After six years of vacancy, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) reinstated the role of Vice President (VP) Sustainability and Operations this June. Hassanatou Koulibaly—who served as VP Student Life in the 2022-2023 academic year—currently holds the position after running unopposed in the 2022-2023 SSMU executive election. The VP[Read More…]
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McGill’s joint Senate and BoG meeting sees dialogue on the university’s third century
McGill’s annual joint Senate and Board of Governors (BoG) meeting took place in the Faculty Club on Nov. 14, addressing the theme of “Building on McGill’s Record of Excellence for the Third Century: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead.” Maryse Bertrand, Chair of the BoG, briefly introduced the topic before handing the[Read More…]
Along Party Lines: A guide to Montreal’s municipal politics
Montreal’s municipal government announced the approved city budget for 2024 on Nov. 15. The budget sees a $235 million increase in spending and, on average, a 4.9 per cent increase in residential property taxes. The 2024 budget also sees increases in spending on public transit and housing, as well as[Read More…]
Recap: SSMU Board of Directors Nov. 16 meeting
The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) met on Nov. 16. Before the board dove into the meeting’s agenda, they welcomed a new director, Fawaz Halloum. Sierra Fallis, Deputy Speaker, led the board through the meeting’s agenda points. First was an executive committee report presented by[Read More…]
Picketers block access to Scotiabank over 450M USD investment in Israeli weapons manufacturer
Content Warning: Mentions of war, violence, genocide, and antisemitism Montreal students and community members gathered once again on Nov. 9 to demand a ceasefire and protest Canada and McGill’s complicity in the war in Gaza, as well as Scotiabank’s investment in a private weapons manufacturer in Israel. In the month[Read More…]
Student Wellness Hub faces province-wide healthcare practitioner shortage
The Student Wellness Hub (SWH) is a multi-functional program proposed and opened in 2019 to encourage the well-being of students, staff, and faculty members. Since its creation, however, the SWH has faced obstacles in providing care due to a province-wide shortage of practitioners and a requirement that doctors volunteer their[Read More…]
PGSS general assembly fails to meet quorum, discusses ways to increase attendance
On Nov. 8, the Post-Graduate Student Society (PGSS) held both its November council meeting and general assembly (GA) at Thomson House. As the GA failed to reach quorum—which is one per cent of PGSS members, or 96 students—no motions could be passed and all items on the agenda were for[Read More…]
SSMU Legislative Council approves SSMU statement for empathy and against doxxing
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) gathered on Nov. 9 for its fifth Legislative Council meeting of the semester. Members of the council discussed students’ responses to tuition hikes, issues of food security on campus, and a potential statement in response to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The meeting started[Read More…]
AGSEM and McGill’s third bargaining meeting: New demands over collective agreement
On Nov. 9, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) entered its third bargaining meeting with the McGill administration. Since Sept. 21, AGSEM—the union representing teaching assistants (TAs) at McGill—has been negotiating terms for improved working conditions and wages following the expiration of their collective agreement in July.[Read More…]
Quebec students and faculty mobilize against provincial government’s proposed tuition hikes
Students and faculty from McGill, Concordia, and Bishop’s University protested against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition increases for out-of-province and international students attending anglophone universities on Oct. 30. Quebec Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry announced the tuition hike on Oct. 13. Quebec will double tuition fees from about $9,000[Read More…]
