On
      Wednesday
      last,
      three
      sep-
     
     
      arate
      weather
      systems
      moved
      into
      the
     
     
      Gulf
      of
      St.
      Lawrence,
      producing
      a
      rare
     
     
      phenomenon
      known
      as
      a
      weather
     
     
      bomb.
      The
      convergence
      of
      these
     
     
      storms
      produced
      gale
      force
      winds,
     
     
      hard
      driving
      rain,
      and
      a
      wide-spread
     
     
      desire
      to
      stay
      inside.
     
    

    
     
      On
      campus,
      the
      final
      leaves
     
     
      were
      whisked
      violently
      from
      flailing
     
     
      tree
      branches,
      hurled
      across
      the
     
     
      ground,
      and
      doused
      with
      torrents
      of
     
     
      cold
      rain.
      In
      the
      midst
      of
      all
      this
     
     
      havoc,
      President
      MacLauchlan
      could
     
     
      be
      seen,
      at
      the
      ungodly
      hour
      of
      8:30
      in
     
     
      the
      morning,
      wrestling
      with
      his
     
     
      umbrella,
      doing
      battle
      with
      the
      forces
     
     
      of
      nature
      to
      get
      to
      his
      lecture
      of
      Prof.
     
     
      Ledwell’s
      English
      101
      class.
     
    

    
     
      One
      has
      to
      be
      fairly
      dedicated
     
     
      to
      effective
      communication
      to
      have
     
     
      faced
      the
      elements
      on
      that
      bleak
      morn-
     
     
      ing,
      and
      President
      MacLauchlan
      is
      just
     
     
      that
      dedicated.
     
    

    
     
      “Although,”
      he
      confides
      to
      me
     
     
      later,
      “I
      think
      what’s
      really
      important
     
     
      is
      for
      the
      president
      to
      be
      in
      the
      class-
     
     
      room
      [and]
      get
      a
      chance
      to
      get
      out
     
     
      there
      and
      see
      what’s
      going
      on,
      to
      be
      a
     
     
      part
      of
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      President
     
     
      MacLauchlan’s
      goal:
      to
      have
      the
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      lecture
      to
      every
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      student
      once
      before
      he
      or
      she
     
     
      leaves.
      Because
      English
      101
      is
      manda-
     
     
      tory
      for
      every
      student
      at
      UPEI,
      if
     
     
      MacLauchlan
      visits
      each
      section,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      You've
      got
      mail...
      c
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wade’s
      Crusade
     
    
   
   
    
     
      President
      MacLauchlan
      Braves
      Weather
      Bomb
      to
      Expound
      Virtues
      of
      Communication
      |
     
     
      by
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      President
      Wade
      MacLauchlian.
     
     
      every
      term,
      eventually
      his
      mission
      will
     
     
      be
      accomplished.
     
    

    
     
      And,
      he
      points
      out,
      from
      his
     
     
      perspective,
      composition
      class
      is
      the
     
     
      perfect
      arena
      for
      him
      to
      step
      into,
      as
      he
     
     
      believes
      fervently
      in
      the
      tenets
      of
      good
     
     
      communication.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      don’t
      think
      there’s
      any
      more
     
     
      important
      piece
      of
      the
      intellectual
     
     
      toolkit
      than
      the
      ability
      to
      write
      and
      to
     
     
      communicate,
      and,
      in
      turn,
      to
      think
     
     
      rigorously.”
     
    

    
     
      All
      101
      students
      receive
      a
     
     
      package,
      a
      sort
      of
      a
      syllabus,
      prior
      to
     
     
      President
      MacLauchlan’s
      visit.
      The
     
     
      package
      contains
      actual
      memos
      that
     
     
      MacLauchlan
      has
      written
      as
      well
      as
     
     
      several
      drafts
      of
      a
      memo
      promoting
     
     
      last
      year’s
      staff
      Christmas
      party.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MacLauchlan
      prefaces
      his
      lec-
     
     
      ture
      by
      saying,
      “I
      want
      to
      get
      into
     
     
      every
      classroom,
      see
      what
      you’re
      up
     
     
      to.
      And
      I’m
      especially
      pleased
      to
      be
     
     
      doing
      it
      in
      your
      formative
      years,
      when
     
     
      we
      lay
      down
      what
      I
      call
      the
      railroad,
     
     
      the
      railroad
      over
      which
      your
      life
      as
      a
     
     
      writer
      and
      a
      communicator
      will
      trav-
     
     
      el.”
      :
     
    

    
     
