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      March
      25,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      letter
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CFS:
      more
      than
      a
      name
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      know
      that
      most
      of
      you
     
     
      think
      that
      CFS
      is
      just
      a
      name,
     
     
      just
      something
      that
      we
      pay
      for
     
     
      every
      year.
      That
      is
      a
      danger-
     
     
      ous
      misconception.
      Last
      year
     
     
      in
      the
      weeks
      leading
      up
      to
      the
     
     
      referendum,
      I
      learned
      what
     
     
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Stu-
     
     
      dents
      is
      all
      about.
      It
      is
      about
     
     
      fighting
      for
      the
      rights
      of
      all
     
     
      students,
      present
      and
      future.
     
     
      More
      than
      that
      it
      is
      a
      group
      of
     
     
      people,
      not
      just
      names
      but
     
     
      faces.
      Faces
      of
      people
      who
     
     
      care,
      people
      who
      have
      strug-
     
     
      gled
      in
      the
      past
      and
      are
      strug-
     
     
      gling
      now
      to
      get
      by,
      to
      build
      a
     
     
      future
      for
      themselves.
     
    

    
     
      I
      myself
      joined
      the
      fight
     
     
      knowing
      very
      little
      about
      what
     
     
      I
      was
      getting
      into,
      I
      learned
     
     
      about
      what
      CFS
      has
      done
      and
     
     
      plans
      to
      do.
      But
      it
      wasn’t
      until
     
     
      this
      year
      that
      I
      really
      saw
      the
     
     
      true
      CFS.
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      week
      of
      ac-
     
     
      tion,
      we
      had
      the
      march
      on
      the
     
     
      Shaw
      Building
      in
      protest
      of
     
     
      cuts
      to
      education,
      people
     
     
      shared
      their
      views
      and
      I
      saw
     
     
      just
      how
      many
      people
      in
      dif-
     
     
      ferent
      situations
      are
      connected
     
     
      with
      CFS
      in
      one
      way
      or
      an-
     
     
      other.
      But
      the
      person
      who
     
     
      made
      me
      see
      just
      how
      much
     
     
      this
      fight
      means
      to
      CFS
      was
     
     
      the
      local
      field
      worker.
     
    

    
     
      Going
      back
      to
      last
      year’s
     
     
      referendum,
      we
      had
      very
      little
     
     
      time
      to
      fight
      I,
      but
      because
      Joe
     
     
      Byme
      felt
      so
      strongly
      about
     
     
      UPEI
      staying
      in
      the
      Federa-
     
     
      tion
      and
      having
      that
      voice
      that
     
     
      CFS
      provides,
      he
      gave
      his
      all
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      so
      did
      I
      and
      the
      other
     
     
      members
      of
      the
      team.
      In
      the
     
     
      end
      we
      remained
      members.
     
     
      Once
      again
      we
      face
      a
      refer-
     
     
      endum.
      Onceagain,
      the
      choice
     
     
      is
      CFS
      or
      no.
      I
      want
      to
      give
     
     
      you
      one
      more
      reason
      to
      say.
     
    

    
     
      For
      many
      reasons,
      I
      lost
     
     
      last
      semester,
      I
      had
      to
      leave.
     
     
      The
      biggest
      reason
      was
      money.
     
     
      Like
      many
      other
      people,
      money
     
     
      has
      been
      a
      big
      dark
      cloud
      over
     
     
      my
      head
      my
      entire
      life.
      I’ve
     
     
      never
      lived
      on
      easy
      street.
      Be-
     
     
      cause
      of
      major
      troubles
      of
      that
     
     
      sort,
      I
      was
      forced
      to
      leave
     
     
      school
      last
      semester
      and
      get
      a
     
     
      job.
      It
      certainly
      wasn’t
      my
     
     
      dream
      job,
      by
      the
      end
      of
      De-
     
     
      cember,
      I
      was
      in
      a
      better
      state
     
     
      of
      mind
      and.
      I
      decided
      that
      the
     
     
      place
      I
      wanted
      and
      needed
      to
     
     
      be
      was
      in
      school,
      I
      couldn’t
     
     
      handle
      the
      idea
      of
      losing
      out
      on
     
     
      my
      dreams.
     
