April
      12,
      2007
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EDITORIAL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Right
      Here
      and
      Now
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rob
      Walker
     
     
      Editor
      in
      Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Two
      weeks
      ago,
      a
      student
      union
      councilor
     
     
      named
      Faiz
      Ahmed
      brought
      us
      a
      copy
      of
     
     
      the
      student
      union
      working
      budget.
      He
      had
     
     
      been
      attempting
      to
      have
      the
      budget
      publi-
     
     
      cized
      since
      last
      year,
      and
      council
      had
      again
     
     
      stalled
      any
      attempts
      to
      have
      it
      made
      public.
     
     
      Since
      I
      was
      around
      last
      year
      when
      they
      first
     
     
      refused
      to
      even
      show
      it
      to
      a
      student,
      only
      to
     
     
      pretty
      much
      be
      forced
      to
      do
      so,
      I
      felt
      this
     
     
      was
      a
      worthwhile
      story.
     
    

    
     
      The
      fact
      that
      I,
      myself,
      was
      forced
      to
      sit
     
     
      down
      next
      to
      the
      VP
      of
      finance
      to
      look
     
     
      over
      my
      own
      staff
      budget
      while
      I
      worked
     
     
      on
      a
      business
      plan
      for
      next
      year
      just
      shows
     
     
      how
      ridiculous
      this
      policy
      is.
      ’'m
      an
      employ-
     
     
      ee
      of
      the
      student
      union
      and
      manager
      of
      a
     
     
      working
      newsroom,
      but
      I’m
      not
      allowed
      a
      -
     
     
      copy
      of
      my
      own
      budget?
     
    

    
     
      I’ve
      seen
      some
      of
      the
      criticism
      leveled
      at
     
     
      Mr.
      Ahmed
      and
      I
      want
      to
      set
      the
      record
      °
     
     
      straight
      on
      a
      couple
      of
      things:
      While
      he
      did
     
     
      bring
      us
      a
      copy
      of
      the
      budget,
      it
      was
      our
     
     
      decision
      (mine
      and
      Mel
      Bernard,
      manag-
     
     
      ing
      editor,
      specifically)
      to
      print
      the
      entire
     
     
      budget
      without
      any
      alterations
      or
      commen-
     
     
      tary,
      not
      his.
      That
      he
      should
      be
      blamed
      for
     
     
      printing
      the
      budget
      is
      absurd,
      the
      only
      thing
     
     
      he’s
      “guilty”
      of
      is
      leaking
      us
      a
      copy,
      a
      copy
     
     
      which
      we
      all
      felt
      should
      be
      made
      public
      in
     
     
      the
      first
      place.
     
    

    
     
      The
      student
      union
      is
      a
      not-for-profit,
     
     
      private
      organization
      designed
      to
      represent
     
     
      students
      attending
      a
      public
      post-secondary
     
     
      institution.
      The
      money
      we
      shell
      out
      every
     
     
      year
      (and
      there’s
      a
      lot
      of
      it)
      pays
      all
      the
     
     
      SU’s
      salaries
      (including
      mine).
      How
      can
      this
     
     
      information
      not
      be
      made
      public?
     
    

    
     
      If
      anything,
      we
      should
      commend
      Mr.
     
     
      Ahmed’s
      courage
      in
      coming
      forward
      with
     
     
      this
      information
      for
      students.
      He
      certainly
     
     
      didn’t
      do
      it
      for
      prestige
      or
      to
      further
      any
     
     
      sort
      of
      political
      career,
      but
      rather
      out
      of
     
     
      genuine
      concern
      that
      students
      weren’t
     
     
      getting
      all
      the
      info
      they
      deserved,
      or
      were
     
     
      being
      forced
      to
      jump
      through
      hoops
      to
      get
     
     
      it.
      Yes,
      he
      ‘broke
      protocol’,
      but
      our
      society
     
     
      is
      built
      on
      the
      blood
      and
      sweat
      of
      people
     
     
      brave
      enough
      to
      stand
      up
      and
      do
      the
      right
     
     
      thing,
      even
      though
      it’s
      “against
      the
      rules”.
     
