McGill has flexed its bureaucratic muscles once again in its negotiations with floor fellows: It has violated Quebec labour law by not paying floor fellows a wage, and gone so far as to appeal a court ruling in favour of the floor fellows. In negotiating a collective agreement with floor[Read More…]
Editorial
Editorial: Strategic voting influences student voice in 2015 federal election
First-past-the-post encourages strategic voting in multiparty systems, a practice where citizens might base their electoral choice on who they believe has a chance of winning, thereby sacrificing their preferred candidates. Voters will consider who they perceive as capable of forming a government that comes close to their overall preferences. While[Read More…]
Editorial: Reimagining SSMU to ensure future sustainability
In the past six months, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has been without the director of its daycare program, faced the resignation of its recently-hired general manager, and most recently witnessed the resignation of the vice-president (VP) Internal. Soon, SSMU’s building manager will be going on paternity leave.[Read More…]
Editorial: The case for a central student hub at McGill
Currently, the University’s academic plan for 2012 to 2017 (detailed in Achieving Strategic Academic Priorities 2012) focuses on improving McGill’s rankings, its research, and thus its attraction and retention of world class students. But such plans do not reflect McGill’s reality as a physical space for students. Despite McGill’s downtown[Read More…]
Editorial: Indigenous issues must become part of campus discourse
Indigenous Awareness Week is now in its fifth year at McGill University. The week showcases local indigenous culture through a series of events, beginning with the Pow Wow on Sept. 18, and concluding on Sept. 25 with a symposium titled Resisting Gendered and State Violence: Indigenous Women’s Activism. The focal[Read More…]
Editorial: On sexual assault, unacceptable gaps remain in McGill’s redress procedures
As McGill works on drafting a new sexual assault policy, one survivor’s experience demonstrated that our administration and faculty associations are failing in their responsibility to provide adequate redress to students who have been sexually assaulted. After an incident at an undergraduate departmental event where the survivor was allegedly sexually[Read More…]
Editorial: Student mobilization key to addressing youth issues in Federal Election
On Oct. 19, Canadians will decide who will form the government for the next four years. At this time, it is critical that students—and the organizations that represent them—remain informed and engaged. The vicious cycle of low youth voter turnout and subsequent shortage of issues affecting youth and students in[Read More…]
Editorial: SSMU membership within federation necessary to advance students’ interests
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is currently taking part in discussions to create a new student federation following turmoil within the largest provincial student federation, the Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Québec (FEUQ). SSMU is currently not a member of FEUQ, but the recent disaffiliation from the federation by[Read More…]
Editorial: Admin’s decision on women-only gym hours fails to engage students
On March 20, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens released a statement refusing the controversial request of women-only gym hours that has resulted in debate both on and off-campus. The statement, which came as a surprise to many, cited McGill’s nature as a secular, co-educational institution as the[Read More…]
Editorial: Changes at faculty level must be made to make SSMU more representative
In the wake of the recent Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) elections, many students have renewed their complaints of dissatisfaction with what they feel is an insular and inaccessible SSMU. While these feelings are certainly valid, the overemphasized focus on SSMU executives and the concurrent lack of student engagement[Read More…]
