EDITORIAL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Of
      mice
      and
      MAPUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Suggested
      for
      mature
      readers
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mature
      and
      Part-time
      University
      Students
      (MAPUS)
      organiza-
     
     
      tion
      has
      attracted
      some
      criticism
      with
      a
      newsletter
      they
      recently
     
     
      released
      to
      their
      members.
      The
      letter
      questions
      the
      funding
      of
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Student
      Union
      (SU)
      by
      mature
      full-time
      students,
      inferring
      that
      the
      SU
      is
     
     
      not
      representative
      of
      mature
      students
      and
      that
      there
      are
      other
      funding
     
     
      outlets
      (presumably
      via
      MAPUS)
      that
      might
      better
      serve
      the
      needs
      of
     
     
      mature
      and
      part-time
      students
      at
      UPEI.
      For
      example,
      they
      cite
      the
      X-Press
     
     
      as
      an
      SU
      expenditure
      that
      might
      be
      replaced
      by,
      they
      suggest,
      an
      improved
     
     
      student
      medical
      plan
      (a
      patently
      ridiculous
      proposal
      in
      that
      the
      student
     
     
      -
      fees
      allotted
      to
      the
      X-Press
      annually
      would
      not
      even
      come
      close
      to
      funding
     
     
      such
      a
      plan-
      to
      say
      nothing
      of
      the
      fact
      that
      our
      present
      medical
      plan
      is
     
     
      provided
      through
      the
      CFS,
      and
      our
      CFS
      membership
      is
      paid
      for
      through
     
     
      SU).
      While
      MAPUS.
      has
      acted
      rashly
      in
      publicizing
      an
      uninformed
     
     
      opinion
      on
      other
      campus
      groups,
      their
      error
      in
      this
      regard
      is
      symptomatic
     
     
      of
      a
      larger
      problem
      of
      many
      universities-
      how
      misinformation
      and
     
     
      confrontationalism
      accomplish
      nothing
      constructive
      among
      the
      organi-
     
     
      zations
      within
      a
      given
      institution.
      :
     
     
      This
      incident
      is
      a
      textbook
      case
      of
      the
      confusion
      and
      animosity
      that
      can
     
     
      result
      from
      a
      lack
      of
      communication
      or
      respect
      between
      groups
      ina
      given
     
     
      community.
      Some
      SU
      members
      were
      understandably
      upset
      with
      the
     
     
      MAPUS
      action
      since
      it
      was
      taken
      without
      any
      consultation
      of
      the
      group
     
     
      it
      discussed-
      the
      Student
      Union.
      MAPUS
      has
      not
      raised
      their
      concerns
      in
     
     
      recent
      Student
      Council
      meetings,
      nor
      have
      they
      attended
      Senate
      meetings
     
     
      for
      some
      time.
      Though
      they
      have
      two
      seats
      on
      Council,
      one
      of
      them
      with
     
     
      voting
      rights,
      MAPUS
      complains
      of
      being
      “‘powerless’’
      within
      the
     
     
      Council.
      Despite
      this,
      no
      attempt
      was
      made
      to
      discuss
      these
      concerns
      with
     
     
      SU,
      or
      the
      X-Press
      for
      that
      matter.
      This
      being
      the
      case,
      MAPUS
      is
      in
      no
     
     
      position
      to
      criticize,
      since
      they
      have
      not
      brought
      their
      grievances
      to
      light
     
     
      through
      any
      ofthe
      forums
      made
      available
      for
      these
      purposes;
      nor
      are
      they,
     
     
      despite
      their
      claims,
      any
      less
      well-represented
      than
      any
      other
      group
     
     
      within
      the
      student
      population
      (though
      MAPUS
      is
      admittedly
      a
      large
     
     
      subgroup,
      making
      up
      38%
      of
      the
      student
      body
      by
      their
      own
      estimate).
      The
     
     
      newsletter
      seemed
      to
      be
      both
      unexpected
      and
      unwarranted,
      a
      hit-and-run
     
     
      tactic.
      The
      actual
      executive
      of
      MAPUS,
      at
      first
      reluctant
      to
      comment
      at
     
     
      all,
      were
      soon
      careful
      to
      downplay
      the
      implications
      of
      the
      incident
      in
     
     
      subsequent
      talks
      with
      SU
      officials
      and
      X-Press
      reporters.
      Some
      MAPUS
     
     
      reps
      tried
      to
      distance
      themselves
      from
      the
      matter
      altogether
      ,
      though
      in
      the
     
     
      end
      MAPUS
      president
      Gail
      MacDonald
      stood
      by
      the
      newsletter
      while
     
     
      trying
      to
      minimize
      the
      significance
      of
      the
      contentious
      material
      therein.
     
