Lakehead University - Yearbook (Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada)

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THE nncipars message To the Graduates: It is a privilege to extend sincere congrat- ulations and every good wish to the gradu- ating class. You are going out into a world which is literally filled with opportunities. Our ever expanding economy demands an unprece- dented number of university graduates and trained technicians. At the same time, due to the low birth rates of the depression, the number of potential graduates is limited. To an older generation that knocked on company doors in search of jobs at subsist- ence wages, today ' s graduate may seem to be a security-seeking, money-minded youngster who is waiting for jobs to drop into his lap. It is indeed gratifying to hear reports to the contrary. The Opinion Research Corpora- tion of Princeton, New Jersey, recently made a survey to find the factors which graduates considered most important in choosing employment. They found that 93 per cent listed chances for advancement as the most important integrant. 83 per cent favoured interesting work. Toward the bot- tom of the list were starting pay (23 per cent) and benefits (17 per cent). The vitalizing expansion which has marked our post-war progress rests largely in our rich endowment of natural resources. Today the development of these resources has become a matter of world wide interest and a magnet to foreign capital. The vast potentials represented by the iron ore depos- its at Labrador and Steep Rock, the oil fields of Alberta, the giant aluminum pro- ject at Kitimat and our vast pulp and paper industry have been heralded throughout the world. But when we speak of opportunity let us not forget the most important factor, one which is not usually considered or given its proper value until it has been lost. I speak of freedom. It is the birthright of every individ- ual who is fortunate enough to live in Can- ada. This is the heritage of our forefathers, jealously guarded and handed down care- fully from generation to generation. Lord Acton said that there is one con- stant in history: the idea of liberty. But this liberty involves far more than the rights of man or the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, said Acton, if happiness is the end of so- ciety, then liberty is superfluous . . . Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought. There are many things we ought to do, as Canadians. We have responsibilities that match our opportunities. I have every con fidence that the graduates of 1956 are pre- pared to take full advantage of the opportu- nities and that they will not shy awav from their responsibilities. rail 11 Principal 7

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EDITORIAL Just what are we trying to do when we publish this year book? Well, we try to ac- complish three things. First of all, we want to give the students a permanent record of their stay at L.T.I. Secondly, in the Nor ' - Wester, we try to give them a literary maga- zine. Finally, we must endeavour to include some topical gossipy references of day to day happenings throughout the school year . . . Do we succeed in these aims? On the whole, down through the years the Nor ' wes- ter has done its job admirably, but that does not mean that there is no room for improve- ment. There undoubtedly is. It would be safe to say that the Nor ' Wes- ter would be able to accomplish its aims to a much greater degree, if those aims were more confined. For instance, could it not possibly drop the topical gossipy section? The answer must be NO, unless we can find some other means to express this rather im- portant phase of school life. Come to think of it, this everyday topical news could very well be handled in an L.T.I, school news- paper. But, is L.T.I, ready for a school paper? Surely, the institute could publish, say, a monthly two-paged mimeographed ' rag ' . This paper would, of course, have to start from a small beginning, but as the new college grows the newspaper could grow with it. This monthly journalistic effort would be far better able to adapt itself to cover the social life of the school than is the year-book. It would also be the place for ' sounding off any controversy that might arise among the student body. Polite skir- mishes with the local newspaper editorial pages would be possible. Rivalry between Artsmen and Engineers could be played up, along with accounts of Foresters ' and Min- ers ' field trips. A school newspaper would give impetus to both the social life and the sports activity; and it would also be able to follow the student council activities. It would provide a means of reporting to the students the various actions of the S.A.C., and a competent writer could pass judge- ment on these actions. Naturally, the pa- per ' s editorial page would be open for let- ters and criticism from the students about the newspaper itself. And the paper could quite easily handle one literary composition each issue. This does not mean that the newspaper would supplant the present Nor ' Wester. The students of the school ought to publish both a yearbook and a paper. In fact, a school newspaper is not only advisable at this stage, but if the student body is to be given any means of self-expression and unity, it is a necessity. But, the natural response to this plea is Well, a school newspaper is a good idea, but let ' s wait ' till we get the new building. Let ' s not wait until we get the new building! Let ' s start now! Here is a challenge to the student body of 1956-57. A school newspa- per should be published. Are there any takers? Editor 6

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THE s.A.c. T resident s message The Lakehead Technical Institute is about to die, and be ' gloriously ' reincar- nated as the Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology. The Lakehead should be proud of this educational ad- vance. The people are proud, or so they say. Are the people of the Lakehead being hypo- crites? Sons and daughters are being sent to the big universities, rather than to the Lake- head Technical Institute. Why do not the parents actively support advanced educa- tion right at their doorsteps? Mostly pride! It sounds better today My son is at Queen ' s (or University of Toronto) , than to say he went to lowly L.T.I. They have also man- aged to find specious excuses which hide the real cause of this hypocrisy. Local educators recommend L.T.I, if you can ' t afford to go away to university. This type of support from the secondary school level is not going to boost the enroll- ment at the College any more than it did at the Technical Institute. I can give no ex- planation of this attitude. The effect is evi- dent, when at least ninety per cent of the university students at L.T.I, openly admit that they attended primarily because of fi- nances. We, as students, have failed to stand be- hind our school. (Exception must be made of those in technical courses, who generally exhibit more enthusiasm about the school.) We must remember that L.T.I, cannot be like the big universities which have taken nearly a hundred years to build up what are sometimes not too enviable reputations (e.g. University of Toronto ' s reputation for over- sized classes.) It will take time for the new College to achieve great stature. For the sake of the future of the school, let your pride in it appear and mention the good pomts of L.T.I., and not the petty little an- noyances which we must learn to accept, for they will always appear in life, and must be accepted. As one student stated, we are guinea pigs in the formation of a new college. Let us think of the resulting improvements to be brought about for our successors, and not of the easily overcome handicaps imposed upon us. Admittedly, this charitable attitude is sometimes hard to sustain when someone asks us what we are doing this year. The answer that we are going to the L.T.I. is greeted with this comment. What are you doing there? I thought you graduated from Grade XIII last year. Thus, it is plain that the local populace must be informed, not of what we shall have in twenty years, but of what we have now. Without support from students, parents, educators and the population in general, the Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology will suffer a quick death in spite of the efforts of an enthusiastic i .d- visory Committee and a tireless Principal. President 8