The
      Panther
      Prints
      #
      March
      18,
      Thy
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      letters
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      editor...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Artistic
      freedom
     
    
   
   
    
     
      }
     
     
      Editor:
      \
     
    

    
     
      Two
      friends
      of
      mine
      were
      recently
      kicked
      out
      of
      their
     
     
      Creative
      Writing
      class
      because
      they
      were
      disruptive
      and
     
     
      over-opinionated.
      I
      am
      writing
      this
      letter
      to
      defend
      their
     
     
      “improper”
      behavior
      and
      to
      also
      discuss
      something,
      which
     
     
      I
      think
      is
      important
      for
      some
      UPEI
      students
      to
      hear.
     
    

    
     
      Due
      to
      lack
      of
      allotted
      space,
      I
      can’t
      go
      in-depth
      into
     
     
      the
      many
      details
      of
      this
      situation.
      Here
      are
      some
      things
      that
     
     
      are
      worthy
      to
      note
      though:
      Along
      with
      the
      course
      professor,
     
     
      there
      was
      outside
      involvement
      from
      another
      prof
      who,
     
     
      admittedly,
      had
      the
      right
      to
      get
      involved
      in
      the
      matter.
      What
     
     
      this
      prof
      didn’t
      have
      the
      right
      to
      do
      was
      send
      e-mail
     
     
      messages
      to
      the
      two
      students
      commenting
      not
      only
      on
      their
     
     
      behavior
      in
      the
      course,
      but
      also
      on
      other,
      unrelated
      personal
     
     
      issues
      (like
      the
      writing
      method
      of
      one
      of
      the
      students
      and
      the
     
     
      academic
      careers
      of
      both).
      These
      additional
      comments
     
     
      were
      totally
      out
      of
      place
      and
      revealed
      an
      appalling
      vengeful
     
     
      streak
      and
      an
      equally
      appalling
      ignorance
      on
      the
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      professor
      :
      a
      Creative
      Writing
      course
      is
      no
      place
      for
      a
     
     
      student
      to
      discuss
      his/her
      writing
      methods??
     
    

    
     
      It
      should
      be
      added
      that
      the
      messy
      way
      in
      which
      these
     
     
      professors
      handled
      this
      whole
      ordeal
      has
      considerably
     
     
      damaged
      the
      academic
      spirit
      of
      the
      aforementioned
      stu-
     
     
      dents.
      They
      are
      doubtful
      they
      will
      return
      to
      UPEI
      next
     
     
      school
      year.
     
    

    
     
      I
      am
      really
      writing
      this
      letter
      to
      lament
      about
      a
      trend
     
     
      I
      have
      noticed
      in
      certain
      areas
      of
      the
      UPEI
      English
     
     
      program/dept.
      While
      I
      am
      not
      defending
      the
      perhaps
     
     
      disrespectful
      way
      in
      which
      the
      two
      students
      behaved,
      I
      feel
     
     
      it
      necessary
      to
      defend
      their
      outspokenness
      and
      passion.
      It
     
     
      has
      become
      evident
      to
      me
      that
      certain
      professors
      here
      are
     
     
      not
      sympathetic
      to
      those
      who
      want
      to
      retain
      their
      individu-
     
     
      ality
      and
      originality...at
      least
      not
      in
      thir
      classroom.
      If
      there
     
     
      is
      no
      room
      in
      a
      CreativeWriting
      course
      for
      someone
      who
     
     
      has
      high
      ideals
      and
      a
      sometimes
      “over-passionate”
      opinion
     
     
      of
      Iterature
      then
      is
      there
      room
      anywhere
      in
      UPEI
      for
      the
     
     
      person?
      And
      if
      not
      then
      how
      dare
      we
      teach
      students
      the
     
     
      lives
      and
      works
      of
      Shakespeare,
      D.H.
      Lawrence,
      Walt
     
     
      Whitman,
      William
      Blake,
      or
      Jack
      Kerouac.
      Maybe
      we’re
     
     
      more
      comfortable
      with
      a
      dead
      Whitman
      then
      a
      living
      one?
     
     
      The
      truth
      is
      the
      average
      UPEI
      student
      enrolled
      in
      the
     
     
      English
      program
      can
      neither
      sympathize
      with
      nor
      truly
     
     
      understand
      much
      of
      the
      art
      and
      artists
      they
      study
      in
      class.
     
     
      Some
      of
      these
      people
      are
      the
      moral
      and
      intellectual
      de-
     
     
      scendants
      of
      those
      who
      exiled
      Lawrence
      from
      England,
     
     
      who
      put
      Burroughs
      and
      Ginsberg
      on
      trial
      for
      their
      works.
     
