2012 was a tumultuous year for Quebec students. Over the course of the year, hundreds of thousands mobilized in opposition to the former Liberal government’s proposed tuition increases of $1,625 over five years. Following an election almost four months ago, the newly-elected Parti Québécois (PQ) government announced a tuition freeze.[Read More…]
News
News, off and on campus.
Senate Membership and Contacts
2012-2013 Senate Membership (Terms start September 1) Ex Officio The Chancellor Arnold Steinberg The Chair of the Board Stuart Cobbett The Principal Heather Munroe-Blum The Provost Anthony C. Masi The Deputy Provost Morton Mendelson (Student Life and Learning) Vice-Principal Michael Di Grappa (Administration and Finance) Vice-Principal Marc Weinstein (Development and[Read More…]
Students at Nov. 22 demonstration call for free education
On Nov. 22, students gathered in Montreal to protest in favour of free tuition and show their solidarity for student causes across the world. The protest was part of a global education strike week organized by the International Student Movement, a coordination platform for student mobilization worldwide. As part of[Read More…]
Poor advertising suggested as cause of low AUS GA turnout
On Monday night, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) failed to meet quorum at its Fall General Assembly (GA). The GA passed several motions as a consultative forum, including motions mandating AUS support for accessible education and for the AUS to help promote departmental GAs. The AUS began holding GAs in[Read More…]
What happened last week in Canada?
Classified document reveals Harper’s new foreign policy Last Tuesday, the CBC announced it had obtained a confidential document prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, urging the federal government to focus on economic, rather than diplomatic and humanitarian concerns when dealing with emerging markets such as China.[Read More…]
Admin seeks to connect to students via email
In the last two weeks, McGill has started a new communications service called “what’snewstudents@mcgill.” This new initiative consists of a series of weekly emails that the administration uses to provide students with information about various events and services on campus. Director of Internal Communications Doug Sweet said the new campaign[Read More…]
McGill Principal plans to revise campus security measures
On Nov. 23, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum accepted all three recommendations to revise the Code of Student Conduct and security on campus from Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi’s Report of the Open Forum on Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Assembly. In an email to the McGill community, Munroe-Blum detailed the steps[Read More…]
Students voice education grievances at SSMU summit
Last week, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held a series of consultation sessions to prepare for the Parti Québécois’s (PQ) summit on higher education planned for February 2013. Led by SSMU Vice-President External Robin Reid-Fraser, the three sessions covered many topics, including student representation at McGill, and out-of-province[Read More…]
Minister of Higher Education suggests legalizing student strikes
Two weeks ago, Quebec Minister of Higher Education Pierre Duchesne proposed that the government grant student associations the legal right to strike. Last spring, many student associations across Quebec voted to go on strike to oppose the former Liberal government’s proposed tuition increases. The Liberal government did not recognize these[Read More…]
Council debates creation of additional representative to TaCEQ
Last Thursday, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Council met in Burnside 511, one of two Active Learning Classrooms at McGill. Included in the topics of discussion was its relationship with the Quebec Student Roundtable (Table de concertation étudiante du Québec, or TaCEQ) and the possibility of creating another[Read More…]
