Despite years of solidarity with unions, both on campus and beyond McGill, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has not shown the same grace to its own workers. After almost seven months of collective bargaining with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 5447, better known as the[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Rediscovering the value of practice
One of my earliest memories is of my mother handing me a cardboard violin and stick and having me bow along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. As the child of two classical musicians, I started learning music very early—at the age of two. Every day when I came home from[Read More…]
McGill 24 overlooks student demands
The annual McGill 24 fundraising event took place on March 10, with the university calling on its worldwide community—including alumni, faculty, staff and students—to donate. The funds raised contribute to McGill’s larger fundraising campaign, Made by McGill, which was introduced in September 2019 and seeks to raise two billion dollars[Read More…]
Meet the 2021-2022 SSMU Executive Candidates
President Darshan Daryanani Darshan Daryanani, U3 Arts, has extensive experience in student government, currently serving as an Arts Senator and a member of 12 different SSMU or AUS committees. As the pandemic continues to restrict on-campus life, one of Daryanani’s top priorities, if elected, is to ensure the successful reopening[Read More…]
Anti-Asian racism was rampant before COVID-19-related hate
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, incidents of anti-Asian racism across the country have surged. In Montreal, several statues at Quan Am temple were defaced, the main gates of Chinatown were vandalized, and a Korean man walking to a market was stabbed in the city’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood.[Read More…]
Virtual student government elections offer a more accessible framework
As the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executive election campaign period takes off this week, this year’s candidates will migrate to virtual platforms and social media to campaign. Online elections present new challenges to student engagement and require innovative approaches to campaigning. But if harnessed properly, the remote circumstances[Read More…]
COVID-somnia is ruining students’ schedules
As student routines change due to COVID-19, many are noticing disturbances in their sleep schedules. Experts attribute “COVID-somnia” to anxiety surrounding the pandemic, such as feeling helpless in the face of a global crisis. While students at McGill lead efforts to combat these mental health difficulties, educators and administrators must[Read More…]
Gratitude alone does not help emergency workers
Gratitude, like many conventions observed in everyday life, is remarkably pleasant yet wholly unnecessary. No one would lose sleep without it, but small gestures of thanks have their purpose. Whether someone has held the door open or returned a lost belonging, showing gratitude demonstrates care for others and reminds people[Read More…]
Financial accountability is key to the success of SSMU’s five-year plan
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…]
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…]