Real communication is needed

Cadre with any regularity has prob- ably noticed, there has been much talk of discontent throughout the staff and contributors. The prob- lems have been stated before - the Cadre is disorganized, undemocrat- ic, and without any real sense of direction or purpose. There has been a lot of talk from both sides regarding these issues, and attempts at solu- tions are being put in place. However, the reality is clear. To quote the Editor-In-Chief, meeting atten- dance "has dropped from an aver- age of 20 people down to six at our last two meetings. Two paid staff

have left, and our contributors have all but vanished". These statements would suggest that despite any efforts at correcting the issues, there is still an uncomfortable vibe that permeates the office and the paper produced in it.

As one who has been involved with the troubles that plague the paper since they first began to appear, I can only say that the one thing missing from all the proceedings has been communica- | tion. Oh yes, there have been sev- eral opportunities at airing out complaints, and many have taken them. Yet despite this, there is something that still feels "off". So obviously something is still miss- ing. I believe that real communica- tion, not simply a moderated meet- ing every once in awhile, is not happening on a large scale. As a start I've taken my concerns to the Editor-in-Chief personally, and at least now the issues are being dis-

cussed professionally, openly and frequently whereas before they were not.

I have my own personal issues with some things that are Cadre related, but they are just that - personal issues. They shall not be aired out in the pages of the paper, nor within the walls of the

opinion, or better yet, write an edi- torial to share their thoughts. I spent a year as a regular volunteer for the Cadre and then joined the staff because it was a chance to share ideas with the student body, to share experiences, some fun, and _ tive issues cannot do it alone, and _to meet and get to know people I would-

is. Not just a piece of mildly enter- taining waste or an overly serious and uptight newsletter, but a forum for shared ideas, experiences, entertainment, and education. Those of us who have our respec-

neither can the editor. It has to be a group effort of editors, staff, con- n't have oth- _ tributors, and the whole student body. Only through such open lines of communication will any real sat- isfactory change be made. So I challenge the entire student body, not as a reporter who gets paid a pathetic amount per issue, but as a fellow student to speak up and be heard. Be a loud

erwise.

UPEI

office. They are completely sepa- rate from the main task at hand - producing a quality student news- paper that communicates with the student body and union and still leaves room for fun. In talking with the student body, I've learned that many have various complaints with the paper, which are every- thing from the use of language and slang terms to the lack of order of the material. Yet the editorial staff never hears of these problems right from the source, so how can they be expected to address them? Everyone is busy and has little time to pay attention to a stu- dent newspaper. However, the cost of producing the Cadre is included © in the stiff fees we students pay to attend this institution. That makes it ours - not the editor's, not the Cadre staff's, but the entire student body's as a whole. Just because the office is located upstairs in the stu- dent centre doesn't mean that any- body can't drop in and express their

STUDENT NEWSPAPER

I would certainly like to

voice, and whatever you do, ensure that you don't just become another whisper of discontent in the shad-

think that we as a student body can _ OWS. make the Cadre one of the best —

damned student newspapers there

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