rHe QAD RAS

by Karen Kjarsgaard

My first memory of the college was
formed before I ever set foot through its
door. It was in August of 1971 that I got
off the bus and began to walk up the hill
to the Mathers campus in West Van.
Hours later as I staggered through the
doors of that small and crowded portable
I wondered what the next two years
would be like. It turned out be a fair
indicator of those times. With classes
being held on three campuses and part-
time work on two, my education became
a mad rush from place to place, skidding
into my seat breathless and soaked. The
students and staff who have joined the
eollege in its last 5 years have no idea
how lucky they are to have a single

campus and regular bus service. I
travelled hundreds of miles to get to
elasses and work. Much as I ean

appreciate the satellite campus idea, in
practical terms it made education and
part-time work into a 12 hour a day job.

In the first years of the college the place
seemed to be held together by the sheer
tenacity of the students and _ the
determination of the staff and faculty to

make it all work. Hell, we've all had a
lot of bad times - the labor pains were
very real. I suppose that people who've
joined the college community lately are
startled by how difficult budget and
small town polities have made even the
simplest business of day to day
activities. Yet, from my memories of
how things used to be I'd say it has all
been worth it. My greatest appreciation
of the people of Capilano College has
been of their loyalty and their desire for
improvement. Perhaps those of us who
joined the college in its early years could
call ourselves pioneers. I know we have
set example and precedent for many
other institutions, despite our not few
embarrassments when things went wrong.

Although I left the college a couple of
years ago, I still feel very strongly that
it is a place of dynamic learning - a
great deal of which happens outside the
classroom. So perhaps it is the memory
of a vibrant and dedicated people that
stays with me when I look back at the 5
years I was with Capilano College. May I
encourage your earnest endeavors for the
future and praise you for the work you
have already done. I am looking forward
to great things in the next ten years. $3

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