The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) experiences high annual turnover among its leadership, which often forces executives to prioritize making an immediate impact at the expense of more effective, long-term goals. In response, President Jemark Earle campaigned on a promise to implement a long-term plan for the organization that[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
The role of analog media in an online world
Last Friday, I listened to Prince by Prince on vinyl while I handwrote a letter to a friend, wandered the streets taking videos on my handheld camcorder, and watched my favourite John Cusack film High Fidelity on VHS. It is 2021, and yet I find that my days are consumed[Read More…]
Race-based data is essential to combatting COVID-19
Advocacy groups such as Montreal’s Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) have been pushing for Quebec to collect and publish race-based data on COVID-19 transmission since the onset of the pandemic. Although the government has refused to even acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in the province, independent studies[Read More…]
Let’s stop waiting for social housing
Over the past three years, McGill students have stood at the forefront of the movement for affordable housing. From commissioning high-quality studies to participating in yearly discussions around tenants’ rights, McGillians clearly understand the critical role that access to quality, affordable housing plays in determining one’s ability to live safely[Read More…]
Academic freedom does not justify discrimination
*Content Warning: This article discusses systemic discrimination and suicide. On Jan. 19, the Religious Studies Undergraduate Society (RSUS) published an open letter calling on McGill to address discriminatory behaviour by Dr. Douglas Farrow, a faculty member in the School of Religious Studies. The letter describes how Professor Farrow creates a[Read More…]
The bad omens of Fall 2019
We all remember the day we heard about the samosa ban. The news rocked all of our worlds; we had been robbed of our beloved, cheap campus snack. But the ban was not the first of bad news on campus in the Fall of 2019. Reflecting on this particular semester—the[Read More…]
Shop local to support Quebec businesses affected by COVID-19
In April 2020, the Quebec government introduced Le Panier Bleu, an online directory of Quebec retailers that supports local businesses impacted by the pandemic. The initiative maintains that if shoppers are presented with an accessible way to shop local, they may be more likely to opt for those options rather[Read More…]
The problem with the pornography industry
*Content warning: This article includes mentions of sexual violence and discrimination. A December 2020 New York Times article by Nicholas Kristof exposing Pornhub’s refusal to take down videos depicting rape and child abuse has sparked international outrage. Since then, credit card companies like MasterCard and Visa have cut ties with the[Read More…]
It’s time for a new approach to the language debate
I grew up in a predominantly anglophone West Island suburb. Although my parents’ eligibility under Quebec’s education regulations allowed me to attend English school, a significant portion of my elementary and high school education was in French. But as each year passed and the curriculum changed, I had less and[Read More…]
Beware of McGill’s hazardous reopening plan
Following the Quebec government’s Feb. 4 announcement that universities and CEGEPs would be permitted to gradually reimplement some in-person activities, McGill notified students that Tier 2 academic activities such as some conferences, tutorials, and lectures would resume on campus. Although government officials and members of McGill’s administration have cited students’[Read More…]
