The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      January
      14,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      feel
      bad.
      No,
      that’s
      not
     
     
      true.
      I
      feel
      really
      bad.
     
    

    
     
      I’m
      sitting
      here
      read-
     
     
      ing
      the
      Student
      Council’s
     
     
      letter
      I
      received
      over
      the
     
     
      holidays,
      the
      one
      explain-
     
     
      ing
      the
      building
      fund;
      and
      I
     
     
      can
      not
      help
      but
      feel
      bad.
     
     
      After
      all,
      last
      month
      I
     
     
      claimed
      the
      SU
      were
      ego-
     
     
      masturbators,
      thieves
     
     
      whose
      misplaced
      morality
     
    
   
   
    
     
      deserved
      nothing
      less
      than
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      scorn
      and
      derision
      from
      the
     
     
      people
      they
      represent.
      I
     
     
      now
      understand,
      though.
     
     
      Thanks
      to
      that
      letter,
      I
     
     
      know
      what
      the
      problem
      is.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’s
      not
      politics
      and
      prom-
     
     
      ises,
      and
      it
      has
      nothing
      to
     
     
      do
      with
      right
      and
      wrong.
      It
     
     
      is
      my
      fault
      you
      see.
     
    

    
     
      I
      have
      no
      pride.
      Pan-
     
     
      ther
      Pride,
      that
      is.
     
    

    
     
      You
      see,
      only
      a
      person
     
     
      without
      pride
      would
      con-
     
     
      cern
      themselves
      with
      man-
     
     
      datory
      donations.
      Only
      the
     
     
      arrogant
      and
      pretentious
     
     
      would
      presume
      to
      hold
      the
     
     
      council
      to
      their
      word
      when
     
     
      a
      higher
      purpose
      exists.
      It
     
     
      is
      the
      selfish
      and
      the
      weak,
     
     
      not
      the
      good,
      who
      with-
     
     
      draw
      their
      money
      from
      the
     
     
      building
      fund
      to
      spend
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      their
      own
      pleasure.
      I
      am
     
     
      nothing,
      zip,
      nada.
      Merely
     
     
      a
      vain
      and
      self-absorbed
     
     
      man
      whose
      worth
      falls
     
     
      somewhere
      above
      pond
     
     
      scum
      and
      somewhere
      be-
     
     
      low
      a
      sac
      of
      reprocessed
     
     
      bat-vomit.
      Why?
     
    

    
     
      Because
      I
      have
      no
     
     
      pride.
      Panther
      Pride,
      that
     
     
      is.
     
    

    
     
      If
      I
      had
      pride,
      I
      would
     
     
      understand
      the
      true
      mean-
     
     
      ing
      of
      what
      an
      education
      is.
     
     
      It
      is
      not
      the
      courses
      I
      take
      or
     
     
      the
      essays
      I
      write.
      It
      has
     
     
      nothing
      to
      do
      with
      the
     
     
      books
      I
      read,
      the
      level
      of
     
     
      my
      knowledge
      or
      the
      pro-
     
     
      fessors
      who
      provide
      it.
     
     
      With
      pride,
      I
      would
      see
      that
     
     
      the
      value
      of
      my
      degree
      is
     
     
      only
      relative
      to
      the
      beauty
     
     
      and
      appeal
      of
      the
      buildings
     
     
      in
      which
      I
      study.
      That’s
      it.
     
     
      Who
      cares
      what’s
      taught
     
     
      inside
      of
      them.
      It
      is
      the
     
     
      buildings
      themselves
      that
     
     
      count.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Why
      else
      would
      some-
     
     
      one
      want
      to
      come
      to
      UPEI
     
     
      to
      learn?
      Imagine
      how
     
     
      many
      people
      have
      visited
     
     
      our
      campus
      only
      to
      say:
     
     
      “What!!
      No
      pleasant
      place
     
     
      to
      gather,
      eat
      and
      study?”
     
     
      Can
      you
      conceive
      of
      the
     
     
      thousands
      of
      brilliant
      minds
     
     
      we
      have
      lost
      to
      other
     
     
      campuses
      because
      of
      our
     
     
      University’s
      out-of-date
     
     
      look?
      It
      is
      a
      wonder
      that
     
     
      past
      graduates
      amounted
      to
     
     
      anything
      at
      all
      with
      the
     
     
      state
      of
      facilities
      we’re
      in.
     
     
      But
      that
      is
      all
      going
      to
     
     
      change
      now.
      Thanks
      to
      the
     
     
      vision
      of
      our
      administra-
     
     
      tion
      and
      our
      Student
      Coun-
     
     
      cil,
      a
      degree
      at
      UPEI
      will
     
     
      mean
      something
      again.
     
    

    
     
      So
      I
      will
      rise
      above
     
     
      my
      basic
      nature
      and
      leave
     
     
      my
      voluntary
      donation
      in
     
     
      the
      hands
      of
      the
      visionar-
     
     
      ies,
      thanking
      them
      for
      their
     
     
      chastisements.
      .
      Because,
     
     
      someday,
      maybe
      years
      from
     
     
      no,
      I
      will
      be
      applying
      for
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      VVho
      needs
      you?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Little
      Brothers
      &
      Little
      Sisters
      are
     
     
      looking
      for
      you!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Why
      not
      make
      a
      difference?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Call
      us
      now...
     
     
      Big
      Brothers
      &
      Big
      Sisters
     
    
   
   
    
     
      892-5979
     
    
   
   
    
     
      YOU
      CAN
      GAIN
      A
      LOT
      BY
      GIVING
      A
      LITTLE.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      very
      important
      job.
      My
     
     
      interviewers
      will
      have
      my
     
     
      resume
      in
      front
      of
      them,
     
     
      pulled
      from
      a
      pile
      of
     
     
      hundreds
      of
      over-qualified
     
     
      candidates.
      One
      of
      them
     
     
      will
      raise
      their
      head
      and
     
     
      look
      at
      me,
      saying:
     
    

    
     
      “It
      says
      here
      that
      you
     
     
      studied
      at
      UPEI.
      Would
     
     
      that
      be
      the
      university
      with
     
     
      all
      those
      incredible
      build-
     
     
      ings?”
     
    

    
     
      Then,
      leaning
      back
      in
     
     
      my
      chair,
      I
      will
      raise
      my
     
     
      arms
      in
      a
      now
      confident
     
     
      stretch.
      Light
      from
      the
      sun
     
     
      outside
      the
      windows
      will
     
     
      bounce
      off
      my
      graduation
     
     
      ring
      and
      shine
      in
      their
     
     
      faces,
      exposing
      the
      gleam
     
     
      of
      envy
      in
      their
      eyes.
      My
     
     
      back
      straight,
      my
      head
      held
     
     
      high,
      I
      will
      say:
     
    

    
     
      “Yes.
      That’s
     
     
      one.”
     
    

    
     
      And
      I
      will
      say
      it
      with
     
     
      pride.
      Panther
      Pride.
      Amen.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      United
      Way
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PRINCE
      EDWARD
      ISLANO