LACK
      OF
      CAMPUS
      GREEN
      SPACE:
      PROBLEM
      OR
      NO?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Anyone
      —
      has
      been
      at
      UPEI
      for
      more
      than
      a
      year
      (and
      that
     
    

    
     
      aes
      peor
      ),has
      probably
      noticed
      the
      dramatic
      changes
      that
      have
     
     
      foccurred
      to
      )
      the
      p
      aa
      y
      in
      that
      time.
      When
      E
      personally
      arrived
      the
      Barn
      was
     
     
      still
      around,
      albeit
      in
      its
      final
      week.
      There
      was
      a
      soccer
      field
      in
      between
     
     
      Bernardine
      and
      Blanchard.
      There
      was
      another
      one
      beside
      the
      Classroom
     
     
      Centres.
      There
      was
      no
      CARI
      centre,
      the
      new
      student
      centre
      was
      being
      hailed}
     
     
      as
      the
      best
      thing
      since
      sliced
      bread,
      and
      it
      seemed
      like
      there
      was
      like
      a
      lot
     
     
      more
      parking
      (or
      perhaps
      it
      was
      my
      new
      student
      naivety
      that
      only
      gave
      this}
     
     
      perception).
     
    

    
     
      That
      was
      then.
      Ricci
      overnight
      (or
      over
      many,
      many
      nights),
     
     
      development
      on
      the
      campus
      has
      begun
      in
      earnest.
      Where
      there
      once
      was
      a
     
     
      green
      sports
      field
      is
      now
      a
      rather
      large
      muddy
      hole
      with
      the
      promise
      of
      a
     
     
      brand
      new
      residence
      attached
      to
      it.
      Another
      field
      has
      been
      overtaken
      by
      an
     
     
      enormous
      parking
      lot
      that
      is
      only
      about
      half
      to
      a
      quarter
      full
      at
      any
      one
      time.
     
     
      Another
      new
      building
      is
      going
      up
      on
      what
      once
      was
      another
      batch
      of
      park-
     
     
      ing
      spots.
      This
      is
      great
      for
      UPEI
      on
      an
      efficiency
      level.
      The
      university
      is
      pro-
     
     
      viding
      more
      services,
      and
      will
      be
      better
      able
      to
      keep
      up
      in
      the
      increasingly
     
     
      competitive
      post-secondary
      institution
      world.
     
    

    
     
      But
      questions
      have
      arisen
      about
      any
      aesthetic
      cost
      that
      comes
      with
     
     
      such
      progressive
      development.
      Namely,
      how
      are
      the
      changes
      to
      the
      cam-
     
     
      puses
      layout
      affecting
      the
      green
      spaces
      that
      people
      on
      campus
      have
      long
     
     
      been
      attached
      to?
      How
      are
      the
      sports
      teams
      being
      affected
      by
      this
      mass
     
     
      paving
      and
      building
      upon
      of
      what
      was
      once
      green
      grass?
     
    

    
     
      Ron
      Annear,
      athletics
      director
      of
      the
      UPEI
      Sports
      Centre,
      says
     
     
      they're
      not
      being
      affected
      very
      much
      to
      be
      truthful.
      He
      feels
      the
      growth
      for
     
     
      the
      campus
      has
      been
      fantastic,
      and
      at
      the
      moment
      there
      is
      sufficient
      space
      for
     
     
      the
      sports
      teams.
      Admittedly,
      there
      are
      always
      room
      for
      new
      opportunities,
     
     
      and
      he
      would
      be
      interested
      in
      seeing
      the
      development
      of
      a
      state-of-the-art
     
     
      soccer
      field
      with
      conditioned
      grass
      and
      a
      lighting
      system
      for
      after-dark
      activ-
     
     
      ities.
      There's
      also
      the
      idea
      of
      turning
      the
      patch
      of
      volleyball
      sand
      into
      some-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      if
      such
      an
      opportunity
      should
      arise.
     
     
      Despite
      this
      official
      positive
      perception,
      there
      is
      grumbling
      about
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      also
      the
      sentiment
      questioning
      whether
      it
      should
      be
      necessary
      for
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Field
      Hockey
      team
      to
      practice
      on
      the
      sports
      fields
      of
      Charlottetown
      Rural
     
     
      High
      School.
      For
      any
      non-official
      users
      who
      simply
      want
      to
      use
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      field
      space
      for
      games
      and
      what-not,
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      official
      teams
      fit
      just
      so
     
     
      leaves
      them
      little
      opportunity.
      Often
      left
      with
      little
      choice,
      they
      are
      forced
      to
     
     
      venture
      into
      Charlottetown
      in
      search
      of
      space,
      a
      task
      that
      is
      often
      an
      odyssey!
     
     
      in
      itself.
      :
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      moment,
      the
      green
      space
      that
      adorns
      the
      centre
      of
      the
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      has
      been
      left
      untouched.
      There
      seems
      to
      be
      no
      hints
      of
      any
      major
      devel-
     
     
      opments
      happening
      there
      anytime
      soon.
      Walking
      through
      it,
      one
      can
      ignore
     
     
      all
      the
      signs
      of
      construction
      and
      progress
      around
      them,
      and
      just
      bask
      in
      the
     
     
      natural
      feel
      of
      the
      trees
      and
      the
      sweet
      sounds
      of
      the
      traffic
      coming
      from
     
