On March 13, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) held a highly-attended General Assembly (GA) in the SSMU building. Over 1,100 students voted on whether arts undergraduates should go on strike in opposition to the Quebec government’s proposed tuition fee increases. The result was close; but the attendees ultimately voted against[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Community? Community. Community!
Sitting in on the Department of English Students Association’s General Assembly, where its members debated whether they should continue to strike, I came to a realization: the discussion centred around something far greater than the issues themselves. The debate was really about how to discover and maintain a sense of[Read More…]
Safe space strife
The latest flashpoint of tension at Queer McGill (QM) revolves around the dismissal of Brian Keast, the former treasurer of the club, after an equity complaint filed by Libby Bouchard, the club’s Political Action Co-ordinator. The complaint alleged that Keast, an executive of the group, had violated QM’s anti-transphobia mandate.[Read More…]
An open letter from SSMU
To the AUS Executive Committee: We would like to congratulate you on an extremely well-attended General Assembly last night. We would also like to express our extreme disappointment and frustration concerning the poor communication, organization, and attitude which shaped your response to the unexpected numbers and thus took[Read More…]
When normal experiences become pathological
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)—the primary reference tool for psychologists and psychiatrists—is undergoing a makeover. The DSM-5, set to be released in May 2013, may include a newer, more exclusive definition of autism, and the inclusion of the soon-to-be-defined absexuality and relational disorders. However, one of[Read More…]
The Tribune’s winter referenda endorsements
Composition of SSMU Council: Yes The most significant change in the composition of the SSMU council proposes the removal of the Architecture Councillor seat. This reform represents a fairer representation process as the Architecture Students’ Association is already represented by the Engineering Undergraduate Society. The Architecture Students’ Association has also[Read More…]
In defence of tuition hikes: why frozen tuition is folly
This week, students will decide whether an important fee will be raised, in the words of those who support this increase, to “maintain the current level” of service. The fee increase I refer to, of course, is the SSMU dental plan. Not really. But my point is that, like this[Read More…]
The return of the Jets
Any self-respecting columnist writing on Canada cannot let this year saunter by without spending at least one—I pitched ten, but my editor emphasized one—column on the Winnipeg Jets. This story of prairie power should be trumpeted from the rooftops, but given the country’s current milieu of potential election fraud and[Read More…]
Poorly publicized, poorly timed, poorly attended
On March 1, Christopher Manfredi, the Dean of arts, chaired the first of four meetings, part of the administration’s Open Forum to debate the limits of free expression and peaceful assembly on campus. Despite the clear importance of these issues to students, the first meeting only had just over 30[Read More…]
Choosing salsa instead of studying
It was halfway through reading week, and I was driving to Trinidad, Cuba in a 1958 Chevrolet with two Italians, a driver from Havana, and my mother, when I realized I wasn’t actually going to get any reading done. My mother and the driver were in a heated conversation about[Read More…]
