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…]
News
News, off and on campus.
Judicial Board renders 2020 SSMU Winter Constitution invalid, SSMU responds
In a unanimous decision made on Aug. 17, the SSMU Judicial Board (J-Board) rendered the 2020 SSMU Winter Constitution, which was put to vote without a French translation, invalid. During a Board of Directors (BoD) meeting on Aug. 20, SSMU voted not to ratify the J-Board’s decision, sending the judgment[Read More…]
McGill faculties host first ever virtual frosh
McGill’s Campus Life and Engagement hosted its first virtual Frosh the week of Aug. 27 – 30 2020. With public health restrictions imposed on every facet of student life this year, the usually boisterous Frosh festivities were replaced by online events. Hosted over Zoom, each faculty’s Frosh included a range[Read More…]
Online learning forces professors to reconsider virtual teaching platforms
The past six months have brought unprecedented change to McGill as institutions worldwide transition to online learning platforms. Given the changes brought by online learning, teachers are being forced to develop new ways of delivering lectures, promoting discussion, and creating assessments. The COVID-19 pandemic shut schools down in March 2020,[Read More…]
McGill students protest for the removal of James McGill statue
Around 100 members of the McGill community rallied just north of the Roddick Gates on Aug. 1 to push for the removal of the statue commemorating James McGill—the founder of McGill University and slave owner. Protesters stood in solidarity with members from the Black Students’ Network of McGill (BSN), the[Read More…]
McGill aims for online and in-person options after Education Minister’s decision to reopen schools
McGill is standing by its May 11 decision to offer instruction primarily through online delivery platforms for the Fall 2020 semester after Education Minister Jean-François Roberge’s announcement on June 16 that schools across Quebec can reopen in September. McGill will conduct all essential class activities through remote instruction, but hopes[Read More…]
CAQ’s proposed reforms to PEQ spark criticism from student organizations across Québec
Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government announced on May 28 its proposed reforms to the Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ), a popular immigration program that fast tracks temporary foreign workers and international students to obtain the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) required to apply for permanent residency[Read More…]
McGill prepares to celebrate the class of 2020 with virtual convocation ceremonies
McGill will celebrate the class of 2020 on June 18 and June 19 with virtual convocation ceremonies due to physical distancing regulations spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier announced on April 24 that the in-person convocation ceremony will be postponed until Spring 2021 provided that public[Read More…]
The Canada Emergency Student Benefit aids many students while leaving others behind
The federal government’s Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) program, which provides a monthly deposit of $1,250 or $2,000 aiming to alleviate financial insecurity caused by COVID-19, has left a group of students scrambling to pay bills. The benefit is available until August 2020 but is only accessible to domestic students,[Read More…]
Thousands protest against anti-Black racism and police brutality in downtown Montreal
Thousands of Montrealers gathered on May 31 in front of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal’s (SPVM) downtown headquarters to protest police brutality and anti-Black racism in Canada and the United States. The demonstrations were organized by Justice for Victims of Police Killings, Hoodstock, and Tout Le[Read More…]
