On Sept. 2, Pulmonem Inc., a Canadian biotechnology start-up, received Health Canada’s approval to begin Phase 3 clinical trials to test an oral medication to treat COVID-19. The treatment does not eliminate the need for a vaccine, but can potentially reduce the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization by diminishing[Read More…]
McGill
McGill launches reimagined study spaces for COVID-19
On Sept. 8, McGill launched Study Hubs, a safe-study alternative to the traditional library experience. The Study Hubs are individual study spaces that are set up in compliance with the university’s COVID-19 safety measures that include the mandatory use of masks and socially distanced study areas. These study spaces are[Read More…]
Renaming of men’s varsity teams delayed indefinitely
Following the McGill administration’s decision to change the name of the varsity mens’ teams in April 2019, the Steering Committee assigned to find a new name for the teams by August 2020 has seen their work delayed due to COVID-19. Following Indigenous-led student activism, McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier[Read More…]
McGill residences fail to uphold pandemic safety guidelines
As COVID-19 cases rise throughout the province and outbreaks occur at multiple Canadian post-secondary schools, McGill University has by comparison appeared to weather the pandemic relatively well. However, the loss of the social aspects typical of the first-year university experience have impacted incoming students’ decision to live in residence this[Read More…]
Certain international graduate programs see sharp tuition hike
International students in some non-thesis masters’ programs will see their tuition rate jump by 30 per cent, compared to a 3.1 per cent tuition increase for students in other programs relative to the 2019-2020 school year. The increase comes after the Quebec government announced a policy in May 2018 that[Read More…]
Scholars strike to call for an end to systemic racism within academic institutions
Scholars across Canada and the United States took part in a collective action on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10 to protest anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and colonial violence within academic institutions. Known as the Scholar Strike, workers in academia boycotted normal class schedules for the two-day period to organize teach-ins on police[Read More…]
McGill Max Bell graduate student bridges borders with comparative policy tool
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a graduate student at McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy to create the Bridging Borders project, an interactive policy tool that compares the effectiveness of pandemic response plans from regions around the world. Since the project started in May, graduate student Henna Hundal[Read More…]
SSMU Clubs and Services forced to adapt amid COVID-19 regulations
While students around the world have begun to adjust to the new normal of online classes and socially-distanced gatherings, the COVID-19 pandemic still affects almost every aspect of our lives. In particular, the pandemic has impacted student’s social interactions, including their ability to participate in clubs and societies. Activities night,[Read More…]
Anonymous Instagram pages highlight student experiences with discrimination at McGill
As recent Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests against police brutality have ignited a global reckoning with racism, new McGill-related Instagram pages are platforming anonymous Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) students’ experiences with discrimination at the university. Untold McGill and Black At McGill have highlighted disturbing instances of racism[Read More…]
McGill Governance 101
STUDENTS’ SOCIETY OF MCGILL UNIVERSITY (SSMU) What it does: SSMU is McGill’s highest level of student government responsible for supervising undergraduate clubs and extracurricular activities, managing and ensuring the sustainability of long-term operations such as the student bar Gerts’, advocating for student interests in the McGill Senate, and planning social[Read More…]