On Feb. 13, many McGill student groups shared posts on social media advertising a new online platform designed for university students: Sidechat. Sidechat’s launch at McGill was accompanied by heavy marketing, with free cookies given to those who created an account, and money being offered to anyone who reposted the[Read More…]
News
News, off and on campus.
SSMU severs ties with for-profit company offering Grammarly and other services to students
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) decided to end its partnership with the for-profit company Student Support during a Legislative Council meeting on Feb. 9. The partnership, which provided students with access to Grammarly, Calm, and Udemy, was a trial run for the academic year, costing students $9.99 per[Read More…]
SSMU Grocery Program combats food insecurity at McGill
In December 2022, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) ran a pilot version of its new Grocery Program, which aims to supply McGill students facing food insecurity with free, sustainably-sourced groceries once a semester. The pilot project was introduced as a trial run of the permanent Grocery Program, which[Read More…]
Protestors rally for poet and boxer Nicous D’Andre Spring after unlawful killing at Bordeaux prison
Content warning: Description of police violence Nicous D’Andre Spring, a 21-year-old rapper, poet, and boxer, was illegally detained in Montreal’s Bordeaux prison when a physical intervention by guards led to his death on Dec. 24, 2022. Guards placed a spit hood on his head and pepper-sprayed him twice, but other[Read More…]
Ex-SSMU employees speak out over alleged workplace mistreatment
After three years of disagreement over their first-ever collective agreement (CA), the second conciliation between the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the SSMU employees’ union (SSMUnion) occurred on Feb. 3. After being accredited as a bargaining unit in January 2020, the SSMUnion began negotiations with SSMU in August[Read More…]
Turkish students organize donation drive in response to devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria
On Feb. 6, Türkiye and Syria were struck by an initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by a series of quakes, including a 7.5 magnitude aftershock nine hours later. It was Monday morning in the region and Sunday night in Canada. Less than 48 hours later, on Feb. 7, the Students’[Read More…]
Students press Board of Governors about divestment and student representation at community session
McGill’s Board of Governors (BoG) met on Feb. 8 for the first community session of the academic year. The community session, typically held once a semester, is the only opportunity for students to directly engage with members of the highest governing body of the university, who make decisions about McGill’s[Read More…]
SSMU Legislative Council discusses student federations, upcoming referendum
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its second Legislative Council meeting of the year on Feb. 9. Members of the council voted on whether to approve questions for the upcoming Winter 2023 referendum. While questions regarding a fee increase for campus groups such as the Muslim Students Association[Read More…]
Three Macdonald Campus buildings closed immediately after asbestos discovered
The McGill community received word from Director (Campus Public Safety) Pierre Barbarie on Jan. 31 that three Macdonald Campus buildings were to be closed, effective immediately, due to the detection of asbestos in the Raymond building. All classes conducted in the Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart, or Barton buildings were either re-located, held[Read More…]
McGill announces creation of postvention framework during Quebec Suicide Prevention Week
Content warning: Mention of suicide On Feb. 7, McGill will hold its first community consultation regarding a suicide postvention plan that has been in the works since a need was first identified in 2019. The postvention plan is one third of a larger project designed to address suicide on campus.[Read More…]
