MARCH
      14,
      2007
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rob
      Walker
     
     
      Editor
      in
      Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      was
      walking
      along
      University
      Avenue
     
     
      on
      Friday
      night
      after
      checking
      out
      300
      at
     
     
      the
      theatre,
      and
      some
      asshole
      in
      an
      old.
     
     
      Buick
      throws
      a
      liquor
      bottle
      at
      me
      from
     
     
      the
      passenger
      window.
      I
      could
      hear
      them
     
     
      laughing
      all
      the
      way
      down
      the
      ave.
      Who
     
     
      does
      something
      like
      this?
      No,
      seriously
     
     
      ‘random
      liquor
      bottle
      thrower-guy’,
     
     
      what’s
      your
      damage?.In
      what
      weird
      little
     
     
      world
      do
      you
      live
      in
      where
      this
      is
      cool?
     
     
      The
      sad
      part
      is
      I
      would
      bet
      20
      bucks
     
     
      the
      driver
      was
      just
      as
      drunk
      as
      he
      was.
     
     
      Look,
      I
      know
      it’s
      hard,
      coming
      from
      an
     
     
      alcoholic
      family,
      a
      father
      who
      beats
      you
     
     
      and
      a
      mother
      who
      smokes
      like
      its
      her
     
     
      job.
      The
      fact
      that
      you
      have
      no
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      and
      future,
      to
      the
      point
      where
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      highlight
      of
      your
      life
      is
      driving
      along
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Justa
      L
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mélanie
      Bernard
     
     
      Managing
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      of
      our
      reporters
      was
      assigned
      the
     
     
      task
      of
      finding
      out
      who
      was
      running
      for
     
     
      the
      upcoming
      SU
      Elections
      and
      writing
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      brief
      summary
      on
      each
      candidate
      for
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LLCs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      ¢
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Right
      Here
      and
      Now
     
    
   
   
    
     
      University
      Avenue
      at
      11pm
      throwing
     
     
      liquor
      bottles
      and
      looking
      for
      fights
      isn’t
     
     
      something
      to
      be
      ashamed
      of
      at
      all.
      In
     
     
      fact,
      I’m
      sure
      your
      16
      year
      old
      cousin/
     
     
      girlfriend
      was
      really
      impressed.
      Frankly,
     
     
      I’m
      impressed
      you
      were
      able
      to
      work
      the
     
     
      window.
      Was
      it
      a
      roller
      or
      automatic?
      I
     
     
      know
      how
      those
      automatic
      jobbies
      scare
     
     
      you.
     
    

    
     
      Sigh,
      I’m
      just
      glad
      it
      was
      a
      plastic
     
     
      bottle.
     
    

    
     
      In
      other
      news,
      what’s
      the
      deal
      with
      this
     
     
      proposed
      inctease
      in
      tuition?
      Wasn’t
      6.5
     
     
      per
      cent
      last
      year
      enough?
      Now
      they’re
     
     
      talking
      about
      a
      4
      per
      cent
      increase
      every
     
     
      year
      for
      three
      years.
      Great.
      Because
      I
     
     
      know
      that
      the
      value
      of
      the
      degree,
      infla-
     
     
      tion
      and
      the
      job
      market
      have
      certainly
     
     
      increased
      180
      per
      cent
      to
      match
      the
      rise
     
     
      in
      tuition
      since
      1990.
      Oh
      wait,
      it
      hasn’t.
     
    

    
     
      So
      why
      does
      our
      tuition
      continue
      to
     
     
      rise?
      You
      can
      compare
      us
      to
      other
      uni-
     
     
      versities
      in
      the
      Maritimes
      all
      you
      want,
     
     
      but
      the
      fact
      is
      time
      after
      time
      Canadian
     
     
      universities
      fall
      behind
      in
      international
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rankings
      of
      affordability
      in
      education.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      More
      and
      more
      people
      are
      taking
      longer
     
     
      to
      graduate,
      taking
      on
      more
      shifts
      at
     
     
      work
      or
      just
      plain
      dropping
      out.
     