     
      People
      seem
      to
      forget
      that
      just
      because
      it’s
     
     
      a
      rule,
      or
      even
      a
      law,
      doesn’t
      make
      it
      right.
     
     
      Slavery,
      anyone?
     
    

    
     
      A
      week
      after
      we
      printed
      the
      budget
      and
     
     
      only
      four
      days
      after
      the
      attempted
      takeover
     
     
      of
      the
      Cadre
      was
      shot
      down,
      Ryan
      Gallant
     
     
      sat
      with
      Shawn
      Younis
      on
      the
      hiring
      board
     
     
      for
      the
      Editor
      in
      Chief
      position.
      I
      had
     
     
      made
      my
      objections
      known
      to
      the
      student
     
     
      union
      ombudsman
      that
      I
      felt
      Gallant,
      after
     
     
      having
      tried
      to
      have
      the
      Cadre
      taken
      over
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      another
      group
      behind
      our
      backs,
     
     
      was
      biased
      and
      should
      not
      be
      on
      the
     
     
      hiring
      board.
      When
      I
      walked
      into
      the
     
     
      interview,
      Younis
      and
      Heather
      Love
     
     
      (a
      non-voting
      member)
      shook
      hands
     
     
      with
      me,
      but
      Gallant
      stayed
      seated
      at
     
     
      the
      end
      of
      the
      table.
     
    

    
     
      The
      interview
      went
      normally,
      but
     
     
      on
      Sunday
      afternoon,
      during
      the
      last
     
     
      student
      council
      meeting
      of
      the
      year,
     
     
      Gallant
      told
      council
      during
      a
      closed
     
     
      session
      that
      I
      should
      not
      be
      rehired.
     
    

    
     
      Note
      here
      that
      I’ve
      never
      had
      so
     
     
      much
      as
      a
      written
      warning
      in
      my
      two
     
     
      years
      here,
      and
      that
      I
      never
      had
      an
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      respond
      to
      any
      of
      the
     
     
      allegations
      made
      against
      me,
      nor
      did
     
     
      I
      even
      know
      what
      they
      are.
     
    

    
     
      A
      few
      hours
      after
      the
      council
      meet-
     
     
      ing,
      at
      the
      student
      union
      banquet,
     
     
      Gallant
      praised
      all
      the
      groups
      and
     
     
      associations
      belonging
      to
      the
      student
     
     
      union,
      but
      when
      he
      got
      to
      the
      Cadre,
     
     
      he
      said
      only
      that
      we
      ‘were
      a
      pain
      in
     
     
      his
      ass’.
     
    

    
     
      Hours
      after
      that,
      at
      the
      wave
      after-
     
     
      party
      for
      the
      banquet,
      Gallant
      decid-
     
     
      ed
      to
      dedicate
      the
      song
      ‘Asshole’
      by
     
     
      Dennis
      Leary
      to
      me.
      The
      video
      is
      on
     
     
      youtube
      if
      you
      don’t
      believe
      me.
     
    

    
     
      Now,
      let’s
      be
      clear
      here:
      I
      have
     
     
      a
      good
      sense
      of
      humour.
      Under
     
     
      normal
      circumstances
      I
      would
      have
     
     
      thought
      it
      was
      kind
      of
      funny,
      laughed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -and
      raised
      a
      beer
      to
      him.
      However,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      here
      was
      our
      student
      union
      presi-
     
     
      dent,
      less
      than
      10
      hours
      after
      telling
     
     
      a
      group
      of
      people
      I
      should
      under
      no
     
     
      circumstances
      be
      rehired,
      dedicating
     
     
      the
      song
      ‘asshole’
      to
      me.
      In
      this
      case,
     
     
      context
      is
      everything
      and
      I
      couldn’t
     
     
      think
      of
      a
      more
      perfect
      example
      of
     
     
      his
      personal
      dislike
      for
      me.
     
