Alcohol consumption is often considered a university tradition: Drinking is embedded in much of student social life, culture and events. However, Quebec Premier François Legault’s decision to deem the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) an essential service amid province-wide shut-downs to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
McGill students should care about the Bernie Sanders campaign
The border guard gruffly asked which presidential candidate I supported after I mentioned that I was crossing the US-Canada border to work in the primaries of the US presidential election. When I told him, his eyebrows shot up. Bernie Sanders? The socialist? I have discussed the primaries with many fellow[Read More…]
Keep your distance: students must respect social distancing
Over the last week, the spread of COVID-19 has drastically altered the lives of the McGill community. As we enter the second week of the university’s comprehensive shutdown, the McGill administration has consistently communicated about how to slow the disease’s spread. In addition to cancelling all in-person instruction for[Read More…]
Identifying as an artist
While I served drinks for a show opening at my sister’s gallery, a guest asked me if I, too, was an artist, as my sister and her partner are. Caught off guard by this question, I was unsure how to respond—I have never thought of myself as an artist nor[Read More…]
Reinforcing Bill 101 is Discrimination 101
A reinvigorated Bill 101 looms over Quebec, and if it descends, it could impede demographic reconciliation in the province. Enacted in 1977, the bill established French as the official language of Quebec, forcing government agencies, many businesses, and other institutions to conduct operations in French. While the bill is longstanding[Read More…]
The top of the photo chain
With my hands trembling and heart pounding, I locked eyes with a large, female raccoon. My hands clutched my camera as I slowly worked up the courage to snap a picture. I was too close; the raccoon hissed at the sound of the shutter, and I ran into my house[Read More…]
McGill should communicate quickly but carefully about COVID-19
Over the course of the last week, the McGill community has been informed through a series of emails from the administration about how the university is addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 13, the Quebec government announced that all schools in the province would be closing for two weeks. Following[Read More…]
The Indigenous Equity Fee must be increased
Increasing the Indigenous Equity Fee should be a popular suggestion. The intergenerational strength and resiliency of Indigenous students attending McGill is remarkable. Indigenous students face a number of hurdles which make it less likely for them to end up pursuing post-secondary education—among these are systemic disadvantages that play into almost[Read More…]
McGill failed its exchange students amid the CoronaVirus crisis
Standing toward the back of the line snaking its way around the grocery store, my cart full to the brim with frozen foods and canned soup, was not the way I had expected to spend my semester abroad at the University of Copenhagen. The night before, the Danish prime minister[Read More…]
Postgraduate education in Canada poses financial barriers for students
With Reading Week over, many students are in the midst of sending out CVs and graduate school applications. While the students who desire to pursue postgraduate education come from all backgrounds, many Canadian universities continuously fail to accommodate low-income students in their admissions processes. In recent years, many postgraduate programs[Read More…]