Editorial
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      opinions
      expressed
      in
      this
      column
      do
      not
      necessarily
     
     
      reflect
      those
      of
      the
      staff
      of
      this
      publication
      or
      the
      Student
     
     
      Union.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      us,
      and
      now’s
      the
      time
      when
      a
      lot
      of
      students
      step
      back,
     
    

    
     
      evaluate
      their
      performance,
      and
      figure
      out
      what
      kind
      of
     
     
      effort
      is
      required
      in
      the
      days
      to
      come.
      The
      university
      itself
     
     
      may
      be
      doing
      some
      re-evaluation
      too,
      and
      by
      now
      most
     
     
      magazine
      buffs
      will
      know
      why:
      Maclean’s
      maga-
     
     
      zine
      recently
      issued
      its
      second
      annual
      rank-
     
     
      ing
      of
      Canadian
      universities,
      and
      we
     
     
      were
      not
      amused.
      We
      finished
     
     
      (ahem)
      seventeenth
      among
     
     
      “primarily
      undergraduate
     
     
      universities’’
      in
      a
     
     
      field
      of
      eighteen
     
     
      universities
      exam-
     
     
      ined,
      leaving
      us
      only
     
     
      the
      cold
      comfort
      of
     
     
      edging
      out
      that
      Rodney
     
     
      Dangerfield
      of
      the
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      set,
      the
      oft-ma-
     
     
      ligned
      UCCB.
      What
      ex-
     
     
      actly
      does
      this
      mean?
      For
     
     
      the
      moment,
      all
      it
      seems
      to
     
     
      be
      doing
      is
      adding
      fuel
      to
      the
     
     
      eternal
      flame
      of
      inferiority
     
     
      complexes
      on
      our
      little
      island,
     
     
      but
      we
      should
      ask
      ourselves
      first
     
     
      why,
      if
      at
      all,
      we
      should
      bother
     
     
      trying
      to
      compare
      ourselves
      to
      our
     
     
      Mainland
      counterparts
      and
      whether
     
     
      Such
      comparisons
      are
      either
      fair
      or
     
     
      useful.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      T
      he
      end
      of
      yet
      another
      semester
      at
      UPEI
      is
      creeping
      up
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is,
      to
      be
      sure,
      some
      merit
      in
      the
     
     
      idea
      of
      an
      independent,
      impartial
      rating
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      universities.
      A
      compilation
      like
     
     
      that
      in
      Maclean’s
      gives
      the
      prospective
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      some
      inkling
      of
      the
      educational
      choices
     
     
      in
      this
      country,
      all
      at
      a
      glance
      and
      for
      $2.50.
     
     
      It’s
      the
      ‘‘ata
      glance’’
      aspect
      that
      is
      worrisome,
      though,
     
     
      because
      it
      risks
      creating
      a
      university’s
      reputa
      tion
      within
      a
     
     
      arrow
      definition
      and
      may
      affect
      how
      objectively
      some
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      look
      at
      certain
      schools.
      In
      short,
      it
      risks
      labelling
      our
     
     
      Schools
      in
      one
      way
      or
      another
      ,
      which
      can
      be
      hurtful
      to
     
     
      Universities
      and
      misleading
      for
      students
      --
      if
      they
      don’t
      look
     
     
      beyond
      those
      labels.
      No
      study,
      not
      even
      in
      Maclean’s,
      should
     
     
      be
      taken
      as
      gospel.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Perhaps
      a
      more
      important
      point
      is
      whether
      an
      institution
      like
     
     
      UPEI
      should
      be
      judged
      within
      such
      a
      far-ranging
      study
      as
      this.
     
     
      For
      the
      geographically
      challenged
      who
      may
      not
      have
      realized
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it,
      this
      place
      is
      sitting
      smack-dab
      in
      the
      middle
      of
      a
      small
     
     
      Atlantic
      island.
      The
      university’s
      chief
      mandate,
      as
      Maclean’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      acknowledges,
      is
      to
      serve
      the
      Island
      population,
      and
      about
     
     
      ninety
      percent
      of
      our
      enrolment
      is
      drawn,
      from
      the
     
     
      PEI
      popu-
      lation.
      It’s
      a
      comparatively
      small
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
          
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      community
      to
      draw
      from,
      and
      it’s
     
     
      only
      natural
      then
      that
      we
      be
      a
     
     
      comparatively
      small
      university
     
     
      within
      it.
      We
      simply
      can’t
     
     
      match
      the
      enrolment,
      facili-
     
     
      ties,
      and
      funding
      of
      universi-
     
     
      ties
      within
      larger
      centers
     
     
      since
      we
      neither
      have
      nor
     
     
      need
      the
      access
      to
      those
     
     
      -kinds
      of
      resources.
      UPEI
     
     
      is
      well-suited
      to
      meet-
     
     
      ing
      the
      needs
      of
      PEI,
     
     
      and
      more
      than
      a
      few
     
     
      out-of-province
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      also
      find
      our
     
     
      services
      satisfac-
     
     
      tory.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      we
      may
     
     
      not
      be
      king
      of
     
     
      the
      ‘‘prima-
     
     
      rily
      under-
     
     
      graduate
     
     
      universi-
     
     
      ties’’,
      the
     
     
      subgroup
     
     
      in
      which
     
     
      UPEI
      was
      judged,
     
     
      we
      can
      take
      comfort
      not
     
     
      only
      in
      our
      unique
      situation
     
     
      as
      an
      island
      university
      but
      also
      in
     
     
      being
      a
      small
      university
      of
      the
      types
     
     
      largely
      typical
      in
      this
      category
      of
      schools.
      We
     
     
      can
      see
      some
      of
      the
      advantages
      of
      small
      scale
      in
      ©
     
     
      Sackville’s
      Mount
      Allison
      University,
      which
      finished
     
     
      first
      in
      our
      subgroup
      of
      primarily
      undergrad
      institutions.
      Some
     
     
      of
      the
      benefits
      of
      small
      universities
      mentioned
      in
      Mount
      A’s
     
     
      favor
      are
      applicable
      here
      to
      some
      degree
      as
      well,
      including
      the
     
     
      comfort
      of
      smaller
      classes
      and
      the
      opportunity
      for
      undergrads
     
     
      to
      be
      taught
      by
      and
      have
      more
      one-on-one
      contact
      with
      pro
      fes-
     
     
      sors
      personally.
      Small
      universities
      like
      ours
      can
      be
      a
      lot
      more
     
     
      human,
      and
      consequently
      a
      healthier
      and
      happier
      place
      to
     
     
      develop
      academically
      even
      if
      we
      aren’t
      top-heavy
      with
      PhD’s
     
     
      onstaff.
      A
      university
      is
      above
      alla
      place
      to
      grow,
      and
      at
      UPEI
     
     
      you
      have
      lots
      of
      space
      to
      do
      it
      in.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Editor-in-Chief