    

    
     
      That
      is
      something
      that
      I
     
     
      know
      I
      am
      not
      alone
      in,
      and
     
     
      like
      others,
      I
      didn’t
      know
      what
     
     
      to
      do.
      I
      knew
      where
      I
      wanted
     
     
      to
      be,
      but
      how
      to
      get
      there?
     
     
      Who
      would
      help
      me?
      The
      one
     
     
      thing
      I
      thought
      of
      that
      many
     
     
      people
      don’t
      is
      to
      ask
      for
      help
     
     
      from
      someone
      who
      cares
      and
     
     
      understands
      your
      situation.
      I
     
     
      turned
      to
      the
      one
      person
      I
      knew
     
     
      that
      was
      that
      type,
      Joe
      Byme,
     
     
      the
      local
      CFS
      field
      worker.
     
     
      He
      helped
      me
      come
      up
      with
      a
     
     
      plan
      of
      action
      to
      make
      sure
      I
     
     
      went
      through
      the
      right
      chan-
     
     
      nels
      and
      got
      the
      help
      I
      needed.
     
     
      He
      knows
      how
      much
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      means
      to
      me.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      realize
      that
      this
      is
      a
     
     
      side
      of
      CFS
      that
      we
      don’t
      al-
     
     
      ways
      see,
      it
      is
      the
      side
      that
     
     
      goes
      unrecognized,
      the
      silent
     
     
      side.
      Joe
      didn’t
      help
      me
      to
      get
     
     
      a
      better
      name
      for
      CFS,
      he
     
     
      helped
      me
      because
      he
      cares
     
     
      and
      he
      wanted
      to
      see
      one
      more
     
     
      person
      realize
      a
      dream.
     
    

    
     
      Every
      day
      CFS
      fights
      to
     
     
      keep
      tuition
      fees
      down,
      hoping
     
     
      to
      eliminated
      it.
      We
      are
      fight-
     
     
      ing
      for
      our
      right,
      not
      the
      privi-
     
     
      lege,
      to
      an
      education.
      I
      realize
     
     
      that
      it
      seems
      impossible,
      but
     
     
      nothing
      is
      impossible
      when
      you
     
     
      have
      hope.
     
    

    
     
      Like
      countless
      others,
      I
     
     
      had
      the
      hope
      of
      going
      to
      Uni-
     
     
      versity.
      And
      like
      those
      same
     
     
      people,
      I
      had
      to
      struggle,
      I
      had
     
     
      to
      keep
      those
      grades
      up,
      hope
     
     
      for
      a
      scholarship,
      and
      when
     
     
      that
      didn’t’
      work,
      I
      had
      to
      turn
     
     
      to
      student
      aid.
      Now
      I
      am
      here
     
     
      and
      millions
      of
      others
      are
      too.
     
     
      Now
      our
      main
      worry
      is
      getting
     
     
      by
      and
      staying
      in
      University.
     
     
      CFS
      is
      also
      worrying
      about
      us
     
     
      getting
      by,
      the
      members
      want
     
     
      to
      lower
      tuition
      fees
      and
      bring
     
     
      student
      grants
      back.
      We
      want
     
     
      to
      voice
      our
      concerns
      and
      fight
     
     
      for
      our
      rights.
      CFS
      can’t
      help
     
     
      us
      if
      we
      aren’*t
      members.
      Join
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _the
      fight,
      help
      keep
      the
      dreams
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      countless
      students
      present
     
     
      and
      future
      alive.
      Vote
      yes
      to
     
     
      CFS
      and
      get
      involved.
      I
      know
     
     
      I
      am
      glad
      that
      I
      did.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Melody
      Gilbert
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mniss
      Week
     
     
      Jai
      Nas
     
     
      ey
      alae
     
     
      ‘NoiteTs
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
         
     
     
          
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mie
      dnesday
     
     
      UE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ROUrSda
     
     
      lliQTs
     
     
      telah
     
     
      WTEC
      gy
      per
     
     
      ll!
     
     
      S4EOO
     
     
      UV
      al