Opinion DATE: February 11, 1980 TO: Ed Ivsins FROM: Tom Kowall SUBJECT: Publication Schedule for the ““X” Due to the fact that Gerry Kelley has resigned as co-editor for the ‘‘X”’, I think that it would be opportune for us to rethink the role of the newsletter at the College. I shall return on March 3 and would like to meet with you then to discuss this issue. I regret that you were unable to attend the meeting that we planned for this afternoon. At that meeting I planned to inform you that the “*X”’ is not to be published until these discussions have taken place. Therefore I ask that you hold off any further activity until I return. Tom Kowall By now you must know that your voice, the ‘X’, has been instructed to suspend publication by Tom Kowall, Director of Student Services. The official reason, given in a letter to Ed Ivsins, was that since Gerry Kelly had resigned as co-editor the goals of the newsletter should be reviewed. Maybe this sounds reasonable, but for Tom to then leave town with the question unresolved ... What are the real reasons for the suspension? I under- stand that Tom Kowall told Ed Ivsins that he was dis- pleased with the letter from Bill Rennie, which was printed in the last issue. He felt that since it was not clearly labeled ‘“‘fact”’ or “opinion” it might cause con- fusion. Read the letter reprinted in this issue and see if you can become as confused as Tom. The letter also contained two typographical errors — “facility” was written as “faculty” and part of one sentence was left out. These errors, however, did not radically alter the content of the letter, and constitute no reason for suspending publication. Anyone who expected the ‘X’ to be a nice piece of public relations for the college may have been disappointed. The co-editors have felt it was more important to try new ideas and possibly fail at them rather than emulate the Vancouver Sun. All right, there have been mistakes; you have seen issues that you considered a load of crap, but did you ever stop to think that the most important element of school life (as opposed to real life) is the freedom to make mistakes. A few more questions raised by this suspension: Is the ‘X’ a Student Services Publication or a student service? Should the Director of Student Services have the authori- ty to suspend it, and if so, for what reasons? Should not a question of this nature be resolved openly rather than by one individual acting unilaterally? — Michael Christopher LAWLOR This is the correct version of Bill Rennie’s letter in the last issue. I’ve heard these complaints that people don’t work at school. I’d say there are good reasons why a lot of people choose to work at home or pay a 100 bucks for a private studio. Everyone complains about cramped space at school — the school that takes in everyone who wants to come to it, then tries to compensate by renting dingy, practically unusable old warehouses as work space. Working in shifts is the other way of dealing with over- crowding. Some come early in the morning, some work after 5, some work weekends. Unfortunately the admi- nistration only sees (in their minds) the school function- ing Monday through Friday from 8 until 4:30 when they go home for cocktails. So we have our ridiculous security system. Waiting for an appointed time to be granted entrance at Smithe and Water Streets. And at Dunsmuir, hunting out a Uniguard to open a door and then finding it locked if you go to the bath- room. And of course everyone everywhere out by mid- night. Our latest classic example was over Christmas holidays when Dunsmuir was open intermittently for but 4 days — days only. Try to keep up a rhythm of working? These conditions, the administration says, are foisted on them by VVI and the other landlords. Actually these conditions are a result of the adminis- tration’s attitudes. Doug Weir, who gives the distinct impression that his facility would function so much more efficiently if there were no students in the way, can’t deny that. Tom Hudson who always has visions of saving money in his eyes. Tom Kowall, nice guy/yes man. Security is a necessity — I’ll admit it — but I think access to studios is more important. At one time Tom Hudson used to actually say he wanted the new school open 24 hours a day. He won’t say that anymore. The grand philosophy that has always run this school is “How much money?” Do you know why the administration didn’t bitch too loudly over “Emily Carr College of Art’’? It was in the millions. —Bill Rennie To the editor: Of what service can a student newsletter be in an art college? In addition to the regular listing of ‘“informa- tion” and notices, it seems that a publication can be an open forum for innumerable discussions about what we experience and understand. Or in other words, we make it meaningful by virtue of having something to say and by saying it as well as we possibly can. I am perplexed by two things about this newsletter. First of all, there seems to be a consistent disregard for the use of ‘X’ as a forum where ongoing public discussions may occur — except for the near incoherent and dispirited voices of a handful of people who tend to be ultra sensitive about the archaic (though influential) actions of members of the administration. We might ask ourselves of what use is this schizophrenia, and what issues are there which truly need to be examined. Which brings me to my second point: is the editor capable of giving this publication some focus, is he capable of giving the leadership which ‘X’ obviously needs in order for it to become something which more of us will want to read and discuss. If he is not going to do so, my sugges- tion is that he seriously consider resigning the position or sit down with some other people and establish some lesser “informational” role which ‘X’ could serve. I, for one, am enthused enough about the possibilities for a student publication to discuss the future of ‘X’ with you or anyone else. —Gordon Moore The school has given a forum. It is run by the students. But submissions are accepted from anyone. So why does paranoia reign in hysteria because a student gives his opinion? Emy Carr has given us the terms that I can say Doug Weir or Tom Hudson or Tom Kowall is this or that in my educated eye. And then she pulls out the rug be- cause what is said isn’t nice. Personally I stand by my opinion (less the typo errors). But if anyone doesn’t agree with what I say, they are free to rebut or refute or attack in the ‘“‘X”’. If it instead comes down to censor- ship guillotines I’m sorry. — Bill Rennie THE SUBJECTS ARE REAL Time for me, its an illusion of dust, that eats raw, through my bowl. Reality for you, were there, but at home we have safety, the tape playson... Orange drinks are spiked, with many hits, awake always my eyes are always driving. Yours are deep with pain, routines are rats, the data’s wrong, we slip away. You have me spilt through a straw, snap a coffee spoon, drop a couple, solutions are in rye glasses, not alcohol. Funny isn’t it, hooking prisms, its a flash on a dream. Bus stop on white, black makes me swing, can you imagine my life. Overloaded, sockets are full, energy sounds my mind, hey kid, I’m alive, almost... . Reach out, spill pill makes me ill, that rhymes, cardboard, stoves | recall. Passages are aboard, we can see, only one month, confusion, you've changed. Holes through fingers, distant stories are skys, subjects are real, cause I’m here, andi know... Jimmi 1980 | SER aie o BS Bank) AOE 2 Toads Segre co 9 °o US = x0 OMe at Ce Gre 90) To FORE CAsY = 00,00 SONY UNABLE Tetic « tend, Pare cw iene, SFB x LET ee ea eer 8 se Ay) EERIE a Poacrcal