Students Demand Action

By Nicole Bellefleur

On Friday night October 11th, a 15 year old Southport youth, Micheal Scott Miller, was struck and killed while walking along University Avenue with a friend. The accident, which occurred directly in front of UPEI has renewed concerns about the danger pedes- trians face while walking along that particular stretch of Avenue. Because there are no sidewalks, pedes- trians must walk along narrow shoulder of the road, which is even more hazardous during the winter months. In addition, approximately 200 students living in the Marysfield subdivision find themselves dashing across four lanes of busy traffic twice a day to and from the university.

Charlottetown City Council, with the help of the UPEI Student Council, is working to examine various solutions to the dangerous problem students face daily. Student Council president, Joanna Murphy, noted that no alternative has been ruled out and that everyone is anxious to find the best solution.

In the meantime, Ms. Murphy is urging students to sign a petition which will be sent to City Council demanding “safe passage across University Avenue’. She also invites anyone who is interested, to write to City Council expressing their personal concerns about the matter.

Grant for Cigarette Research |

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The University of Prince Edward Island’s Professor Thomy Nilsson recieved a 50,000 dollar government grant to determine the legibility of the warnings on cigarette packages. The grant, which was recieved in January, is being used to purchase equipment, hire help and cover other expenses. Because the wamings were moved from the side of the packagetothefront | and printed in biggerlettering,asaconcession,the | cigarette companies were allowed to print them inany | color combination they wished. Nilsson, a psychology | professor at U.P.E.1. since 1983, has the main objec- tive of developing a legal standard on the matter. Nilsson is currently conducting his experiments at Dalton Hall on the campus using methods quite simi- | lar to that of an optomotrist. i

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Originally Nilsson was not interested in the project, but when offered the oppportunity to work with the top-grade equipment he could purchase with 50,000 dollars he accepted. Nilsson defended his project, which may seem absurd to many, by saying, “‘Itis | important when you are selling a product, especially a potentially dangerous one, that the customer be warned. If you *re going to print a warning it isn’t any, good if it isn’t legible.’* He also stated that the appli) cations of his work are quite broadindetermining ~ b that signs, warnings, ads, etc. may notbeobscured | through the usage of difficult color contrasts.

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Kirby Ferguson

UPEI X-P RESS

October 24, 1991

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