On March 31, McGill will celebrate its bicentennial anniversary. The occasion, dedicated to commemorating the university’s 200 years of “impact,” will feature virtual conferences showcasing research, a digital time capsule containing professors’ visions for the future of their fields, and a massive fundraising drive. Although it is important at this[Read More…]
Editorial
Quebec’s denial of systemic racism impedes progress
On March 17, La Presse reported that a Saint-Eustache hospital had posted job placements for “white only” personal attendants. According to the hospital, a “difficult” patient that refused treatment by non-white individuals, prompted officials to search for a white orderly to cater to the patient’s preferences. Such discriminatory job postings[Read More…]
McGill 24 overlooks student demands
The annual McGill 24 fundraising event took place on March 10, with the university calling on its worldwide community—including alumni, faculty, staff and students—to donate. The funds raised contribute to McGill’s larger fundraising campaign, Made by McGill, which was introduced in September 2019 and seeks to raise two billion dollars[Read More…]
Meet the 2021-2022 SSMU Executive Candidates
President Darshan Daryanani Darshan Daryanani, U3 Arts, has extensive experience in student government, currently serving as an Arts Senator and a member of 12 different SSMU or AUS committees. As the pandemic continues to restrict on-campus life, one of Daryanani’s top priorities, if elected, is to ensure the successful reopening[Read More…]
Virtual student government elections offer a more accessible framework
As the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executive election campaign period takes off this week, this year’s candidates will migrate to virtual platforms and social media to campaign. Online elections present new challenges to student engagement and require innovative approaches to campaigning. But if harnessed properly, the remote circumstances[Read More…]
Race-based data is essential to combatting COVID-19
Advocacy groups such as Montreal’s Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) have been pushing for Quebec to collect and publish race-based data on COVID-19 transmission since the onset of the pandemic. Although the government has refused to even acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in the province, independent studies[Read More…]
Academic freedom does not justify discrimination
*Content Warning: This article discusses systemic discrimination and suicide. On Jan. 19, the Religious Studies Undergraduate Society (RSUS) published an open letter calling on McGill to address discriminatory behaviour by Dr. Douglas Farrow, a faculty member in the School of Religious Studies. The letter describes how Professor Farrow creates a[Read More…]
Beware of McGill’s hazardous reopening plan
Following the Quebec government’s Feb. 4 announcement that universities and CEGEPs would be permitted to gradually reimplement some in-person activities, McGill notified students that Tier 2 academic activities such as some conferences, tutorials, and lectures would resume on campus. Although government officials and members of McGill’s administration have cited students’[Read More…]
Residence exclusions highlight McGill’s negligence
On Jan. 25, between 15 and 20 students were temporarily excluded from McGill residences due to alleged violations of COVID-19 residence safety protocols. They were given less than 24 hours notice and were stripped of their meal plans and student IDs, leaving them without access to McGill buildings, including cafeterias.[Read More…]
Moving past academic austerity
Students returned on Jan. 7 to remote classes and the biting cold of yet another brutal academic winter. Unrested after a break that felt too brief—even after the three-day extension—and unassured by McGill’s short-term solutions, many will continue to suffer from the same predicaments that arose in the fall. From[Read More…]
