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…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Commentary: Free speech and the hypersensitivity of safe spaces on campus
The term “safe space,” which originated from various social movements in the ‘60s and ‘70s, has since attracted the attention of educational institutions and students who are seeking to balance the need for inclusive and inoffensive communities with their duty to promote academic freedom and freedom of speech. Preoccupied with[Read More…]
Commentary: Canada needs to renew responsibility towards refugees
Just last month, the Canadian government fulfilled its commitment that it made in 2013 to bring 1,300 Syrian refugees into the country by the end of 2014. The government has announced a decision to receive 10,000 additional refugees in the next three years. However, as the civil war in Syria[Read More…]
Commentary: Alternative resources do not fill gaps in faculty advising
At the March 18 Senate meeting, Arts Senator Jacob Greenspon raised a question concerning the ratios of faculty advisors to students across faculties. Statistics exposed disparities between faculties—the greatest difference being the Faculty of Arts, with 843 students per advisor, and the Faculty of Law, with 88 students per advisor.[Read More…]
Commentary: Religious education and the pursuit of secularism in Quebec
In the latest addition to the debate on secularism in Quebec, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled last Thursday to allow Loyola High School to teach its students about religion, ethics, and religious culture from a Catholic perspective. The Court decided that the provincial government’s refusal to grant the school’s[Read More…]
Off the board: Rethinking the culture of lifehacking
‘Lifehacks’ is a word for “tricks, skills, or shortcuts that are meant to increase a person’s productivity or efficiency in their everyday lives,” according to KnowYourMeme. Entire websites are devoted towards this goal, and best-selling books have been written on the subject. Lifehackers advocate to ‘make everything in your life[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…]
Commentary: The polarizing impact of Facebook events
The Winter General Assembly (GA) produced a large turnout and generated passionate debate, prior to and after the vote, mostly due to the proposed “Motion Regarding Divestment from Companies Profiting from the Illegal Occupation of the Palestinian Territories.” While political discussions on campus may have taken up a lot of[Read More…]
Commentary: The dangers of empathic giving
A few weeks ago in February, James Robertson, a 56-year-old factory worker from Detroit, told police he no longer felt safe in his home. Ever since his car broke down in 2005, Robertson has walked 34 kilometres to work, five days a week. But after a touching news story about[Read More…]
Off the board: Gentrification, urban-ecoism, and cultural perspectives
The houses in Kathmandu, Nepal, where my grandparents live are very tall and narrow—there’s not a lot of buildable space in the actual city. My grandparents’ house doesn’t have central heating. It’s wired up to the electrical grid, but the electricity isn’t always there. For several hours a day, electricity[Read More…]