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…]
News
News, off and on campus.
SSMU holds the first legislative council of the semester
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its first legislative council meeting of the Fall 2020 semester on Sept. 8. As McGill has transitioned to online learning platforms, student organizations such as SSMU have similarly adapted to social distancing restrictions by holding their meetings via recorded Zoom calls. While[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…]
Dozens gather at Palais de Justice de Montréal to protest against recent PEQ reform
Approximately 50 people gathered by the steps of the Palais de Justice de Montréal on Sept. 12 to protest the recent reform of the Québec Experience Program (PEQ). The small but vocal crowd cheered speakers on while remaining socially distant. The protest was organized by the activist group Le[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…]
Hundreds of protestors demand the defunding of Montreal police
Over 200 people marched through the streets of Montreal on Aug. 29, calling for the defunding of the Service de police de la Ville de Montreal (SPVM) in a protest organized by the Montreal wing of the BIPOC Liberation Collective. The recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black[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…]