     
      It’s
      a
      shame
      that
      some
      professors
      have
      to
      come
      down
      to
     
     
      this
      level,
      that
      they
      feel
      the
      need
      to
      protect
      these
      handi-
     
     
      capped
      sensitivities.
      As
      a
      student
      of
      a
      university
      and
      as
      an
     
     
      artist
      |
      am
      completely
      disappionted
      and
      saddened
      by
      this
     
     
      trend.
      |
     
    

    
     
      Maybe
      I’ve
      said
      too
      much,
      maybe
      I’ve
      let
      my
      emo-
     
     
      tions
      get
      the
      best
      of
      me...obviously,
      that
      can
      be
      a
      dangerous
     
     
      thing
      to
      let
      happen
      in
      this
      university.
      $.0.S,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -GD.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      support
      of
      CFS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      the
      Editor,
      Panther
      Prints:
      {
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      understand
      that
      there
      is
      currently
      a
      referendum
      being
     
     
      held
      at
      the
      University
      of
      Prince
      Edward
      Island,
      asking
      students
     
     
      if
      they
      wish
      to
      become
      members
      of
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
     
     
      Students.
      As
      VP-External
      Affairs
      of
      a
      member
      local
      of
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students(McGill
      Post-Graduate
      Stu-
     
     
      dents’
      Society,
      local
      79),
      I
      would
      like
      to
      comment
      on
      how
      vital
     
     
      membership
      in
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students
      has
      been
     
     
      for
      the
      work
      of
      external
      affairs
      and
      government
      relations,
      and
     
     
      for
      university
      affairs
      work.
     
    

    
     
      As
      VP-External,
      I
      count
      on
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
     
     
      Students
      to
      keep
      me
      up
      to
      date
      on
      issues
      of
      governmental
      policy
     
     
      that
      affect
      students’
      live.
      Each
      year
      at
      the
      annual
      general
     
     
      meeting,
      all
      the
      members
      of
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
     
     
      Students
      work
      to
      develop
      national
      campaigns
      into
      which
      mem-
     
     
      ber
      locals
      can
      plug.
      Then
      the
      national
      office
      prepares
      high
     
     
      quality
      materials
      to
      help
      in
      implementing
      the
      campaigns,
      and
     
     
      membership
      advisories,
      to
      constantly
      keep
      members
      informed
     
     
      of
      the
      decisions
      that
      are
      being
      made
      in
      the
      House
      of
      Commons,
     
     
      and
      the
      effect
      these
      decisions
      could
      have
      on
      students.
      Further-
     
     
      more,
      throughout
      the
      year,
      we
      have
      a
      strong
      voice
      in
      Ottawa
      as
     
     
      elected
      executive
      members
      and
      staff
      continually
      make
      our
     
     
      positions
      known
      in
      the
      House
      of
      Commons.
      That
      we
      are
      heard
     
     
      is
      attested
      by
      the
      fact
      that
      many
      of
      our
      recommendations
      to
      the
     
     
      Standing
      committee
      on
      Finance
      were
      accepted
      this
      year.
     
    

    
     
      In
      addition,
      the
      issues
      that
      student
      leaders
      have
      to
      deal
     
     
      with,
      such
      as
      tuition
      hikes
      and
      inequitable
      university
      policy
      can
     
     
      be
      overwhelming
      at
      times.
      Membership
      in
      a
      large
      national
     
     
      student
      organization
      is
      useful
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      collecting
      data
     
     
      and
      resources
      to
      help
      in
      the
      fight
      s
      that
      have
      often
      been
      fought
     
     
      elsewhere
      first.
      Many
      times
      I
      have
      been
      able
      to
      call
      either
      the
     
     
      national
      office,
      or
      the
      Ontario
      component
      for
      research
      docu-
     
     
      ments
      that
      the
      staff
      have
      compiled.
     
    

    
     
      Finally,
      on
      a
      personal
      note,
      I
      would
      encourage
      students
     
     
      to
      join
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students
      if
      for
      no
      other
     
     
      reason
      than
      the
      Federation
      offers
      many
      services
      for
      students
     
     
      such
      as
      the
      Student
      Saver
      Card
      and
      the
      free
      International
     
     
      Student
      Identity
      Card
      (regularly
      $15.00
      for
      no
      members).
     
     
      Membership
      in
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students
      is
      quite
     
     
      possibly
      one
      of
      the
      best
      decisions
      you
      could
      make
      when
      it
     
     
      comes
      to
      looking
      out
      for
      the
      wellbeing
      of
      students.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sincerely,
     
    

    
     
      Erin
      Runions
     
    

    
     
      VP-External
      Affairs
     
    

    
     
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