President Alexandre Ashkir Endorsement: Yes, with reservations to Alexandre Ashkir Alexandre Ashkir, U3 Arts, worked for SSMU as Speaker of the Legislative Council for two full terms before running for SSMU President. In addition to his role on Legislative Council, Ashkir currently sits on SSMU’s Board of Directors, giving him[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Three meals a day keep the protests away
Fifteen dollars for a box of raspberries. Eleven for a slice of pizza. Eight for a package of popcorn. This is the reality for students eating at McGill cafeterias. On March 7, Let’s Eat McGill, a collective of concerned student activists, held an assembly to discuss and mobilize around the[Read More…]
Accounting for oneself and others
In my first year at McGill, my academic naiveté made me anxious and self-centred. I was convinced that good writing was a product of genius forged in solitude. When tasked with an essay, a tinge of shame came in reiterating the ideas of other scholars and writers. Citation in those[Read More…]
Black history isn’t one uniform experience
As an African student attending McGill, I was initially shocked to see that McGill’s course list included classes with titles such as History of Colonial Africa or African Politics. While I am glad to have the opportunity to take any classes related to Africa, something I was not provided with[Read More…]
Toward flourishing for Black profs at McGill
In 2020, Black professors represented just 0.5 per cent of McGill’s entire teaching staff, adding up to only 10 professors in total. As of today, though the number is up to 28, little improvement has been made and the percentage remains a paltry 1.6 per cent. To end the underrepresentation[Read More…]
Two minutes till dawn
Every morning, my phone tells me the sun is setting two minutes later than the day before. Most students would be warmed by the thought of another winter ending and brighter days coming soon to wash away the snow. Yet, every morning, I cannot help but feel a slight anxiety[Read More…]
Parliament Hill must address the root causes of the migrant crisis
Last year, around 39,000 refugees entered Canada through Roxham Road, an illegal border-crossing site between New York and Quebec, which requires an extremely dangerous journey on foot. This past January, almost 5,000 were reported to have crossed the site into the province. The situation has sparked heated debate at Parliament[Read More…]
Converting office buildings is worth the gamble
If you’re a student in Montreal, you know how difficult it is to find affordable housing. According to the Association des Professionnels de la Construction et de l’Habitation du Québec (APCHQ), the vacancy rate has fallen below the three per cent equilibrium threshold, where supply and demand are equally matched.[Read More…]
How (not) to leave home
A joke of history: North America is the centre of the modern world, so it can never truly feel international. Inane metaphors––melting pot, mosaic, salad bowl––only distract from the inexorable crush of the market and the English language. Even Quebec’s vaguely nationalist slogan, “//Je me souviens//,” today feels without content,[Read More…]
McGill’s academic freedom policy is rude-imentary
Last April, to appease their older rural voters, the Quebec government unveiled a new policy concerning academic freedom in schools and universities: Bill 32. Naturally, the policy had little to do with Quebec’s rural population and very much to do with enforcing its definition of academic freedom upon universities, prompting[Read More…]