    

    
     
      Keep
      in
      mind
      that
      the
      week
      before,
     
     
      student
      council
      voted
      to
      take
      all
      of
     
     
      my
      recommendations
      regarding
      how
     
     
      the
      committee
      looking
      into
      autono-
     
     
      my
      should
      be
      formed.
      In
      the
      same
     
     
      breath
      that
      they
      voted
      not
      to
      rehire
     
     
      me,
      they
      hired
      every
      single
      recom-
     
     
      mendation
      I
      made
      for
      next
      year’s
     
     
      staff.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      unfortunate
      that
      I
      have
      to
      end
     
     
      my
      time
      here
      under
      such
      circum-
     
     
      stances.
      I
      was
      hoping
      to
      stay
      on
      next
     
     
      year
      to
      help
      guide
      the
      Cadre
      through
     
     
      autonomy
      and
      set
      it
      up
      for
      years
      to
     
     
      come.
     
    

    
     
      Instead,
      student
      council
      seems
      con-
     
     
      tent
      to
      leave
      the
      two
      major
      leadership
     
     
      roles
      unfilled,
      as
      of
      this
      writing,
      both
     
     
      Editor
      in
      Chief
      and
      Managing
      editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      positions
      are
      empty.
      When
      I
      asked
     
     
      Shawn
      Younis,
      Ryan
      Gallant
      and
     
     
      Willy
      Gauthier,
      what
      would
      happen
     
     
      in
      August
      if
      no
      one
      applied
      for
      them,
     
     
      they
      said
      they’d
      deal
      with
      it
      when
     
    

    
     
      the
      time
      came.
      They
      also
      suggested
     
     
      people
      from
      Holland
      College
      might
     
     
      apply.
     
    

    
     
      The
      problem
      with
      that
      is,
      people
     
     
      from
      Holland
      College
      did
      apply,
      after
     
     
      they
      were
      approached
      by
      me,
      and
     
     
      they
      were
      hired
      based
      on
      my
      recom-
     
     
      mendations.
      Stacey
      Murray,
      who
      has
     
     
      done
      an
      incredible
      job
      here
      for
      the
     
     
      last
      two
      years
      and
      was
      the
      only
      appli-
     
     
      cant
      for
      Managing
      Editor,
      wasn’t
      re-
     
     
      hired
      on
      the
      technicality
      that
      she
      was
     
     
      at
      Holland
      college...despite
      the
      fact
     
     
      that
      student
      council
      has
      known
      since
     
     
      the
      start
      of
      last
      year
      that
      she
      would
     
     
      be
      doing
      the
      split
      program
      between
     
     
      UPEI
      and
      Holland
      College.
     
    

    
     
      I
      find
      it
      very
      interesting
      that
      the
      two
     
     
      people
      who
      have
      caused
      the
      most
     
     
      “trouble”
      for
      the
      student
      union
      over
     
     
      the
      last
      two
      years
      are
      the
      two
      people
     
     
      who
      were
      not
      hired
      on
      for
      next
      year.
     
    

    
     
      All
      in
      all,
      I
      will
      always
      remember
      my
     
     
      time
      here,
      the
      friends
      I’ve
      made
      and
     
     
      the
      lessons
      P’ve
      learned.
      That
      a
      small
     
     
      group
      of
      dedicated,
      hard-working
     
     
      individuals
      (a
      cadre,
      if
      you
      will)
      can
     
     
      make
      a
      real
      difference
      has
      never
      been
     
     
      so
      evident.
      I
      want
      to
      thank
      all
      of
      the
     
     
      people
      who
      stood
      by
      us,
      and
      espe-
     
     
      cially
      with
      the
      staff
      who
      stuck
      with
     
     
      us.
      The
      quality
      of
      your
      work,
      your
     
     
      integrity
      and
      most
      of
      all,
      your
      dedi-
     
     
      cation
      to
      telling
      the
      truth
      has
      been
     
     
      inspiring.
     
    

    
     
      “Journalism
      is
      a
      gun.
      Aim
      it
      right
     
     
      and
      you
      can
      blow
      off
      the
      kneecap
      of
     
     
      the
      world.”
      —
      Warren
      Ellis
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rob
      Walker
     
     
      Editor
      in
      Chief
      (Outgoing)