~Concocation
      Mania:
     
     
      Double
      Your
      Graduations,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Double
      Your
      Fun
     
     
      by
      Erin
      Fagan
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      will
      be
      two
      convocation
     
     
      ceremonies
      taking
      place
      in
      May
      for
     
     
      UPEI’s
      Class
      of
      2002,
      dividing
      this
     
     
      year’s
      large
      graduating
      class
      into
      a
     
     
      morning
      ceremony
      and
      an
      afternoon
     
     
      ceremony.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      numbers
      of
      graduates
     
     
      has
      gone
      up
      every
      year,”
      explained
     
     
      John
      DeGrace,
      UPEI’s
      Registrar,
      not-
     
     
      ing
      that
      there
      are
      now
      over
      six
      hun-
     
     
      dred
      students
      in
      the
      graduating
      class.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      fire
      marshal
      made
      it
     
     
      plain
      that
      they
      would
      shut
      it
      down
      if
     
     
      the
      numbers
      exceeded
      the
      limit
      [of
      the
     
     
      UPEI
      Sports
      Centre],”
      he
      added,
      fac-
     
     
      toring
      in
      the
      numbers
      of
      faculty,
      par-
     
     
      ents,
      relatives
      and
      friends
      along
      with
     
     
      the
      space
      taken
      up
      by
      the
      stage
      area.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      was
      getting
      too
      unwieldy.”
     
     
      DeGrace
      claims.
     
    

    
     
      In
      addition,
      graduates
      were
     
     
      limited
      to
      having
      three
      invitations
     
     
      each
      in
      the
      single
      ceremony.
      system.
     
     
      According
      to
      the
      President’s
      Report
      in
     
     
      the
      December
      7th
      Senate
      minutes,
     
     
      “students
      had
      expressed
      concerns
     
     
      about
      limitations
      on
      the
      number
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      guests
      that
      they
      [are
      allowed
      to]
      invite
     
     
      to
      the
      event.”
      With
      two
      ceremonies,
     
     
      students
      will
      now
      be
      able
      to
      invite
      up
     
     
      to
      six
      guests.
     
    

    
     
      While
      the
      final
      arrangements
     
     
      are
      still
      under
      discussion
      by
      the
     
     
      Convocation
      Committee,
      DeGrace
     
     
      says
      the
      rough
      consensus
      is
      that
      the
     
     
      professional
      and
      graduate
      students,
     
     
      along
      with
      the
      Business
      graduates,
     
     
      will
      have
      their
      ceremony
      at
      10:00
      a.m.
     
     
      The
      traditional
      first-entry
      programs
     
     
      will
      graduate
      that
      same
      afternoon,
     
     
      beginning
      at
      3:00
      p.m.
      The
     
     
      Baccalaureate
      service
      will
      probably
     
    
   
   
    
     
      be
      held
      the
      following
      Sunday,
      accord-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      to
      the
      December
      7th
      Senate
      min-
     
     
      utes.
     
    

    
     
      _
      In
      addition,
      each
      ceremony
     
     
      will
      have
      a
      separate
      guest
      speaker
      and
     
     
      two
      honourary
      degrees
      granted
      per
     
     
      convocation.
      As
      a
      result,
      there
      was
      to
     
     
      be
      a
      fourth
      honourary
      degree
      candi-
     
     
      date
      selected
      by
      the
      end
      of
      this
      month.
     
     
      It
      is
      unknown
      at
      this
      point
      if
      there
      will
     
     
      be
      a
      single
      valedictorian
      speaking
      at
     
     
      both
      ceremonies.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Going
      Japanese,
      Eh
     
     
      by
      Marieéve
      MacGREGOR
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’s
      evident,
      this
      island’s
      pop-
     
     
      ulation
      is
      heavily
      European-descend-
     
     
      ed.
      Sure,
      there
      are
      splashes
      of
      other
     
     
      cultures
      here
      and
      there,
      but
      not
      many.
     
     
      We
      don’t
      have
      a
      lot
      of
      access
      to
      other
     
     
      cultures
      or
      exposure
      to
      the
      rich
      diver-
     
     
      sity
      of
      the
      world.
      It’s
      disheartening.
     
     
      Canada
      is
      supposed
      to
      be
      so
      richly
     
     
      colourful,
      but
      living
      on
      this
      island,
     
     
      where
      one-third
      of
      the
      names
      start
     
     
      with
      “Mac”
      or
      “Mc,”
      means
      travelling
     
     
      far
      and
      wide
      to
      get
      this
      exposure.
      Not
     
     
      all
      of
      us
      have
      the
      freedom
      or
      cash
     
     
      flow
      to
      embark
      on
      these
      kinds
      of
     
     
      excursions,
      so
      what’s
      an
      islander
      to
     
     
      do?
     
