Last Monday Oct. 15 marked the SSMU’s fall General Assembly (GA). In spite of recent reforms intended to make the assembly more appealing and accessible to general membership, it was only able to pass two motions before losing quorum. The centerpiece of these reforms, passed by referendum last semester, mandates[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Speech and the Internet: Does the Internet create or merely enable bad behavior?
The increasing influence of the Internet over the past two decades has been frequently accompanied by periodic bouts of public soul-searching about what effect it is having on society. Over the past week, two major incidents have questioned the Internet’s role in enabling unacceptable behaviour. The first was the tragic[Read More…]
Immediate action needed on the provisional protocol
Last Wednesday, Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi released his long-awaited Report of the Open Forum on Free Expression and Peaceful Assembly. Following a series of open forums, the report sought to solicit community input on the meaning and scope of peaceful assembly on campus. The initiative was commissioned by Principal[Read More…]
The awkward moment when replacing a roommate!
The best thing about first year is that everyone is your friend—that guy in your history class, the girl in the cafeteria, your next-door neighbour, and the security guard you high-five everyday before going to class. Being a newbie in an unfamiliar place can be scary, but it is also[Read More…]
The McGill administration’s smart manoeuvre; looking forward from the Manfredi Report
The Manfredi Report, made public on Oct. 10, 2012, was a direct response to the Jutras Report’s recommendation calling for a campus-wide discussion on the meaning of “free expression and peaceful assembly on campus.” It roughly outlines the escalation of our campus politics since the events of Nov. 10, and[Read More…]
The challenges and biases of factual reporting
In Nassim Taleb’s book, The Black Swan, the author confidently assures his readers that, to learn anything, one must “minimize time spent reading newspapers,” and “ignore the blogs.” He argues that these outlets always try to apply narratives to what simply may be disparate facts, usually report the same sets[Read More…]
What should a university degree represent?
Over the past few years, there has been an intensifying debate over the role of university education—whether universities are institutions of pure learning, or simply a place to acquire a credential after completing a certain amount of coursework. Though the topic has generated a fair amount of discussion about what[Read More…]
Trudeau’s leadership bid will bring youth issues to centre stage
Justin Trudeau’s Liberal leadership bid has dominated coverage of Canadian politics all week. His recent announcement has been met with everything from praise to outright disapproval. While some have extolled his idealism, others have criticised his lack of specific policy points. Many have warned him to clearly separate himself from[Read More…]
Re: “Indigenous studies program approval announced at Council” (Oct. 2)
I was somewhat surprised to read in your edition of Oct. 2nd that I had “approved the creation of a new Indigenous Studies Program within the Faculty of Arts,” since I do not have the authority to approve programs. However, I have on many occasions, over several years (including this[Read More…]
Time to wipe the dust off of community education
If you’ve been to campus recently, you’ve probably come across Community Engagement Day promotions, or maybe you even saw the tent on the Lower Field on October 5th. Maybe you even bothered to look into it; heck, you could have even registered to participate. So what did Community Engagement Day[Read More…]
