The Cadre + 7 Aprili998 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     UPEI stomps 
     
     Holland College 
     
     with words 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY DEE BADER 
     
    
   
   
    
     On Monday, March 9, Holland College and the Univer- 
     
     sity of Prince Edward Island engaged in a titanic struggle for 
     
     debating supremacy on Prince Edward Island. With the 
     
     prestigious MacDonald-Reid Trophy at stake, the two teams 
     
     engaged in a wild verbal battle on the topic “The Young 
     
     Offenders Act [should] be amended to allow for the public 
     
     release of the \names of the offenders.” 
     
    

    
     Representing UPEI were Michelle Filion and Randy 
     
     McDonald. Stephanie Douglas, last year’s champion, and 
     
     newcomer Kelly MacDonald sought to defend the title and 
     
     the trophy on behalf of Holland College. On the basis of a 
     
     coin toss, UPEI was required to defend the resolution while 
     
     Holland College sought to oppose UPEI’s case. The mod- 
     
     erator of the event was Mayor George MacDonald. Not- 
     
     withstanding the intensity of the intellectual struggle, Mr. 
     
     MacDonald ensured that the highest level of dignity and 
     
     civility was sustained as the combatants furiously and orally 
     
     battled it out. 
     
    

    
     To this unbiased observer, it was really no contest. Ms. 
     
     Filion was absolutely fabulous in her opening address and her 
     
     rebuttal, scoring point after verbal point in defense of her 
     
     argument while, at the same time, demolishing the arguments 
     
     of the opposition one by one. Mr. MacDonald brought further 
     
     critical evidence to bear upon the opposition and, mixed with 
     
     some subtle and devastating humour, placed Holland College 
     
     in a defensive position from which they were powerless to 
     
     recover. Ms. Douglas, unable to respond effectively to the 
     
     crushing constructive arguments of the UPEI debaters, was 
     
     reduced to weak semantic arguments regarding the real 
     
     meaning of the resolution. Ms. MacDonald, a rookic, made 
     
     a valiant effort to regain the high ground in her presentation, 
     
     but by then it was all too late. 
     
    

    
     That, in a nutshell, is how this correspondent saw the 
     
     matchup. Clearly, the decision of the judges mirrors my 
     
     assessment that Holland College was verbally whipped. The 
     
     judges, Susan Willis, the principal of Charlottetown Rural, 
     
     Paul Connolly, Liberal MLA, and Erin Casey, Coordinator of 
     
     the Women’s Network, awarded a unanimous decision to the 
     
     University of Prince Edward Island. ; 
     
    

    
     And so, what more needs to be said. Congratulations 
     
     to Michelle and Randy for their valiant effort. As a conse- 
     
     quence of your skill and ability, the MacDonald-Reid Trophy, 
     
     dedicated to the St. Dunstan’s University team of Allen 
     
     MacDonald and Walter Reid, who brought great recognition 
     
     and reputation to PEI by winning the 1954 Canadian Domin- 
     
     ; I ionship, has been retumed to its rightful 
     
     home in Robertson Library on the campus of the University 
     
     of Prince Edward Island. The trophy will be on display in the 
     
     library during exam week. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. 
     
     See you next year, Holland College, when once again we will 
     
     invoke the classic mantra of great debaters everywhere: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Honours: An Elitist 
     
     Program? 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY COLLEEN BELANGER 
     
    
   
   
    
     For three years | was a proud panther. As sociology rep. for the society in my third year, 
     
     I was involved with the department, trying to help students with any problems they had. Lo 
     
     and behold,at the beginning of second semester I ran across a problem. I was informed that 
     
     if I wanted to go to graduate school, I should do my honours. No problem, I had the marks, 
     
     The only thing standing in my way was the fact that UPEI did not offer an honours degree. 
     
     In protest, a fellow student of mine passed around a petition, which we presented ceremoni- 
     
     ously to the department at the end of the year. | also informed them that I would be transferring 
     
     to ST Francis Xavier to complete my degree so that I could do my honours. 
     
    

    
     Through a comedy of errors, I decided to post-pone doing my honours. When an 
     
     informant of mine at UPEI told me that they were getting an honours program in sociology, 
     
     I was beside myself with joy. I figured that once | completed my degree at STFX, I could 
     
     upgrade it at UPEI to an honours. 
     
    

    
     Wrong. | was informed by the administration (evil people that they are) that | could not 
     
     do this because the BA honours is a single, 132 semester hour degree, not just additional work 
     
     tagged on toa BA. At first this sounded reasonable. Then I read the e-mail further. If you have 
     
     graduated from UPEI in the past with a BA in sociology, then you can come back and upgrade 
     
     to an honours. 
     
    

    
     Huh? Was I not told that you could not upgrade your degree? Why can a former UPEI 
     
     student do this, when I can’t. In explaination I was told that UPEI does not offer conversion 
     
     certificates in honours to students who from another university. Isn’t this university 
     
     discrimination? Is my STFX degree not as good as a UPEI degree? This seems odd to me, 
     
     especially since I did three years and obtained all my core courses at UPEI. 
     
    

    
     After reading the academic regulations in the UPEI calendar (which were vague at 
     
     best), | found no mention of this ‘clause’. Maybe | missed it. Or maybe you can only find 
     
     it if you read the regulations backwards. I also checked out the requirements for some of the 
     
     other honours programs that UPEI offers. You have to be enrolled in, or have completed a 
     
     BA degree. It fails to say that this had to be done at UPEI. Has the registrar's office resorted 
     
     to assuming that we know that they expect the degree to be done at UPEI? Don't they 
     
     know that when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me? 
     
    

    
     I was then informed by John Crossely (who I have been in contact with and who has 
     
     really been a great help) that Philip Smith, Dean of Arts, had several options that | should 
     
     explore. Dean Smithave been in contact with and who has really been a great help) that Philip 
     
     Smith, Dean of Arts, had several options that I should explore. Dean Smitally be an honours 
     
     program, but the university would write me a letter stating that I had completed the 
     
     requirements. Kind of like in elementary school when your parents had to sign your homework 
     
     to make sure that it was done. 
     
    

    
     I figured, what they heck, I'll find out a little more about this option. It appears that the 
     
     courses will show on my UPEI transcript, but that graduate schools didn’t necessarily have 
     
     to accept them, because I would not have “officially” acquired an honours qualification. 
     
    

    
     So, UPEI is more than willing to take my money, even though they know that the courses 
     
     wouldn't guarantee me anything and taking them may benefit me in no way, shape or form. 
     
     Now, if I am intelligent enough to get into an honours program, am I not intelligent enough not 
     
     to give the university my money so that I could do an unofficial honours? 
     
    

    
     UPEI really needs to review its academic regulations to see who they benefit. As far 
     
     as I can see, they benefit no one. But maybe I’m missing something ——— besides the 
     
     opportunity to get my honours at UPEI. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     ’ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
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