    

    
     
      Go
      to
      UPEI’s
      new
      Japanese
     
     
      Society,
      Yukinko,
      that’s
      what!
     
     
      Coordinated
      by
      Tina
      (I’ll
      find
      out
      her
     
     
      last
      name
      later
      today),
      with
      aid
      from
     
     
      Sensei
      Nakagawa
      and
      his
      student
     
     
      Joshua
      (Ill
      also
      get
      his
      last
      name
     
     
      later),
      the
      society
      exists
      to
      open
      up
     
     
      students
      minds
      to
      the
      Japanese
      cul-
     
     
      ture.
      There
      are
      videos,
      games
      that
      are
     
     
      played
      in
      Japanese,
      and
      a
      different
     
     
      Japanese
      celebration
      every
      meeting.
     
    

    
     
      The
      name
      Yukinko
      means
     
     
      snow
      child.
      You
      know,
      Canada
      ...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cold.
      And
      most
      students
      are
      young
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people
      ...
      so,
      snow
      child.
      Seems
      to
      suit
     
     
      well.
      It
      was
      either
      that
      or
      Go
      Nihongo
     
    

    
     
      The
      videos
      are
      awesome.
      One
     
     
      is
      of
      a
      summer
      festival
      with
      giant
     
     
      floats
      made
      of
      delicately
      painted
     
     
      paper.
      They
      are
      HUGE
      and
      illuminat-
     
     
      ed
      from
      the
      inside.
      They
      portray
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ancient
      Japanese
      gods.
      What’s
      cool
      is
     
     
      that
      these
      floats
      are
      carried
      by
      about
      a
     
     
      hundred
      people,
      each
      running
      down
     
     
      the
      street.
      They
      make
      it
      turn,
      give
      it
     
     
      life,
      and
      sometimes
      people
      will
      be
     
     
      hanging
      on
      to
      it
      while
      it
      is
      being
      pro-
     
     
      pelled
      in
      circles.
      Another
      video
      is
      a
     
     
      documentary
      about
      a
      real
      ninja.
      He
     
     
      was
      very
      old,
      but
      still
      keen
      and
      agile,
     
     
      quite
      clever
      and
      wise.
      The
      third
      video
     
     
      is
      a
      kind
      of
      a
      comedy
      show,
      one
      where
     
     
      the
      hosts
      take
      ordinary
      people
      and
      put
     
     
      them
      in
      odd
      situations,
      like
      in
      a
      race
     
     
      with
      a
      bullet
      train,
      or
      in
      a
      fight
      with
     
     
      Jackie
      Chan
      (who,
      for
      the
      record,
      is
     
     
      Chinese,
      not
      Japanese).
     
    

    
     
      The
      next
      meeting
      is
      on
      Friday,
     
     
      February
      8,
      in
      room
      327
      of
      Main,
     
     
      between
      2
      and
      4
      pm.
      The
      society
      will
     
     
      be
      celebrating
      Setsubun,
      which,
      in
     
     
      short,
      is
      throwing
      beans
      to
      keep
      evil
     
     
      away.
      Come
      to
      the
      meeting
      and
      it
      will
     
     
      be
      better
      explained.
     
    

    
     
      Don’t
      feel
      intimidated
      by
      the
     
     
      language;
      it
      doesn’t
      matter
      if
      you
     
     
      can’t
      speak
      it.
      Society
      members
      teach
     
     
      you
      how
      to
      say
      a
      few
      things,
      if
      you
     
     
      aren’t
      taking
      a
      course
      in
      Japanese.
      The
     
     
      society
      is
      open
      to
      all
      students
      in
     
     
      Japanese
      classes,
      students
      from
      Japan,
     
     
      and
      any
      other
      UPEI
      staff
      or
      students
     
     
      wishing
      to
      expand
      their
      knowledge
      of
     
     
      Japan.
      So
      come
      and
      ask
      questions,
     
     
      talk
      to
      the
      students
      here
      from
      Japan,
     
     
      watch
      videos
      (they
      have
      the
      coolest
     
     
      commercials
      over
      there),
      and
      cele-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      brate
      Setsubun!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      students
      engrossed
      in
      ninja
      videos.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      13]