     
      However
      indirect
      or
      unintentional
      the
      inferred
      criticism
      of
      the
      SU
      or
     
     
      the
      X-Press
      was,
      MAPUS
      is
      in
      a
      bit
      of
      a
      glass
      house
      itself,
      and
      thus
      hardly
     
     
      in
      a
      good
      position
      to
      cast
      the
      first
      stone.
      Members
      have
      questioned
      the
     
     
      organization’s
      value
      for
      some
      time,
      and
      the
      X-Press
      fielded
      several
      calls
     
     
      from
      MAPUS
      members
      last
      year
      complaining
      about
      the
      unaccountability
     
     
      of
      the
      executive
      and
      suggesting
      an
      investigation
      of
      the
      group’s
      finances
     
     
      and
      budgeting.
      Comparatively
      few
      MAPUS
      members
      are
      active
      in
      the
     
     
      organization,
      and
      MacDonald
      herself
      said
      a
      chief
      goal
      of
      the
      newsletter
     
     
      was
      to
      try
      and
      involve
      the
      ‘‘silent
      majority”’
      of
      MAPUS
      members
      by
     
     
      getting
      their
      input.
      Many
      of
      the
      group’s
      members
      seem
      uncertain
      about
     
     
      MAPUS-
      its
      mandate,
      its
      budgeting,
      its
      goals,
      its
      executive,
      and
      what-
      if
     
     
      anything
      -it
      is
      accomplishing
      for
      its
      members.
      Complaints
      about
      the
     
     
      organization
      persist
      to
      the
      present,
      including
      a
      letter
      from
      a
      MAPUS
     
     
      member
      printed
      in
      this
      issue.
      While
      MAPUS
      has
      as
      much
      right
      to
      exist
     
     
      as
      any
      other
      student
      organization,
      it
      is,
      in
      light
      of
      its
      own
      questionable
     
     
      viability,
      in
      a
      very
      poor
      positior,
      to
      question
      the
      value
      of
      other
      groups.
      If
     
     
      any
      organization’s
      value
      can
      be
      called
      into
      question
      at
      present,
      it
      is
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      s
      another
      article
      in
      this
      week’
      s
      X-Press
      explains
      in
      more
      detail,
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      own-
      some
      of
      their
      own
      members
      have
      said
      so.
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      not
      to
      say
      that
      the
      SU
      or
      related
      groups
      like
      the
      X-Press
      are
     
     
      above
      scrutiny-
      far
      from
      it.
      The
      finances
      of
      the
      Student
      Union,
      which
     
     
      support
      organizations
      like
      the
      X-Press
      and
      CIMN
      Radio,
      are
      subject
      to
     
     
      approval
      by
      Student
      Council
      and
      the
      SU
      executive,
      who
      are
      elected
      by
      the
     
     
      student
      body,
      including
      mature
      full-time
      students.
      The
      current
      SU
     
     
      president,
      Todd
      King,
      is
      a
      mature
      student
      himself,
      and
      most
      of
      his
     
     
      predecessors
      over
      the
      past
      several
      years
      have
      been
      mature
      students.
      To
     
     
      say
      that
      the
      Council,
      the
      SU,
      or
      suborganizations
      like
      the
      X-Press
      are
      any
     
     
      less
      representative
      of
      mature
      students
      than
      they
      are
      of
      the
      rest
      of
      the
     
     
      student
      body
      is
      ludicrous.
      If
      mature
      full-time
      students
      are
      poorly
     
     
      represented
      in
      the
      SU
      it
      is
      because
      they
      have
      not
      takena
      sufficiently
      active
     
     
      role
      in
      it.
      They
      have
      every
      opportunity
      afforded
      ‘‘traditional’’
      students
     
     
      within
      the
      organization
      and
      then
      some.
     
