L E TTE RS continued

the univeristy’s newspaper concerning the return of football to the school. Both of these articles expressed displeasure with the ignorance of the individuals who have concerned themselves with this undertaking. Mr. Davison and Mr. MacDonald both contributed very well written arguments, unfortunately though, they were poorly researched.

The strongest point expressed by both gentlemen was the lack of funding to support a football program. This argument applies to sports financially supported by the univeristy and its athletic department. Had their pieces been well researched they would have discovered that the program untwined would be completely supported by corporation, not the univeristy. Also, Mr. Davison would prefer that the university direct finds to the construction of a new chemistry building and student centre. | am in agreement with his point but, if the university were to build these two buildings, the cost would be huge compared to the cost of starting a football program. Huge even in comparison to the cost of running a program for five years. Although as stated before it would cost the university nothing.

Mr. MacDonald stated that another reason we were seeking a program was to draw people together. He rebutted by saying that hockey and basketball did that quite nicely, and they do, but not at the first of the year, when it counts the most. No disrespect intended to soccer and filed hockey but unfortunately they are not capable of doing this.

Football is the only sport capable of bringing an entire school body together at the first of the year, therefore, increasing school spirit. | am not the only person on the campus that has noticed a lack of school spirit and pride am I? | didn’t think so/

Mr. MacDonald also made another very interesting point, and | quote “I’m tired about hearing of people whining that they had to go away to univeristy to play football.” He went on to say that we had forgotten that the real reason for univeristy was education. Good point, if that had been what we were “whining” about. What we were discussing was that we couldn't afford to go away to play the sport we love. We are quite content, yet frustrated, getting our education at this fine univeristy.

With all due respect, Andrew Sprague

X-Press,

In the January | Ith issue of the X-Press, a very deceptive article about U.P.E.I. football was printed. This article was entitled “U.P.E.I. football: An unrealistic move at the wrong time”. Mr. Bruce Davison wrote this article. In it, he states that the university can't afford to fund it. That is obvious to say the least. Who . is Bruce Davison to say that if football could be reinstated by alumni and businesses it would be a step in the wrong direction and even “morally” unjustifiable? He went on to say that it would be the moral responsibility of all of us

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who really care about the university to convince the donors to put the money towards projects that could actually help students.

It is obvious reading his article that varsity sports have little meaning or value to him. His idea of taking athletic sponsors’ money for other projects is not the way to go. With his attitude, why not terminate all Varsity sports so everyone can have free scholarships? Bruce davison did indicate that the university should examine how much longer it can maintain the present number of Varsity teams.

Bruce Davison considered varsity as a non- essential addition to the university. To say that any varsity sport is non-essential would be clueless; especially football. Football is a sport which requires hard work, determination and planning. All of which are key elements to succeed in life.

A prime example of this is Bill Cowrie, a successful owner of a brick building company out west. When the University of Alberta decided to drop their football program, he donated a substantial amount of money to reinstate the program. He credited football to helping him succeed in life. He used to play High School football in Edmonton, and said that it would be a tragedy if football was lost from the University.

If fundraising to restore the roar of the football panthers is achieved, football will benefit everyone at the university. The school spirit would be at an all time high and it would make a great statement for the importance of varsity sports.

Yours truly, Colin Stewart

X-Press, In response to Scott MacDonald’s letter (sincerely fed up with football). While MacDonald makes a point that education is important he misses an even larger one.

Although universities like to think they are unaffected by the outside world they are. In particularly in terms of funding. You know, paying for all this. Given that the provincial can’t even make its payroll two weeks a year the possibility of recieving more money from them is slim to none.

| guess it would make sense then to turn

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away the only other group capable of supporting us, the corporate sector. The establishment of a football team at UPEI would make the corporate sector an active member of the university community. This will make it easier to solicit funds from the private sector for new computers or infrastructure upgrading. Where do you think the Fieldhouse came from? Maybe I’m wrong, though. Maybe all those pretty trees on campus have money growing onthem. Maybe you should ask Dr. Eliot if they do, the next time he prepares the university's

budget. Sincerely, Jeff Himelman X-Press, A Poem

Yeah, sure- bring back intervarsity football. Bring back intervarsity darts,

bring back intervarsity shuffleboard,

bring back intervarsity sharades:

Hell, anything's better than this year’s hockey

team! R. Baglole

Dear X-Press, yousuck

In this day and age of budget slashing and cost cutting measures the students of UPEI are in no need of a paper that is full of such trash. The X-Press shows no taste in the material that it prints, and three-quarters of the material is of no use to us, the students. Who was the person who signed permission to put the Chia penis on the inside cover of one of the recent issues? Believe me | got a laugh, but it was very distasteful coming froma university newspaper. The high school which | attended in Saint John was better in every aspect of journalism. Let me remind you that this is a high school, and not an institute of high learning such as UPEI. The money used to publish the express [sic] should be used to set upa student employment centre on campus, something that we can all benefit from. Unless the X-Press can improve its quality, to encompass the needs of all

[ x.press january twenty-fifth 1994 page 8 |. AT aaeW: oo a

students at UPEI, it should be put where it

belongs, in the trash. Chris D. Gallant

Ist Year Bio.

The Iceman cometh (back)

Dear Jean-Claude (or is it Mr. Van-— Damme?) " Alright, settle down, perhaps if you took a

econd to think before you wrote your snappy comeback you would've realized the tone of my letter: HUMOUR. Or, for lack of a more appropriate word, sarcasm. Atno time did | ever mention that E-Mail should be banned. | only gave my viewpoint of how addictive it has become. By your obvious offense to my letter | would assume that you're one of those guys that checks his mail four times a day, hoping for some mail.

And where did you come up with this idea that I'm against pub nites? | think you're reading too much into my commentary. The only ice that goes down on those evenings begins at 7.1%. I'm not blaming E-Mail for student apathy or the advent of the cold war, only for being a toy that every kid/student loves to play with. | do thank you, however, for taking the kindness to try and help me out of this enslavement-- it’s nice to see that us junkies have friends. :

Sincerely, The Iceman

Maligning Marriot

Dear Editor, es

Since Marriot Foods has no competition for the campus market, it should be their responsibility to maintain fairness in their pricing.

As it is now, the students of UPEI have no choice but to pay the prices that Marriot insists are reasonable.

In reality, the prices are not reasonable, and are in fact outrageously high. It is bad enough that the students have to contend with rising tuition and they should not have to pay prices that are jacked up by a company that uses their monopoly to set prices as they wish.

It was stated in last week's X-Press that The Pit should be rated as a one-and-one-half cookie restaurant. It would be more correct to compare the service that Marriot Foods provides to that of an overpriced hotdog stand: the prices are outrageous and the food really is not that good! A concerned group of students.

Correction:

In the January 18 issue of the X-Press, the editorial referred to an article in the Guardian about the X-Press sex supplement; the article in quesion was actually published in the Evening Patrioc. Po-tay-toh, Po-tah-toh.