      He
      then
      delves
      into
      his
      lecture
     
     
      by
      breaking
      up
      the
      subject
      into
      three
     
     
      categories:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1.
      The
      Ubiquity
      of
      Communication
     
     
      The
      Blood,
      Sweat,
      and
      Tears
      of
     
     
      Communication
     
    

    
     
      3.
      The
      Joy
      of
      Communication.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      this
      point,
      it
      becomes
      clear
      that
     
     
      MacLauchlan’s
      lecture
      isn’t
      entirely
      in
     
     
      the
      same
      vein
      as
      a
      composition
      lec-
     
     
      ture;
      his
      is
      more
      focused
      on
      presenta-
     
     
      tion
      in
      a
      professional
      context
      rather
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      than
      the
      ins
      and
      outs
      of
      academic
      writ-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing.
     
    

    
     
      “A
      very
      accomplished
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      department
      head
      in
      the
      English
     
     
      division
      said
      to
      me
      when
      I
      was
      starting
     
     
      out,
      ‘Wade,
      80
      percent
      of
      [the
      impres-
     
     
      sion
      one
      makes]
      is
      when
      you
      walk
      in
     
     
      the
      room.’
     
    

    
     
      “T
      think
      what
      was
      really
      being
     
     
      said,
      in
      regards
      to
      communication,
      is
     
     
      that
      you
      just
      have
      one
      chance
      to
      walk
     
     
      into
      the
      room.
      And
      if
      you
      come
      in
     
     
      looking
      like
      you
      came
      there
      to
      do
     
     
      business
      ...
      then
      what
      follows
      is
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      booklet
      on
      Government
      of
      Canada
      services.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Look
      for
      information
      on:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
      Career,
      job
      and
      business
      planning
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ¢
      Protecting
      the
      environment
     
     
      ¢
      Safe
      surfing
      on
      the
      internet
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
      Helping
      kids
      do
      their
      homework
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
      Retirement
      planning
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ¢
      Making
      choices
      for
      healthy
      living
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      you,
      your
      farnily
      and
      your
      community.
     
     
      It's
      coming
      to
      your
      mailbox
      soon!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      you'll
      be
      taken
      more
      seriously
      than
      if
     
     
      you
      kind
      of
      slump
      around.”
      :
     
    

    
     
      No
      doubt
      MacLauchlan
      knows
     
     
      what
      he
      is
      talking
      about;
      in
      his
      capac-
     
     
      ity
      as
      president
      of
      a
      university,
      he
      says
     
     
      that
      he
      spends
      a
      good
      chunk
      of
      his
     
     
      time
      composing
      the
      sort
      of
      internal
     
     
      and
      external
      memos
      that
      he
      refers
      to
      in
     
     
      his
      handout.
     
    

    
     
      The
      first
      memo
      in
      the
      package
     
     
      looks
      correct
      enough,
      but
     
     
      ‘MacLauchlan
      asks
      the
      class
      to
      look
     
     
      closer.
      He
      points
      to
      several
      errors
      in
     
     
      formatting
      and
      punctuation
      that
      could
     
     
      have
      been
      averted
      had
      he
      double
     
     
      checked
      the
      document
      before
      hitting
     
     
      the
      send
      button
      on
      his
      computer.
      In
     
     
      this
      case,
      he
      had
      blown
      his
      chance
      to
     
     
      make
      a
      good
      first
      impression.
     
    

    
     
      “Before
      you
      let
      it
      go,
      before
     
     
      you
      decide
      that
      this
      is
      your
      chance
      to
     
     
      walk
      into
      the
      room,
      take
      a
      look
      at
      your
     
     
      stuff
      and
      make
      sure
      that
      the
      pages
      turn
     
     
      out
      the
      way
      that
      you
      want
      them
      to,
      and
     
     
      make
      sure
      that
      it
      comes
      of
      the
      page
      in
     
     
      a
      way
      that
      speaks
      with
      authority.
     
    

    
     
      As
      he
      makes
      his
      way
      through
     
     
      his
      handout,
      MacLauchlan
      hits
      on
     
     
      some
      familiar
      composition
      topics
      such
     
     
      as
      paragraphing,
      vocabulary,
      active
     
     
      versus
      passive
      voice,
      and
      pronouns.
     
     
      By
      referring
      to
      the
      memos,
      he
      demon-
     
     
      strates
      that
      good
      writing
      has
      a
      practi-
     
     
      cal
      real-world
      application.
     
    

    
     
      He
      invites
      students
      to
      postu-
     
     
      late
      as
      to
      what
      percentage
      of
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      lives
      are
      spent
      communicating;
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [4]