Divest McGill and Divest For Human Rights McGill hosted Democratize McGill, a hybrid open assembly, on Nov. 19 to facilitate discussion about ways to democratize the university’s many governance structures. The approximately 100 students in attendance—both in-person at Leacock 132 and on Zoom—were encouraged to share their thoughts on McGill’s[Read More…]
Author: Joseph Pappas
Barrage of emails from Elections SSMU confuses voters
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall 2021 Referendum’s results were released on Nov. 15 following a string of technical errors and discrepancies in communication that resulted in widespread confusion. Initially, the voting period was scheduled to start on Nov. 8 and end on Nov. 12. However, a day[Read More…]
McGill Artificial Intelligence Society’s panel discusses ethics and regulation of artificial intelligence
The McGill Artificial Intelligence Society (MAIS) held its first in-person event of the school year, a panel titled “Ethics in AI,” on Nov. 17. The audience was at full capacity, drawing in a crowd of approximately 35 people from the McGill community to the Trottier lecture hall. The panel featured[Read More…]
Students croon for the comeback of karaoke
Karaoke allows people to come together and shine on the stage regardless of their musical talents; it is a stage where shower singers and professional singers stand on equal footing. When dance floors and other nightlife venues in Montreal officially reopened on November 15, people could once again head to[Read More…]
Let’s talk about sex, baby
Everybody seems to be talking about sex. It saturates the media; from tv shows to movies to video games to event advertisements—it’s inescapable. From a young age, many children are exposed to ‘sexual education’ tactics that emphasize abstinence and fear-mongering: “Don’t have sex before marriage! Don’t have sex without being[Read More…]
SSMU Board of Directors tackles questions on SSMU’s transparency, toxic environment
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) convened on Nov. 18 to ratify several motions and hear two presentations: A pitch to purchase a membership to “Lobby”—an online sharing platform that can host social events—and another presentation by the Office of Investments about McGill’s investment portfolio.[Read More…]
‘Post a picture of your pet’: Imagining an online future for activism
Last month, many found their Instagram story feeds flooded with Plant a Tree Co.’s viral “Post a picture of your pet and we’ll plant a tree” sticker. The trend comes after the platform added the new “Add Yours” sticker feature, which allows users to attach their own pictures to a[Read More…]
Biology symposium investigates modes of language learning
How language plays a role in the evolution of human societies remains a fascinating question for language researchers, given the diversity of language learning techniques and abilities. Some McGill researchers, however, are one step closer to finding the answer. On Nov. 15, a symposium on the “Cultural Evolution of Communication”[Read More…]
Physical books are worth their cost
The holiday season is approaching, and as many people start the scramble to find gifts for loved ones, friends, or coworkers, a harsh discovery awaits them. Tried and true, books have remained one of the best gifts to give on any occasion, the perfect balance between thoughtful and casual. However,[Read More…]
Computational witness stand: A new way to prevent credit card fraud
In 2018 alone, reported fraud cases increased by 18.4 percent from the previous year and over 20 billion dollars were lost. Although not the only source of card fraud, one major concern is the security of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). With the spread of ATMs throughout the world, personal banking[Read More…]