
    

    
     
      I
      see
      little
      effort
      on
      your
      part
      to
      make
      this
     
     
      paper
      more
      personal
      for
      the
      students.
      I
      under-
     
     
      stand
      about
      having
      articles
      to
      interest
      all
      peo-
     
     
      ple,
      freedom
      of
      press,
      etc.
      but
      it
      sure
      would
      be
     
     
      nice
      to
      see
      a
      weekly
      review
      about
      our
      hockey
     
     
      team,
      basketball
      teams
      or
      campus
      life
      in
      general
     
     
      instead
      of
      a
      NHL
      review
      with
      the
      last
      tw?
     
     
      paragraphs
      lost
      in
      the
      end
      referring
      to
      the
      Pan-
     
     
      thers.
      The
      article
      said,
      ‘‘It
      really
      is
      too
      bad
      tha!
     
     
      not
      very
      many
      U.P.E.I.
      students
      attend
      the
     
     
      Panther
      games...lack
      of
      support
      is
      always
      4
     
     
      factor
      contributing
      to
      a
      team’s
      success
      or
      fail:
     
     
      ure...’”
      Maybe
      your
      news
      team
      would
      like
      '°
     
     
      take
      this
      into
      consideration
      when
      bringing
      '!
     
     
      gether
      your
      next
      paper.
      Think
      about
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Sincerely:
     
     
      Treena
      Gallant