     
      University
      Avenue.
      Perhaps
      it
      will
      remain
      a
      final
      green
      outpost
      against
      the
     
     
      constant
      reminders
      that
      in
      the
      name
      of
      growth
      and
      progress,
      a
      little
      urban-
     
     
      ization
      chaos
      goes
      a
      long
      way
      toward
      making
      a
      more
      efficient
      and
      intellec-
     
     
      tually,
      if
      not
      physically,
      attractive
      institution.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Opinion
      &
      Commentary
      Continued
     
    
   
   
    
     
      }ther
      you
      get
      from
      the
      city
      the
      better.
      |
      am
      not
      talking
      about
      refined
      overly
     
    
   
   
    
     
      thing
      more
      structured
      and
      useful
      for
      more
      than
      one
      month
      of
      play
      in
      the
      fall]
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      challenges
      of
      booking
      time
      when
      there's
      just
      enough
      space
      available.
      There's]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      jsider
      their
      place
      in
      a
      community.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Island
      University
      and
      Life
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
     
    
   
   
    
     
      toe
     
     
      ae
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      have
      been
      on
      PEI
      now
      for
      three
      months
      and
      |
      find
      the
      Island's
      charm
      lies
     
     
      not
      only
      in
      the
      geography
      and
      the
      hints
      of
      yesteryear
      found
      in
      small
      towns
     
     
      and
      rural
      farms,
      but
      also
      in
      the
      people
      that
      populate
      the
      island.
      I
      have,
      until
     
     
      recently,
      spent
      all
      of
      my
      life
      living
      within
      a
      100
      km
      radius
      of
      Toronto
      and
     
     
      the
      gravity
      that
      such
      a
      metropolis
      imposes
      on
      surrounding
      communities
      is
     
     
      strong.
      If
      one
      is
      not
      inclined
      to
      travel
      he/she
      might
      be
      under
      the
      assumption
     
     
      that
      Toronto
      is
      the
      centre
      of
      the
      universe
      or
      at
      least
      the
      Canadian
      universe.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Economically,
      it
      is
      hard
      to
      dispute
      the
      importance
      of
      Canada's
      largest
      city,
     
     
      but
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      culture—the
      culture
      that
      makes
      up
      everyday
      life—the
      far-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      processed
      displays
      of
      what
      it
      is
      to
      be
      Canadian,
      but
      the
      charm
      that
      exists
      in
     
     
      the
      everyday
      moments
      of
      people
      "being"
      in
      their
      social
      context,
      not
      neces-
     
     
      sarily
      "becoming."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      an
      implicit
      courtesy
      and
      understanding
      of
      the
      reciprocal
      nature
      of
     
     
      respect,
      not
      a
      contrived
      sort
      that
      is
      extended
      on
      a
      condition.
      An
      example
      of
     
     
      this
      can
      be
      seen
      daily
      in
      the
      town
      of
      Montague
      where
      I
      live:
      cars
      routinely
     
     
      will
      stop
      to
      let
      pedestrians
      cross
      even
      if
      they
      are
      not
      a
      specified
      crosswalks
     
     
      and
      even
      when
      the
      cars
      are
      up
      to
      speed
      and
      have
      full
      right
      of
      way.
      This
      was
     
     
      strange
      to
      me
      at
      first
      being
      from
      Ontario
      where
      there
      is
      a
      different
      set
      of
     
     
      assumptions
      for
      what
      it
      means
      to
      be
      civil
      and
      being
      civilized
      is
      only
      a
      char-
     
     
      acteristic
      that
      exists
      when
      time
      allows.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      jOther
      examples
      of
      this
      genuine
      citizenship
      can
      be
      observed
      at
      the
      post
      office
     
     
      where
      sharing
      a
      laugh
      and
      getting
      caught
      up
      on
      all
      the
      latest
      news
      is
      just
      as
     
     
      important
      as
      getting
      the
      mail.
      The
      importance
      of
      a
      tight
      knit
      community,
      one
     
     
      where
      every
      thread
      is
      as
      important
      as
      the
      next,
      is
      not
      lost
      on
      these
      people.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      altruism
      seems
      to
      spill
      over
      into
      life
      at
      the
      university
      as
      well.
      There
     
     
      seems
      to
      be
      a
      climate
      around
      campus
      of
      tolerance,
      and
      tolerance
      is
      probably
     
     
      the
      most
      fertile
      condition
      to
      cultivate
      learning
      and
      personal
      awareness.
     
     
      Examples
      of
      this
      are
      ubiquitous,
      from
      informal
      conversations
      between
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      overheard
      in
      the
      student
      centre,
      to
      the
      approach
      that
      the
      professors
      take
     
     
      to
      their
      lessons
      in
      the
      classroom.
      The
      message
      is
      clear,
      the
      pursuit
      of
      knowl-
     
     
      ledge
      is
      important
      in
      its
      own
      right,
      but
      when
      fortified
      with
      the
      virtue
      of
     
     
      unconditional
      service
      that
      university
      experience
      takes
      on
      a
      dimension
      that
      is
     
     
      positively
      life
      changing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Being
      a
      ‘from
      away’
      mature
      student
      and
      having
      been
      out
      of
      school
      for
      a
      long
     
     
      time,
      I
      have
      benefitted
      from
      Island
      culture
      and
      nowhere
      is
      it
      better
      show-
     
     
      icased
      than
      UPE];
      but,
      it
      remains
      to
      be
      seen
      if
      I
      will
      ever
      carry
      a
      fondness
      in
     
     
      my
      heart
      for
      the
      simple
      yet
      life
      giving
      lessons
      I
      have
      learned
      from
      PEI
      —
      les-
     
     
      sons
      available
      to
      everyone
      if
      they
      are
      willing
      to
      stop
      for
      a
      moment
      and
      con-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      September
      14,
      2004
      page
      13