In the months leading up to their first year, undergraduates will hear several not-so-glorious bits about the ‘glorious’ college years that await them. They’ll learn about the clichéd—yet inevitable—‘Freshman 15,’ they’ll be warned of the self-sabotage that is an 8:30 a.m. lecture, and likely, they’ll be introduced to a persona[Read More…]
Commentary
Conscious eating: More than just labels
What people refer to when they talk about organic food has become a point of contention. Technically, the term “organic” refers to a food item that is grown according to certain Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) standards; culturally, it is more expansive. To some people, going “organic” signifies leading a[Read More…]
Is Hydro-Quebec a criminal organization? The Pessamit problem
Quebec’s tenacious energy provider, Hydro-Quebec, has been a disease to the Pessamit Innu people, who are native to the Betsiamites river basin in Eastern Quebec. Since 1952, these people have been forced to sacrifice their way and quality of life when Hydro-Quebec began installing two massive hydroelectric generating stations upstream[Read More…]
Rethinking the “Harvard of Canada:” McGill must be appreciated on its own terms
Amid the throngs of Frosh shirts and the oceans of newly-purchased McGill merchandise that mark Orientation Week, there is another sight that stands out on campus during the last week of August: A white T-shirt emblazoned with the Harvard University crest and captioned, “Harvard: America’s McGill.” Virtually every McGill student[Read More…]
Surround yourself with people who inspire you
You’ve heard the same question a million times: “What’s your dream job?” Somehow, the answer is never, “Working as a summer intern for a relatively unknown brand!” As a young adult, my answer to the question often mirrors ordinary expectations of success, in the hopes that one day, all of[Read More…]
OAP: A chronicle of a day at the happiest place on Earth
The scene is set: The year is 2017, the location not Three Bares Park because the McGill construction bug has fled from McTavish to infiltrate the rest of campus, and Open Air Pub (OAP) is in full swing. You are wearing your best attempt at a summer outfit. If you[Read More…]
Andrew Scheer’s proposal to protect campus free speech creates more problems than it solves
In the (perhaps unlikely) event that any students followed the recent Conservative Party federal leadership race, they would surely have noticed one of the more unconventional promises made by Andrew Scheer, the man who now leads the Conservative caucus. During his bid for the party's leadership, Scheer vowed that if[Read More…]
Look out, Trudeau: NDP’s Singh on the come up
In 2019, Canadians from coast to coast will vote on their next prime minister. Current PM and Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau stepped into his role as PM after winning 39.5 per cent of the vote in the 2015 election. But a lot has changed in the past two years.[Read More…]
Judicial independence should not be compromised for executive goals
When Prime Minister Stephen Harper left office in 2015, he left a legacy of politicizing the judiciary. Harper reformed the way judges are appointed to concentrate power in the federal government and pursue policy goals. Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has used similar tactics for his own agenda. A PM[Read More…]
First-Year Seminars aid new students’ transition into university
When I was finalizing my university decision, my biggest hesitation about attending McGill University was the sheer class size of core requirement courses for my then-major Economics. I had never had a class with more than 25 students throughout my elementary and secondary education, so I felt both overwhelmed and[Read More…]
