OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. NOVEMBER 22, 2006 OPINIONS CORY WILLET COLUMNIST Without a hint of adieu, here is this column's target: patronizing people.. To be specific: people who tell you that you have to write ideas about what other older and dead people think, whilst claiming that students are not at a point in their careers to be saying anything new because someone else has probably already said it. Madcaps Let's look past the fact that this is an arrogant blanket statement which only demonstrates the attitude of tenured professors who think they are the only ones with valid and valuable opinions of matters of higher understanding. Instead, let's focus on the message that this sends to future generations of cit- izens around the world. Following that professor's logic, one must have gradu- ated from a post-secondary institution, read extensively the works of others in the field in which one desires to speak, and checked to see that someone else hasn't already said something similar to what one has to say. I don't know about you, but to me, that mentality amounts to intellectual tyranny. Are we just regurgitators and empty vessels for pedantic knowledge? Or are we creative learners who have much to contribute if we should only be allowed to do so? You might say that this keeps idiots from jumping in the fray and muddying up the forum. I say that there is too much going wrong in the world for us to base Cramming-Season TYLER CLARKE PRODUCTION COORDINATOR With exams and final paper dates barreling down on everyone, it's cram- ming season again, at UNBC, Cram- ming. season during the fall semester walks hand in hand with the cold snap of winter, which leads many to stay in- doors, studying or doing whatever you people do when you're not studying or working. Me, I like sleep. Every time November comes by, I'm shocked at people doing the same thing they do every single year; forget how to drive in the snow. Making my way out of the UNBC parking lot, I was almost hit by two separate people. During win- ter, the objective is to drive slower than you usually would during the summer, because ice, surprisingly, is slippery. An- other note about the parking lots; those ticket machines suck. I swear, if that sucker spits out another coin I put into it, I'm smashing the hell out of it with a sledge hammer. With the end of each semester comes students skipping classes in order to cram, and write last minute essays. I personally try to not do this, even for my pointless “why did I go to class today?” - classes. I have this paranoid thing wherein I constantly think that the one day I skip class is they day the profes- First Nations’ Corner everything we know and discuss on what those that have come before us have told us to think about. Who says that we need to be recog- nized by the intellectual community be- fore we can talk about the ideas we have with any confidence? Is it not enough to walk this earth with.open eyes and ears, using our cognitive capacity to reason our way through the problems that face us, in order to come up with ideas or theor- ies that address today’s issues head on? Who cares if someone else has already thought of something similar? Odds are they weren't thinking in our times, ap- plying their knowledge to specific things in our here and now. If it’s right, what you have to say needs to be said again, and again, and again, regardless if some old scholar said it before, until someone listens now. The formulation of theory and the discussion of its practice should not be mutually exclusive to one an- other: despite what some professors say, we can do both... imultaneously... while walking and chewing gum! sor says something particularly import- ant that will drastically affect my grade. I continue to think this, even while I nearly fall asleep during class, wonder- ing once again, “why the hell am I here?” So I try my best to not skip class. What's really started to annoy me this semester is one professor who is increas- ingly skipping more and more classes. I won't name the professor, as my final grade is still in her hands. If you're curi- ous though, ask me and I'll gladly tell. Ie started off with one day, and a valid excuse; migraines. Then it happened again, with no excuse. It was only the second time, so I just chocked it up to a bad morning on the professor's behalf. ‘Then it was a full week [3 classes]. The professor was sick, or something, I'm not quire sure what the prof’s excuse was, as this is one of those classes where I spend much of the time wondering why the hell Iam there, so I end'up pay- Unfortunately, each successive genera- tion is socialized to believe that partici- pating in grand projects and endeavors is best left to the professionals, By pro- fessionals they mean the over-40 crowd. When was the last time one of them really reached out to inquire, let alone involve those who stand to lose the most from the mishandling of what we stand to inherit? I suspect that there are many young adults among us that do take of- fence to being treated as though we don't have the intellectual mettle to roll with the older folks. So what do we do about it? Lead by example. If you have an idea, say so. Write it down; put it in the