One night in August of 2012, I was torn from my sleep when gunshots rang through the air. I remember the rest of the night in pieces—my mom jumping on my bed to peer out my window over the driveway, sitting on my living room couch as my dad called[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Stepping off of (vape) cloud nine
Like a category five hurricane making landfall midsummer, swirling clouds of mango-flavoured e-cigarette vapour have descended upon North American university campuses. The vape is becoming as ubiquitous today as cigarettes were 60 years ago. Advertising themselves as safer alternatives to smoking cigarettes, products such as the Juul exploded onto the[Read More…]
Our place in saving the Amazon
The Amazon rainforest is burning, right now. In fact, about 12 football fields worth of rainforest will have burned by the time you’re done reading this article. By 2020, the entire rainforest will be gone if action isn’t taken immediately. Over 75,000 wildfires are currently burning in Brazil, with around[Read More…]
Use your own words
As classes begin anew, the term ‘fake news’ has re-entered the vocabulary of many liberal arts students and professors alike. Even in legitimate contexts—such as calling out doctored journalism or describing viral conspiracy theories—the use of the term is deplorable. Over the past few years, arguments have been made for[Read More…]
Bill 21: Impractical on paper and in practice
Bill 21, a law enacted by the Quebec government that prohibits public sector employees from wearing visible religious symbols, caused public outrage by disproportionately affecting religious minorities such as Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs. Introduced this past May, there was no shortage of speculation concerning how problematic the implementation of this[Read More…]
Divestment should not be decided by an ex-PetroCan executive
“International research results have undoubtedly established that climate change and its resulting socio-economic impacts pose a serious threat to life on earth.” This is the first sentence from the letter that Suzanne Fortier opens McGill’s Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan with. The letter goes on to say that[Read More…]
It’s time to end the era of wasteful and overpriced textbooks
The beginning of each school year is a time of fresh excitement and a newfound enthusiasm to study for many students. This inevitably leads to either furiously stalking Facebook Marketplace for a specific set of textbooks, or giving up and waiting in line at Le James or Paragraphe. No matter[Read More…]
Barriers for club execs hinder community on campus
Last week, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) posted a schedule for a series of mandatory club trainings on Sept. 14 and 15, requiring attendance from between two and five executives or members. These training sessions included workshops on the responsibilities of SSMU clubs, their tasks regarding financial reporting,[Read More…]
Loving myself and my selfies
Some may call this narcissistic or self-absorbed, but I’m constantly taking selfies: In class, at work, at home, in the kitchen, and before I go to sleep. For me, this process is not self-destructive, but therapeutic: It is a physical and digital manifestation of my confidence, self-esteem, and respect for[Read More…]
Frosh sends troubling messages about drinking culture
Following a significant backlash in past years regarding the toxic nature of many Canadian Frosh weeks, McGill has made attempts to improve the experiences of incoming students. Frosh coordinators across faculties have, in consultation with staff and the administration, implemented new policies that seem to have improved student well-being and[Read More…]
