Motion regarding changing the Redmen name: ‘Yes’ Since 1929, the McGill men’s varsity sports teams have been known as the ‘Redmen.’ The name represents centuries of systemic oppression of indigenous peoples, and its negative impacts on indigenous students supercede its debated intent. With repeated calls for a name change by[Read More…]
Editorial
The Anti-Violence Fee Levy requires immediate support
While the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is notorious for inaction, SSMU broke ground on Oct. 11 when it became the first student union in Canada to pass a Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP). However, the decision was contentious, and the Legislative Council saw lengthy debate about the[Read More…]
#ChangeTheName, and change the norms, too
Thousands of students, allies, and Montrealers have been calling on McGill to change the name of their varsity men’s sports teams. A petition on Change.org has garnered over 8,000 signatures as of press time, and a demonstration is taking place on Oct. 31, due in large part to the work[Read More…]
McGill should blaze a trail in campus cannabis regulation
Hundreds of Montrealers lined up at the Société québécoise du cannabis’s (SQDC) Ste. Catherine and Peel location on Oct. 17, vying to be among the first Canadians to buy legal marijuana. Only a few blocks away, a few new rules were also taking effect at McGill. In accordance with provincial[Read More…]
External affairs require internal dialogue
2018 has seen politics play out on social media, and the world of student government is no exception. On Oct. 2, the day after the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) won a majority mandate in the provincial election, then vice-president (VP) External of the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Marina[Read More…]
So long, Marie-Anne: Gentrification’s impact in the Plateau
Many McGill students will tell you that they went ‘home’ over the Thanksgiving long weekend. It’s a revealing statement: Despite spending eight months of the year in Montreal, for many, home still means somewhere else. However, the student body’s effect on the city is permanent. Neighbourhoods like the Plateau, Saint-Henri,[Read More…]
Supporting survivors means supporting their allies, too
This past year has seen momentous changes in the way McGill handles sexual misconduct allegations: The university has hired a third-party special investigator and launched an ad hoc committee regarding student-teacher relationships. However, structural issues continue to persist. On Sept. 21, the World Islamic and Middle East Studies Student Association[Read More…]
Toward a more democratically engaged student body
In six days, universities across the province—McGill included—will be cancelling classes for Quebec’s provincial election day. Many students may already be making plans to enjoy the cool fall weather or catch up on the classes they missed during add/drop. Considerably fewer may be actively planning to vote. But, enjoying the[Read More…]
Senate should not have to overstep to amplify student voices
On Sept. 12, McGill’s Senate passed a motion endorsing McGill’s divestment from corporations involved in the production, transportation, or sale of fossil fuels. The Senate’s decision puts pressure on the Board of Governors (BoG), which ultimately has the power to divest, but has already refused to do so twice before.[Read More…]
McGill needs to support its Saudi students
This past August, thousands of Saudi students living in Canada had their futures derailed when the Saudi government ordered them to leave Canada and suspended government-funded scholarships to Canadian schools. The measures are a result of a political feud between Canada and Saudi Arabia, sparked by a tweet from the[Read More…]
