“Where are you from?” is a loaded question. At McGill, depending on who is asking and who is being asked, the meaning of ‘where are you from?’ can range from an ambivalent, ‘where did you grow up?’ to a watered down, ‘why aren’t you white?’ As a person of colour[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
SSMU’s Crash Pad: The future of first-year accommodation at McGill?
During the first week of Fall 2016, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) implemented Crash Pad, an initiative that allowed Frosh participants to sleep in the SSMU Building ballroom overnight. Students registered online earlier in the day, and then went to the ballroom with a sleeping bag to ‘crash’[Read More…]
Recent municipal monstrosities reveal Montreal’s misplaced priorities
Students in Montreal are aggravated and appalled by the minor annoyances that life here has thrown at them, such as the maze of construction and the grinding traffic. But, those of us who have been living here for a while know exactly what the problem is: Montreal’s municipal government has[Read More…]
Too cool for school? Think again.
For entering students, university is a drastic change from the good old high school days. Following Frosh leaders and fellow Froshies to the SAQ store is, essentially, an initiation into the adult world. Long gone are the parental wake-up calls and the mandatory school activities. Some will breathe a sigh[Read More…]
J-Board decision on BDS requires further clarity in its enforcement
On May 31, the Judicial Board (J-Board) of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) released its ruling on the constitutionality of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Motion that was presented at the Winter 2016 General Assembly (GA). The McGill Tribune supports the J-Board’s decision, as it places SSMU’s[Read More…]
Measuring McGill: The facts and flaws behind international university rankings
Renowned authorities such as the Times Higher Education (THE) and the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) have attributed many different rankings to McGill in the past year. With such an onslaught of conflicting figures—sixty-fourth, forty-second, thirty-eighth, thirty-fifth, twenty-fourth—McGill’s position as a leading academic institution is becoming more and more[Read More…]
Why Quebec should get on board with Uber
Like most new innovations, Uber has been met with backlash, especially from taxi services and government policy. The Quebec government’s Bill 100, drafted to regulate and collect tax revenue from Uber, is one example of the increasing tension between the traditional regulated form of business, and online means of conducting[Read More…]
Take a knee: Why Colin Kaepernick’s protest is not in vain
Want to start a fight? Just follow Colin Kaepernick’s lead and kneel in protest of police brutality during the American national anthem at an NFL “Military Appreciation Night.” Since the Aug. 26 incident, Kaepernick has been derided for disrespecting the troops, desecrating the flag, and hating America. The least-inflamed of[Read More…]
A safe academic setting need not stifle free speech
As the semester began at the University of Chicago, incoming students received a letter from Dean of Students John “Jay” Elison stating the administration’s staunch opposition to safe spaces and trigger warnings. The letter, and its ensuing criticism, is another example of the polarizing debate surrounding these terms. As the[Read More…]
Life in the slow lane: Construction at McGill, again
In Montreal, construction has long since become the rule, rather than the exception. As such, it is fitting that Montreal’s 375th birthday next year is being brought to us by more orange cones, roadblocks, and detours for the construction of the Promenade Urbaine Fleuve-Montagne project. Perhaps it really is time[Read More…]
