Movin’
      on
      Up:
      Miss
      Dennis
      Goes
      to
      Ottawa
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Catherine
      SWEET
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Oh,
      the
      places
      you'll
      go.
      Dr.
      Seuss'
     
     
      words
      were
      never
      truer
      when
      it
      comes
     
     
      to
      UPEI's
      former
      Student
      Union
     
     
      President,
      Cynthia
      Dennis.
      It's
      amaz-
     
     
      ing
      what
      can
      happen
      when
      you
      volun-
     
     
      teer
      to
      show
      what
      you've
      got
      for
      your
     
     
      university.
      After
      holding
      the
      position
     
     
      of
      Speaker
      of
      the
      SU
      for
      the
      year
     
     
      2000-2001,
      Cynthia
      was
      elected
      into
     
     
      the
      executive.
      She
      held
      down
      the
      fort
     
     
      last
      year
      as
      the
      Union
      brought
      (polite
     
     
      but
      firm)
      demands
      to
      then-Education
     
     
      Minister
      Jeff
      Lantz,
      staged
      a
      march
     
     
      and
      a
      camp-out
      on
      two
      of
      the
      coldest
     
     
      days
      in
      PEI
      history,
      represented
      our
     
     
      Uni
      in
      Ottawa
      with
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Federation
      of
      Students
      (along
      with
     
     
      now-SU
      President
      Chris
      Power),
      and
     
     
      spoke
      on
      the
      steps
      of
      Province
      House
     
     
      when
      a-huge
      number
      of
      students
     
     
      marched
      on
      the
      legislature
      to
      secure
      a
     
     
      tuition
      freeze.
      All
      that
      and
      oh,
      she
      said
     
     
      goodbye
      to
      the
      Barn
      in
      style.
     
    

    
     
      She
      must
      have
      impressed
     
     
      someone
      because
      after
      the
      countless
     
     
      hours
      of
      work
      she
      put
      in
      being
      a
     
     
      mouthpiece
      for
      the
      UPEI
      student
      body,
     
     
      she's
      now
      impressing
      people
      working
     
     
      on
      Parliament
      Hill
      in
      Ottawa.
      Cynthia
     
     
      graduated
      from
      UPEI
      in
      May
      and
     
     
      worked
      at
      The
      Dunes
      in
      Brackley
     
     
      Beach
      this
      summer
      and
      then
      planned
     
     
      to
      wait
      tables
      in
      Charlottetown
      to
      save
     
     
      up
      enough
      money
      to
      go
      travelling
      next
     
     
      spring
      with
      her
      boyfriend
      (the
      talented
     
     
      Lennie
      MacPherson).
     
    

    
     
      "Then
      I
      get
      a
      call
      saying,
     
     
      ‘Listen,
      we
      have
      a
      6
      month
      position
     
     
      available
      in
      Ottawa...'
      and
      after
      he
      con-
     
     
      tacted
      me
      and
      knew
      I'd
      be
      interested
      I
     
     
      had
      to
      get
      him
      my
      resumé."
      This
      was
     
     
      two
      weeks
      before
      she
      had
      to
      be
      there.
     
     
      Now,
      a
      month
      and-a-half
      later,
      she
     
     
      says
      she's
      still
      recovering
      from
      the
     
     
      rush
      of
      it
      all.
      "I
      arrived
      here
      on
      the
      last
     
     
      Tuesday
      of
      August
      and
      started
      work
      on
     
     
      the
      second
      of
      September."
     
    

    
     
      She
      had
      known
      Shawn
     
     
      Murphy,
      MP
      for
      a
      couple
      of
      years.
     
     
      "He
      knew
      me
      from
      my
      visits
      up
      [to
     
     
      Ottawa]
      and
      because
      when
      you're
      on
     
     
      the
      SU
      you
      meet
      with
      your
      MP
      at
      the
     
     
      beginning
      of
      the
      year.
      I
      had
      gone
      to
     
     
      lunch
      with
      him
      last
      September
      a
      year
     
     
      ago,
      just
      to
      kick
      around
      what
      the
      issues
     
     
      were,
      what
      our
      position
      was
      and
      what
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [16]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
      wanted
      him
      to
      do.
      There
      was
      that,
     
     
      and
      then
      I
      attended
      some
      community
     
     
      forums,
      and
      would
      see
      him
      at
      events,
     
     
      and
      knew
      him
      through
      CFS
      [Canadian
     
     
      Federation
      of
      Students]."
     
    

    
     
      Now,
      as
      Executive
      Assistant
      to
     
     
      Shawn
      Murphy
      Cynthia
      is
      in
      charge
      of
     
     
      making
      his
      day
      run
      a
      lot
      smoother.
     
     
      She
      organizes
      his
      travel
      plans,
     
     
      researches
      issues
      for
      his
      interest,
      and
     
     
      looks
      after
      his
      Cable
      10
      addresses
      that
     
     
      are
      aired
      here
      on
      Fridays.
      Along
      with
     
     
      that
      she
      looks
      into
      individual
      Canada
     
     
      Student
      Loans
      and
      Immigration
      cases
     
     
      and
      answers
      the
      correspondence
      from
     
     
      Mr.
      Murphy's
      constituents
      on
      his
     
     
      behalf.
      "I
      see
      a
      lot
      of
      crazy
      stuff
      from
     
     
      the
      constituents,"
      says
      Cynthia.
     
