In February, McGill announced that it will be joining the edX Consortium, an initiative founded by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which has been a pioneer of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Amidst the varied responses to this news, a notable issue that this brings to the[Read More…]
Editorial
No easy answer in dealing with budget cuts
Last week, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum unveiled the first round of McGill’s efforts to cut $46 million worth of expenditures in reaction to the recent budget cuts imposed by the government of Quebec. In an email to the McGill community, she highlighted that salaries and benefits make up more than 75[Read More…]
Communication problems underlie the Leacock space debate
For context, please read “Proposed Leacock reconfiguration incites controversy.” The Mar. 18 Town Hall regarding a proposed reallocation of space in the Leacock building played out in a scene that’s become increasingly familiar—both students and faculty turned up to voice their opposition to a proposal from the administration. The[Read More…]
This election matters, and every vote counts
This week, as you are bombarded by emails and Facebook invitations to vote in the SSMU executive elections, you may come up with a number of excuses for why you can’t, or don’t want to vote. Some of these might be legitimate, but if you say that it takes too long, that you just don’t care, or that SSMU doesn’t matter, you are sadly misinformed.
Fortier’s appointment a reflection of McGill’s values
Last week, the Board of Governors’ (BoG) announcement that Dr. Suzanne Fortier has been selected as the next Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill was accompanied by a flurry of press releases, interviews, and profiles introducing her to the McGill community. There were a few points about her that stood out[Read More…]
The story behind the story
How do you measure a year? Maybe you do it in days, or maybe, like every other student at McGill, in the number of all-nighters left before the first day of summer vacation begins. The Tribune does it in words; 832,000 of them. Each week, the 20 editors of the[Read More…]
Editorial 101: The process behind an editorial
Every Friday, the Tribune’s editorial board meets to plan our editorial for the coming issue. We start with a range of ideas, and ultimately focus on the one that seems to us to be the most relevant, controversial, and interesting. We then discuss, each member bringing forward individual perspectives, but[Read More…]
Quebec must maintain its linguistic balance
Disclaimer: Although our editorial board comprises a diverse range of cultural, geographic, and linguistic backgrounds, none of us identifies as a Quebecker. The perspectives that we put forward here represent us as McGill students, and members of the various communities in Montreal that have embraced us, and that we, in[Read More…]
Bringing the issues back to student politics
According to Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand, municipal voters show far more interest in local issues—such as bike lanes and urban farming plans—than in selecting their representatives in local government. A recent proposal put forward by Rotrand would follow this logic, and seek to increase voter turnout by putting referendum[Read More…]
Accountability must come first in Access to Information debate
A fundamental pillar for the success of a publicly funded institution is the public’s right to know and understand where its money goes, and what is being done with it. McGill’s recent motion to the Commission d’accès à l’information seeking the authority to ignore Access To Information (ATI) requests threatens[Read More…]