    

    
     
      I
      spoke
      with
      Member
      of
      Parliament
     
     
      Shawn
      Murphy
      in
      Ottawa
      last
      month
     
     
      and
      he
      told
      me
      he
      thought
      the
      entire
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      loan
      system
      needs
      to
      be
      scrapped
     
     
      and
      started
      from
      scratch.
      I
      agree.
      I
     
     
      would
      really
      like
      to
      know
      what
      these
     
     
      extra
      costs
      are
      for...didn’t
      we
      just
      spend
     
     
      millions
      of
      dollars
      on
      building
      a
      bunch
     
     
      of
      stuff?
      How
      many
      students
      use
      those
     
     
      buildings,
      how
      much
      income
      are
      we
     
     
      expecting
      back
      from
      them?
     
    

    
     
      Do
      I
      teally
      have
      to
      tell
      this
      to
      an
      insti-
     
     
      tution?
      My
      mom
      taught
      me
      this
      when
      _
     
     
      I
      was
      like,
      5:
      “If
      you
      don’t
      have
      the
     
     
      money,
      stop
      spending
      it.”
      Spending
      a
      ton
     
     
      of
      money
      on
      projects
      only
      a
      tiny,
      tiny
     
     
      fraction
      of
      the
      university
      will
      use
      and
     
     
      then
      saying
      you
      need
      to
      increase
      tuition
     
     
      is
      simply
      ridiculous.
     
    

    
     
      If
      we
      keep
      going
      the
      way
      we’re
      going
     
     
      now,
      we'll
      have
      a
      lovely
      campus
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      state
      of
      the
      art
      buildings,
      and
      it
      will
      be
     
    
   
   
    
     
      completely
      deserted.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ittle
      Something
      ...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      executive
      positions.
      We
      were
      wondering
     
     
      if
      the
      assignment
      was
      too
      big
      for
      one
     
     
      reporter
      to
      handle
      and
      we
      were
      consid-
     
     
      ering
      asking
      two
      reporters
      to
      tackle
      it.
     
     
      What
      if
      12
      people
      had
      applied
      for
      the
     
     
      positions
      of
      SU
      Prez,
      VP
      Activities
      and
     
     
      SU
      Executive
      VP??
      It
      would
      be
      a
      night-
     
     
      mate
      to
      try
      to
      get
      all
      of
      those
      profiles
     
     
      done.
     
    

    
     
      But
      this
      is
      UPEI
      after
      all.
      Would
      some-
     
     
      thing
      like
      that
      actually
      happen?
      No.
      I
      was
     
     
      disgusted
      to
      find
      out
      that
      only
      1
      person
     
     
      was
      running
      for
      each
      SU
      president
      and
     
     
      VP
      activities.
      It
      is
      really
      hard
      to
      imagine
     
     
      that
      out
      of
      a
      school
      of
      4,000
      students
     
     
      only
      two
      people
      were
      interested
      in
      those
     
     
      positions.
      This
      really
      goes
      to
      show
      that
     
     
      this
      campus
      is
      the
      most
      apathetic
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      on
      the
      face
      of
      the
      planet.
      And
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      is
      not
      something
      to
      be
      proud
      of.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      can’t
      imagine
      how
      it
      feels
      for
      those
     
     
      people
      who
      were
      the
      only
      ones
      who
     
     
      applied.
      I
      would
      assume
      they
      want
      to
     
     
      actually
      feel
      like
      they
      won
      the
      position
     
     
      by
      proving
      to
      the
      students
      that
      they
      have
     
     
      what
      it
      takes
      to
      make
      a
      difference...
     
     
      instead
      of
      having
      the
      position
      handed
      to
     
     
      them
      through
      a
      yes/no
      vote.
     
    

    
     
      Do
      the
      positions
      just
      not
      seem
      like
      that
     
     
      much
      fun?
      Does
      it
      sound
      like
      too
      much
     
     
      work?
      Do
      most
      students
      on
      campus
     
     
      already
      have
      part-time
      jobs?
      Is
      trying
      to
     
     
      make
      a
      difference
      in
      this
      school
      through
     
     
      the
      student
      union
      such
      a
      futile
      ep
      ie
      Why
     
     
      were
      there
      only
      a
      handful
      of
      students
     
     
      that
      applied?
     
    

    
     
      I
      hope
      next
      year
      there
      are
      more
      people
     
     
      that
      get
      involved
      because
      this
      year,
      it’s
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      embarrassment
      to
      the
      school.