    

    
     
      Beyond
      the
      purportedly
      dubious
      value
      of
      MAPUS
      as
      an
      organization
     
     
      and
      its
      largely
      unfounded
      grievances,
      there
      is
      a
      larger
      issue
      herein-
      the
     
     
      questionable
      wisdom
      of
      dividing
      the
      student
      body
      into
      special
      interest
     
     
      groups
      with
      varying
      priorities
      and
      agendas.
      Groups
      like
      MAPUS
      have
      a
     
     
      great
      potential
      value
      in
      representing
      the
      interests
      of
      their
      members,
      but.
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      reason
      that
      this
      should
      be
      pursued
      in
      competition
      with
      other
     
     
      campus
      organizations,
      particularly
      one
      such
      as
      the
      Student
      Union,
      which
     
     
      counts
      all
      full-time
      students
      as
      members.
      It
      is
      both
      unnecessary
      and
     
     
      unproductive
      to
      promote
      a
      special
      interest
      group
      over
      a
      group
      seeking
      to
     
     
      represent
      the
      interests
      of
      the
      majority
      of
      the
      student
      populace.
      It
      is
      also
     
     
      small-minded
      and
      sadly
      deluded
      for
      any
      group
      such
      as
      MAPUS
      to
      try
      to
     
     
      question
      a
      student
      institution
      such
      as
      the
      X-Press
      on
      the
      grounds
      of
      the
     
     
      subjective
      priorities
      of
      a
      single
      minority
      group-
      and
      just
      as
      wrong
      to
     
     
      assume
      all
      members
      of
      that
      group
      share
      these
      priorities.
      Many
      mature
     
     
      students
      read
      the
      X-Press,
      and
      many
      have
      expressed
      satisfaction
      with
      the
     
     
      publication.
      For
      a
      handful
      of
      MAPUS
      execs
      to
      suggest,
      however
      casually
     
     
      or
      hypothetically,
      that
      the
      X-Press
      is
      less
      worthy
      of
      support
      than
      other
     
     
      programs,
      is
      monstrously
      presumptuous
      on
      their
      part,
      and
      wholly
      without
     
     
      substantiation.
      At
      least
      one
      MAPUS
      member
      involved
      in
      the
      newsletter
     
     
      said,
      in
      an
      unofficial
      statement,
      that
      the
      X-Press
      contained
      no
      relevant
      or
     
     
      informative.
      features
      (along
      with
      somewhat
      more
      insulting
      and
      even
      more
     
     
      wildly
      inaccurate
      comments
      unworthy
      of
      addressing
      in
      print).
      Whatever
     
     
      their
      tastes,
      any
      attentive
      and
      thorough
      readers
      of
      our
      publication
      would
     
     
      find
      it
      impossible
      to
      prove
      this,
      and
      the
      comment
      betrays
      the
      ignorance
     
     
      of
      the
      newsletter’s
      author(s).
      The
      extent
      of
      their
      careful
      examination
      of
     
     
      our
      publication
      is
      perhaps
      reflected
      by
      their
      misspelling
      of
      the
      paper’s
     
     
      name
      in
      the
      newsletter
      (‘‘Express’’)-
      amply
      indicative
      of
      the
      careful
     
     
      scrutiny
      that
      must
      have
      gone
      into
      their
      judgement.
     
    

    
     
      As
      stated,
      MAPUS
      has
      a
      right
      to
      pursue
      its
      own
      agenda
      and
      the
     
     
      interests
      of
      its
      members.
      To
      do
      this
      in
      competition
      or
      conflict
      with
      other
     
     
      student
      organizations,
      though,
      is
      both
      unnecessary
      and
      unproductive.
     
     
      Beyond
      the
      fact
      that
      MAPUS
      may
      not
      have
      its
      own
      affairs
      in
      order,
      it
     
     
      should
      pursue
      positive
      sel
      f-advancement
      on
      its
      own
      merits
      rather
      than
      the
     
     
      negative
      tactic
      of
      seeking
      gain
      at
      another
      organization’s
      expense.
      Moreo-
     
     
      ver,
      MAPUS
      should
      perhaps
      spend
      less
      time
      criticizing
      the
      student
     
     
      government
      and
      more
      time
      trying
      to
      work
      within
      it
      and
      the
      rest
      of
      the
     
     
      university
      community.
      Both
      the
      student
      government
      and
      the
      student
     
     
      media
      (X-Press,
      CIMN)
      are
      available
      to
      them
      if
      they
      wish
      to
      voice
      their
     
     
      concerns
      or
      participate
      to
      a
      greater
      degree
      in
      the
      effort
      to
      represent
      their
     
     
      interests.
      Ifnot,
      they
      have
      no
      one
      to
      blame
      for
      their
      supposed
      powerless-
     
     
      ness
      but
      themselves.
     
    

    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      Editor-in-Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      18,
      1993/X-Press/3