THE CADRE. TUES., FEB. 5, 1974 Page 3 
     
    
   
   
    
     Kathleen 
     
     K oncern 
     
    
   
   
    
        
     
    
   
   
    
     At the January 10th meet- 
     
     ing of Senate a proposal 
     
     concerning a document to ad— 
     
     equately express the phil— 
     
     osophy, purpose and prior- 
     
     ities of UPEI was debated. 
     
     Since then I have heard of 
     
     no attempt to form a sym- 
     
     posium on the proposal. 
     
     What is happening with the 
     
     committee responsible for 
     
     producing the document? 
     
    

    
     When I heard the proposal 
     
     before Senate I waS'grat— 
     
     ified to see work on this 
     
     very important question of 
     
     philosophy, priorities, etc. 
     
     at UPEI, about to commence. 
     
     I agreed with Senator Mac— 
     
     Intyre's expression of un— 
     
     limited support for the pe— 
     
     ople willing to work on the 
     
     propOSed document. 
     
    

    
     I agreed with the motion 
     
     by Senate on another point 
     
     as well? the instruction to 
     
     the committee to seek a wi- 
     
     de range of views from uni- 
     
     versity students, professors, 
     
     administrators and profess— 
     
     ionals of all types. Altho- 
     
     ugh there isn't a direct 
     
     link between popular opin- 
     
     ions and views, and the tr— 
     
     ue role of a university, I 
     
     still remain confident of 
     
     the necessity to involve 
     
     the broad base of opinion 
     
     from the people of P.E.I. 
     
     as well as from the expert 
     
     university definers, (sic). 
     
    

    
     The‘challenge of finding 
     
     the true role of a univers- 
     
     ity in an island community 
     
     such as ours is magnimonious 
     
     indeed! And as UPEI is to 
     
     have its role defined in 
     
     reasonable time, the work 
     
     involved in succeeding the 
     
     challenge should and must 
     
     begin immediately. 
     
    

    
     Perhaps the worst thing 
     
     that can happen to a pro- 
     
     posal like the one approved 
     
     by Senate is to underestim— 
     
     ate its complexities and 
     
     importance. Only a narrow 
     
     mind would suggest any ob— 
     
     vious or simplistic app- 
     
     roach to the problem invol-l 
     
     ved here. . : 
     
    

    
     Usually, men and women, di- 
     
     rectly benefitting from ex- 
     
     isting institutions balk at 
     
     any review of that insti- 
     
     tutions role. When roles 
     
     are being redefined and 
     
     changed positions are also 
     
     underramprocess:ofrredefi- 
     
    
   
   
    
     ARCHAIR HYSTERIA _ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     by ioel humon- 
     
    
   
   
    
     "As I have repeatedly stated, rum is the means by which changes will be made within this university." 
     
    
   
   
    
     nition and change. Happily, 
     
     Senate's motion on the pro- 
     
     posal dispells any notions 
     
     of professional fear of 
     
    
   
   
    
     such a process of redefi— 
     
     nition and change at this 
     
     university. (??? 
     
    

    
     However, the problem of 
     
     an individuals inability 
     
     to comprehend the totali- 
     
     ties of problems makes me 
     
     suspect of an attempt to 
     
     produce a document not wa- 
     
     shed with the hands of 
     
     Islanders from all walks 
     
     of life. I am saying that 
     
     a secure and comfortable 
     
     committee member cannot 
     
     expect to gain inadequate 
     
     insights into complex prob— 
     
     lems from‘the armchair. Un— 
     
     fortunately_for committee 
     
     members, they must_face 
     
     the concrete situation and 
     
     shed the vestiges of this 
     
     idealism which allows men 
     
     andeomen to philosophise 
     
     from armchairs. They must 
     
     embark on a journey that 
     
     will take them into the 
     
     light of true understand- 
     
     ing, for it is only from 
     
     true understanding that 
     
    
   
   
    
     '1 .J 
     
    
   
   
    
     truths can be gained. 
     
    

    
     True understanding in the 
     
     1970's can be possessed 
     
     only after great dialogue. 
     
     There are no heros anymore! 
     
     Electronic media has expos- 
     
     ed the high and mightiest 
     
     as common, cheap crooks. 
     
     This means that there is no 
     
     obvious source, no bible, 
     
     that can be used in gain: 
     
     ing insights into that whi- 
     
     ch is true. "The great dia— 
     
     logue" must commence before 
     
     truth can be gained. 
     
    

    
     But when will this dialogue 
     
     begin at UPEI. At present I 
     
     have found no evidence of 
     
     such an occurence. I implore 
     
     the committee concerned 
     
     with the production of the 
     
     document to make plans for 
     
     a public symposium to air 
     
     and debate the issues in- 
     
     volved. 
     
    

    
     UPEI does not need to be 
     
    
   
   
    
     ' given its role: it must find 
     
    
   
   
    
     it for itself. Since only 
     
     people make institutions, 
     
     only people can direct in— 
     
     stitutions, when does the 
     
     committee expect to listen 
     
     to the peqplen 
     
     ‘IZ’I'LH n r v 
     
    
   
   
    
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