Morality and politics are inextricably tied. In Plato’s Republic, the political arrangement of the city-state serves to elucidate justice and the Good, positioning politics as ontologically prior to morality—a relationship that also seems to hold in Marxist thought. In utilitarian thought—and much of contemporary conceptions of politics— morality comes first[Read More…]
Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor: The problem with SSMU’s GSVP funding gap
Content warning: sexual violence On Oct. 6, The McGill Tribune’s editorial board published an editorial titled “The Anti-Violence Fee Levy requires immediate support.” In the article, the Editorial Board advocated for students to support the Anti-Violence Fee Levy that went before the student body for referendum Nov. 9-12. I wish[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Clarifying McGill’s treatment of LGTBQ+ students
I suppose I should be delighted at the salute to LGBTQ alumni in The McGill Tribune‘s recent article “LGBTQ+ McGillians making history,” but it hardly makes up for the homophobic treatment I endured while at McGill in the early 70s. As a queer man writing a thesis about the queer[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: There is no “quest for monolingual domination” in Québec
On Sept. 18, The McGill Tribune published an opinion piece titled “Quebec’s quest for monolingual domination makes healthcare less accessible.” In this article, the author made dubious and confusing links between Bill 10, font changes on information signs at Saint Mary’s hospital, and what he described as “Quebec’s quest for monolingual[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Clarifying McGill’s student-athlete recruitment processes
In his Nov. 28 article in The McGill Tribune, “Selective success: A McGill recruiting story,” Patrick Beacham touched on several important issues relevant to recruiting; however there were several inaccuracies in his article that need correcting. Recruiting talented student-athletes is a complex process, much of which is governed by university[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: The role of the Dean of Students
A student writes: “My sister is in the hospital—I’m going to miss a week of class, I have assignments due and I’m really struggling with my own mental health because of this. A friend told me that the Dean of Students can help—is this true?” While a core mandate of[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Not a free press without free speech
The McGill Tribune’s latest editorial, “If SSMU Council won’t stand up for campus press, students must,” claims that it is the The McGill Daily’s pro-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) stance against Israel that in part fueled the events at the Nov. 2 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council. However, to[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: I work for SSMU. I’m giving the record some context.
As one of the Sustainability Commissioners for the 2017-2018 year, I’ve worked with almost all of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Executives. When my contract began in May, I worked under the Vice-President (VP) Operations and Sustainability. When she resigned, my portfolio was reassigned to the SSMU President,[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Clarifying McGill’s Policy Against Sexual Violence
I write to respond to two pieces that ran in The McGill Tribune on Oct. 17: "Editorial: On sexual violence reform, it's McGill's turn" and Caitlin Kindig's news piece, "Our Turn action plan gives McGill's Sexual Violence Policy a C- grade." Both articles contain misunderstandings or incomplete information about McGill's Policy against Sexual[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Student politics can’t be apolitical
Last week, The McGill Tribune published a commentary piece by Gabriel Rincon that critiqued the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) External (my role) for taking political positions and participating in student demonstrations, supported by the underlying thesis that SSMU executives “should represent the interests of all students, independent[Read More…]