    

    
     
      I
      asked
      her
      what
      it
      was
      like
     
     
      working
      for
      an
      MP
      on
      Parliament
      Hill
     
     
      (the
      office
      of
      to
      the
      left
      of
      the
      Peace
     
     
      Tower,
      she
      explains).
      "Shawn's
      a
      real-
     
     
      ly
      great
      guy
      to
      work
      for,
      he's
      fairly
     
     
      easy-going
      but
      at
      the
      same
      time,
      he's
      a
     
     
      really
      hard
      worker.
      He
      works
      really
     
     
      hard,
      so
      it
      keeps
      me
      busy."
      And
      how
     
     
      about
      getting
      hired
      on
      to
      work
      in
      the
     
     
      midst
      of
      all
      the
      politics?
      "I
      never
      had
     
     
      any
      political
      affiliation
      at
      all,
      and
      I
     
     
      respect
      him
      for
      that.
      He
      knows
      where
      I
     
     
      stand
      on
      a
      lot
      of
      issues
      and
      he
      knows
     
     
      where
      I
      differ
      with
      him
      on
      issues
      but
     
     
      he
      says
      that's
      great
      and
      we
      want
      free
     
     
      thinkers
      and
      people
      who
      have
      ideas
      of
     
     
      their
      own."
     
    

    
     
      On
      the
      topic
      suddenly
      living
      in
     
     
      the
      nation's
      capitol,
      Cynthia
      says
      she
      is
     
     
      staying
      away
      from
      the
      more
      touristy
     
     
      attractions
      and
      sticking
      to
      art
      galleries,
     
     
      museums
      ("I
      can
      see
      the
      Museum
      of
     
     
      Civilisation
      [in
      Hull]
      from
      my
      win-
     
     
      dow!"),
      and
      independent
      movie
      hous-
     
     
      es.
      "People
      ask
      me
      if
      I'm
      hanging
      out
     
     
      with
      lots
      of
      new
      people,
      and
      I
      say,
     
     
      actually,
      I've
      been
      seeing
      a
      lot
      of
      old
     
     
      friends!"
      She's
      met
      with
      Caolan
     
     
      Moore,
      last
      year's
      Student
      Union's
     
     
      Executive
      VP
      who's
      attending
      classes
     
     
      at
      Carlton
      University's
      Norman
     
     
      Patterson
      School
      of
      International
     
     
      Affairs,
      and
      she's
      been
      running
      into
     
     
      people
      from
      home
      with
      whom
      she
     
     
      attended
      UPEI
      and
      High
      School.
      As
     
     
      for
      big
      events,
      her
      mother
      tried
      to
      get
     
     
      her
      to
      go
      to
      the
      Enrique
      Iglesias
      con-
     
     
      cert
      last
      month,
      but
      she
      would
      hear
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nothing
      of
      it.
     
    

    
     
      I
      asked
      her
      if
      she
      could
      pull
     
     
      some
      strings
      for
      UPEI's
      Rude
     
     
      Mechanicals,
      Cynthia
      answered,
      "I'll
     
     
      do
      what
      I
      can,
      but
      I
      think
      Wade's
      got
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      covered."
      Clearly,
      President
      Wade
      ,
     
     
      MacLauchlan
      is
      still
      the
      big
      man
      on
     
     
      campus
      if
      the
      feds
      don't
      want
      to
      step
     
    

    
     
      on
      his
      feet.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OTs
      mente:
      Bact
      p
      mo
      eet
      Ds
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EVER
      ss)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eye
      me
     
    
   
   
    
     
      &
      Largest
      Selection
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Accessories
      Ever!!!
     
     
      Wings,
      Whips
      &
      Wigs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Masks:
      28¢
      -
      $14.95
      Hats:
      $1.29
      -
      $8.99
     
    
   
   
    
     
      9
      Jordan
      Cres.
      (off
      Allen
      St.),
      Charlottetown
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Beards,
      Beads,
      Biood
     
     
      Scars,
      Armor,
      Tiaras,
      Make-up...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Starting
      October
      15
     
     
      Open
      Mon.
      to
      Fri.-
      8:30
      to
      9:00
     
     
      Sat.-
      8:30
      to
      7:00
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tel:
      892-4606
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WCC
      MSG
      WZ
      Peres
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Contact”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Big
      Sisters
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Be
      a
      Mentor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      In-School
      Mentoring
      program
     
     
      is
      fun
      and
      rewarding.
     
    

    
     
      An
      adult
      volunteer
      In-School
      Mentor
      is
      matched
      to
     
     
      a
      child
      in
      a
      school
      environment.
      Together
      the
     
     
      Mentor
      and
      child
      build
      a
      positive
      new
      friendship
     
     
      which
      is
      of
      great
      benefit
      to
      the
      child
      and
     
    

    
     
      rewarding
      for
      the
      Mentor.
     
     
      What
      would
      be
      required
     
     
      of
      me
      as
      a
      mentor?
     
     
      *
      One
      school
      hour
      per
      week
     
     
      for
      the
      school
      year
     
     
      *
      At
      Schools
      in
      Summerside
      and
      Crapaud
     
     
      ¢
      Experience
      —
      none
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      do
      I
      get
      involved?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Big
      Brothers
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      at:
      436-8122