March
      25,
      1997
      @°
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
      letters
      to
      the
      editor...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      response
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CFS
      bias?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      artistic
      freedom
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      am
      writing
      in
      response
      to
      the
      letter
      on
      artistic
      freedom
     
     
      in
      the
      March
      18
      edition
      of
      the
      Panther
      Prints.
      First
      of
      all,
     
     
      commenting
      on
      a
      writing
      method
      is
      an
      English
      professor’s
     
     
      reason
      for
      being,
      and
      not
      at
      all
      “out
      of
      place”,
      as
      G.D.
      would
     
     
      wish
      to
      think.
      Secondly,
      the
      probable
      reason
      for
      the
      professor
     
     
      to
      comment
      on
      the
      G.D.’s
      friends’
      academic
      career
      likely
      has
     
     
      to
      do
      with
      the
      seriousness
      of
      getting
      kicked
      out
      of
      a
      university
     
     
      course.
      This
      isn’t
      high
      school,
      where
      you
      get
      sent
      to
      the
     
     
      principal’s
      office
      for
      being
      a
      bad
      little
      boy;
      you
      are
      in
      university
     
     
      now.
      Accept
      it.
      Also,
      like
      G.D.,
      I
      too
      have
      a
      friend
      in
      that
     
     
      creative
      writing
      class.
      She
      tells
      a
      much
      different
      story.
     
     
      According
      to
      her,
      G.D.’s
      friends
      constantly
      disrupted
      the
     
     
      professor
      while
      she
      was
      lecturing.
      Note
      to
      G.D.’s
      friends:
      you
     
     
      are
      no
      longer
      in
      high
      school.
      It
      is
      neither
      amusing
      nor
     
     
      appropriate
      to
      interrupt
      your
      professor
      and
      be
      the
      class
      clown.
     
     
      You
      are
      in
      university
      now,
      and
      you
      are
      an
      adult;
      act
      like
      it.
     
     
      Secondly,
      my
      friend
      also
      informs
      me
      that
      the
      students
      were
      not
     
     
      being
      what
      G.D.
      euphemistically
      calls
      ““over-opinionated”;
      they
     
     
      were
      being
      insulting
      and
      derogatory
      to
      other
      student’s
      writing.
     
     
      This
      kind
      of
      “opinion”
      has
      absolutely
      no
      place
      in
      a
      Creative
     
     
      Writing
      course;
      the
      type
      of
      writing
      these
      students
      partake
      in
      is
     
     
      hard
      enough
      to
      share
      with
      others,
      and
      they
      don’t
      need
      to
      hear
     
     
      ignorant
      comments
      aimed
      at
      their
      work.
      There
      is
      a
      big
     
     
      difference
      between
      an
      insult
      and
      constructive
      criticism;
      if
      you
     
     
      are
      not
      sure
      of
      this
      distinction,
      look
      it
      up.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      my
      comments,
      like
      G.D.’s
      are
      based
      on
      here-
     
     
      say.
      Therefore,
      I
      wish
      to
      address
      the
      more
      serious
      accusations
     
     
      made
      by
      G.D.
      in
      regards
      to
      the
      so-called
      lack
      of
      artistic
      freedom
     
     
      in
      the
      English
      Department.
      This
      indictment
      against
      my
      depart-
     
     
      ment
      is
      an
      utter
      fallacy.
      The
      English
      professors
      at
      UPEI
      live
     
     
      for
      “passion..
      individuality
      and
      originality”
      (touse
      G.D.’s
      words)
     
     
      in
      their
      classes.
      A
      professor
      of
      mine
      was
      delighted
      that
      a
     
     
      seminar
      I
      was
      to
      give
      was
      the
      opposite
      view
      of
      her
      lecture;
      it
     
     
      opens
      up
      the
      discussion
      to
      the
      conflicting
      views
      and
      theories
     
     
      that
      are
      the
      intrinsic
      to
      the
      study
      of
      literature.
      The
      professor
      is
     
     
      not
      God,
      and
      s/he
      will
      not
      fling
      to
      the
      burning
      lake
      in
      chains
     
     
      because
      you
      question
      them.
      Questioning
      is
      the
      point
      of
      class.
     
     
      By
      the
      way,
      students
      generally
      are
      comfortable
      in
      their
      under-
     
     
      standing
      of
      the
      artists
      we
      study---this
      is
      why
      we
      take
      English.
     
     
      As
      well,
      I
      have
      been
      handed
      back
      more
      than
      one
      paper
      which
     
     
      has
      comments
      such
      as
      “although
      I
      do
      not
      agree
      with
      your
     
     
      opinion...”
      In
      papers,
      as
      well,
      it
      is
      very
      difficult
      to
      hide
      behind
     
     
      the
      skirts
      of
      anonymity,
      and
      these
      papers
      received
      A’s
      not
      the
     
     
      F’s
      that
      G.D.
      would
      like
      students
      to
      believe.
      Do
      you
      know
      why?
     
     
      The
      professors
      are
      ADULTS,
      that’s
      why.
      In
      short,
      in
      all
      of
      my
     
     
      four
      years
      spent
      at
      this
      university,
      I
      have
      never,
      ever,
      felt
      my
     
     
      artistic
      and
      academic
      freedom
      threatened
      by
      the
      English
     
     
      department.
      As
      a
      matter
      of
      fact,
      without
      their
      encouragement,
     
     
      I
      wouldn’t
      be
      an
      English
      student
      today.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _hies
      Great
     
     
      Movies
     
     
      -Downtown-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (
      Cid.
      64
      King
      St.
      368-3669
     
     
      pomeneemenssasc
      canted!
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      DAMN
      PROUD
      to
      be
      an
      English
      student,
     
     
      Melissa
      Doucette