press. If you have something to say, tell some- one. Engage in conversations like those of ancient Greece. They all sat around their universities and challenged what they knew and were taught. In doing so they raised the ire of people outside academia for their audacity to call for change. They killed Socrates for cor- rupting the minds of youth when all he ing less attention to the professor than I normally would have. This professor has been repeating the same basic concepts since the second week of classes. What really angered me, to the point of writing this column, was what hap- pened today. No excuse, no note, no person coming into the class to warn us that class would be canceled, nothing. One of the students even saw the pro- fessor before class, drinking coffee. And yet, the professor didn’t show up. We waited for 15 minutes before giving up and leaving. 15 minutes of a 50 minute class is enough leeway. The real kicker is that this is an 8:30 class. I woke up 2 hours earlier than I normally would have, to go to this class. Further kicking to the groin is that I stayed up late-late working on essays, Needless to say, I've been grumpy all day. Professors should be good role mod- els, and be professional in the way the did was tell them to be critical of what they're told to think. I think it’s high time to be bold. I think we need to rally around young leaders taking the initia- tive to stand up and let our collective voices be heard among and above ‘the din. It won't be hard: is there anyone leading today that's been exemplary in what they have to say? Now, coming full circle, I’m not say-:. ing we need to stop learning what others thought before us. If we don't learn from our past, were doomed to repeat’ it. That said, I don't believe that lacking extensive knowledge on a topic pre- cludes one from forming a viable and important opinion, idea, or theory. We all see the human condition with our own eyes; shouldn't that be enough to get us started? PS. Come lend your voice to the chor- us of the dissatisfied in the Wintergar- den on Thursdays at noon... [he Rum- bling Echo starts there. conduct themselves. This was not the case today, nor has it been the case all semester, during the other 7 or 8 classes she's not shown up for. If shes genu- inely sick, why is she still teaching, and why are we paying the full price of tu- ition? Sick or not, that's not right. Get ~ a grad student to fill in, anything. I'm sure there is a rule somewhere that al- lows students to get off free for courses where the professor doesn't show up for a certain number of classes. To be fair, I've stuck it out for so long it would no longer be worth it to me to do so. If it happens again, I will bring it up with said professor, but so far it just seems like an amusing topic for this col- umn. Has a similar thing ever happened to you? I'm curious how common such a thing is. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the professor evaluation at the end of this course. TED MORRIS STAFF WRITER Greetings everyone. In having a say in the last paper of this calender year is great, hope everyone does well on their finals. I would at first like to let everyone know what went on at the fourth an- nual bannock bake-off held in the admin building on October 19. The first place winners of the fried division are as follows: 1) Lila Wallace, 2) Lorriane The Party Store Naziel, 3) was a tie, Ivy chelsea and Soo yinka Michel-Etickson. In the baked division; 1) Jean Walker, 2) Georgina Thomas and 3) Minnie B. So sorry to the people who signed up for the first nations’ club, but ‘unfortu- nately I didn't make the meeting with Jai Parmar so someone can restart the effort in January. This fall I lost another relative, due to complications of Lupus, she was only 27 years old. My sister, brother-in- law and I left early saturday morning of October 27th, we hit the ditch this side of Vanderhoof, and we had help getting out before the tow truck arrived. Sad for him, but it saved us money. Then ‘the road on the other side of Vanderhoof to Burns Lake was bad, but not impass- able. It took five hours from Vanderhoof to Burns Lake. Well, we got to Burns Lake and there was snow everywhere and there was no power, and the roads were closed. We were stuck in Burns Lake with no gas, and no road open. The management of Rainbow Motel put us up for free, while another student was stuck in Houston, and they stayed in their motel room for four hours and the management wouldn't give their money back. I hope someone takes a copy of this paper to Houston to show them in Burns Lake, there is not money hungry entrepreneurs but people oriented busi- nesses who help out in times of emer- gency. To make this short, the funeral was cancelled till monday after the storm, and residents of the southside were put up in Burns Lake motels by our band, and other two first nations from the southside put their members up in motels till all danger passed. This shows a how three first nations look after their . members, Merry Christmas to all and see you again next year, 35 pugs wicca Post-secondary students get 10% off with student ID Spend $5 and enter your name in a monthly draw for a party pack of your choice (s ov e) Try our freshly-made popcorn .