Dear Editor:

Let us please seek the truth and set the record straight concerning the recent article relating women to a bottle of beer, and the social outcry resulting from this incident.

I personally found this article to be very offensive and degrading, and I fully agree with all of the comments which have. been voiced against the

Over the past two weeks, the engineering students of U-P.E.I. have taken a lot of lumps from people who live only to see the negative side of an issue.

These people and a lot of people besides have only heard bad things about the engineers because certain trouble makers ignore any positive things the engineers do and always blow anything disagreeable way out of proportion. Now let’s hear about the good things that U.P.E.I. éngineers do.

This summer the U.P.E.I. engineers fought tooth and nail for acommon science lounge in Duffy. After winning an uphill battle, and after the deal of science generously donated money to build a wall and ventilation system for the new lounge, the engineers agreed to paint, carpet and furnish the lounge at their own expense.

The ,Duffy common science lounge is now being worked on by the engineers for all other science students and is expected to be ready by the end of the first term. It will be the best student funded lounge on campus because the U.P.E.I. engineers take pride in their work.

YOUR COMMENTS

article itself. However, I am now beginning to fear that the attitudes created are approach- ing the point of being as bad as, or worse than the article.

If the Devil caused a few ~

Engineering students to submit this disgusting article, then he must be gloating in full glory now because he has succeeded in using his powers to create

At the start of the year, the engineers scraped the bottom of their bank account to donate one hundred dollars to the Rick Hanson drive for spinal cord research. They felt it was money well spent.

Also, each year, the

engineering students partici- pate in the Christmas Daddies program.

Last year, the engineers organized a fund raising campaign for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. They took a considerable risk by raffling

off a Four-Trax ATV worth .

over two thousand dollars. After much hard work and door to door selling, the

many more devilish thoughts and false attitudes in the hearts of many people who were offended by this article.

The truth is that this was a very degrading and offensive article which, by their own admission, degraded the few students responsible even more.

Another truth which has not been told or appreciated is that

engineers raised one thousand dollars for the hospital,

This year, the engineers are trying to raise more money for the Cancer Society by selling tickets on a draw for a JVC Stereo System worth one thousand five hundred dollars. Again they are taking a considerable risk to raise money for a worthy cause.

Can any other student society on campus claim a similar record of positive community involvement? Maybe certain people should take a better look at their unbalanced and hastily concluded opinions about the U.P.E.1. Engineering Society.

Brian Linkletter

it was the work of a very few Engineering students in isolation, who, being obviously naive and immature, made a very serious error in judgement by submitting the article without realizing the possible consequences.

The Engineering faculty, and a great majority of the Eningeering students were deeply offended by this article, and they knew nothing about it having been submitted to The Gem. acy It is most regretable that all of the Engineering students.are being held accountable for this action, and even more regretable is the very negative attitude towards Engineering students in general, as a result of the mistake of a few. Why are so many innocent individuals being punished for the isolated’ action so few? /a very few Engineering students made a very serious mistake, for which they have been pawid, and are still paying, a high price of humiliation.

The students responsible for submitting. this - article, and many. other Engineering students, are the same:students

who work hard every year, beyond their studies, to raise money.-for’ the Hospita] Equipment Fund at the Q.E.H.,-and «who. provide presents for needy children on the Christmas Daddy program, and do other commendalbe deeds.

In our society, not one of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes. I hope that we all have the wisdom.and strength to: regenize ithese mistakes and to learn from them.

The... Engineering’ Depart- ment absolutely and_ totally deplores any articles which serves to degrade the human person. In the education

_ process, we strive to seek truth

and to recognize that the real virtues of education can only be achieved when we improve and protect the dignity of the human person.

In the final analysis, our attitudes will cause more harm than the facts. ‘‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”’

Sincerely _

Don MacEwen Chairman ‘ Engineering Department

Dear Editor,

Twenty years ago I read an article in which Engineers were referred to as ““Neander- dals with slide rules.”” We were called uneducated, and devoid

of style. And were accused of being afflicted with nausea, boredom, and cotempt of life.

It wasn’t a fair characterization but there was some truth in it.

We engineers did tend to have narrow interests. And engineering students in some schools prided themselves on behaving as grossly as possible. The in thing was to out- Neanderthal each other. ‘*Gee, we had prostitutes at the last

To The Editor:

I am writing to express my shock and disgust with an article entitled “‘Why Beer is Better Than Some Women” from the October 16, 1986 issue of The Netted Gem.

I am shocked that a university newspaper would print an article of this nature. You as editor and the Engineers’ Society would do well to note how offensive this

article is to women. The article |

in question portrays insolence and a degrading attitude towards all women.

Unfortunately, your por- trayal of women in a university newspaper reflects the entire student body of U.P.E.I. I’m

sure some students would question your judgement.

This type of article may be amusing to a few, but at the expense of how many others? Transition House Association deals with women and children who are victims of domestic violence. These women and children are beaten physically and abused verbally. They must submit to control and severe degradation.

In order to end domestic

violence, it is essential that many attitudes which view women in a subservient role change. This attitude is depicted perfectly in ‘Why Beer Is Better Than Some Women”.

This article exemplifies an unacceptable attitude which causes unacceptable behavior.

Sincerely, Patti Seres Executive Director

Dear Editor,

If somone ‘starts to read something offensive in the paper, they should stop and go on to something else.

That’s what I do. I find the first page boring and go on to

the second. I find the second page boring and go tothe third. I find the third boring and go to the ‘View’. When I’m finished that, I toss the paper. I. Reid Little

party, what can we do this time?”

I was glad I read that article — because it gave me a crystal clear image of the person I did not want to be.

Engineers have progressed in the last twenty years. Many of us have slowly grown out of our technological narrowness. And I'd like to think that a few of us male engineers have outgrown those sexual attitudes. Times are changing. Because of that I’m upset — as anengineer _ and as aman — at the recent piece in the Gem: “Why -Beer is Better Than. Some Women.” It didn’t reflect well on my profession or my gender. It’s unfortunate that the piece was written, and even more unfortunate that it was published. But perhaps something can be salvaged from this situation.

I'd like to suggest to male engineering students who read this article that they take a moment to think about it in the same way I thought about that other article twenty years ago. Think about it as a possible image of yourself. Is that the real you? The best possible you? I doubt it.

It’s possible to choose perpetual adolescence — to spend your whole life guzzling beer, having gross sexual fantasies, and thinking of women only as sex objects. But it’s alo possible to join the real world of the late 20th century,

‘ where men are trying to build

productive partnerships with women.

Our world is undergoing incredible changes. People are demanding that the next century be saner than this one. I want that saner world. You do to.

As engineers we are designers and builders. We can be and we should be at the heart of the process of change. But to build this kind of twenty-first century that society needs, we engineers must become wiser in every way. We’re going to have to transcend the Neanderthal within. Society needs engineers with sensitivity, with humanity, and with breadth of vision to build that better world. And it’s the men women of this ‘generation that are going to

have to do it. Sincerely, Copthorne Macdonald Png

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