On Feb. 25, Cody Esterle, Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President VP) Student Life announced that they would be taking time off for an indefinite period due to immense emotional and physical burnout. Similarly, VP External Marina Cupido resigned in Sept. 2018 citing mental health concerns while in office.[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Post-POLI 339: Reflections on Calls for Resignation
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article identified the authors as ‘second-generation students.’ Sanchez is a first-generation student. The authors regret this error. Last March, we ran for and successfully secured the opportunity to serve as arts representatives to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). In this role,[Read More…]
The case for legalizing all drugs
Canadian medical law recognizes an individual’s right to bodily autonomy: They can choose their own birth control options, select treatment options based on personal views, and even refuse treatment entirely. Given this principle of bodily autonomy, it seems reasonable that patients should also have the right to access drugs of[Read More…]
People should be able to self-manage their abortions
Popular depictions of abortion, as featured in the likes of Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and Netflix’s Sex Education, depict them as invasive surgical procedures taking place in sterile doctors’ offices. While it’s a sign of progress that the topic of abortion is entering the mainstream, pop culture often neglects that abortions[Read More…]
Confessions of a fangirl
When I first arrived at McGill, I was eager to make friends and answer all perfunctory introductory questions—what I study, where I come from, and what residence I live in. However, there was one fact I was always afraid to confess: I was a huge fan of TFBoys, the most popular[Read More…]
Revised sexual violence policy needs more revision
After missing the Quebec government’s Jan. 1 deadline to update their existing sexual violence policy, McGill’s Senate has entered the final stages of approving its newly-revised Policy Against Sexual Violence (SVP), presenting the document at their Feb. 20 meeting. Last amended in 2016, Senate is updating the policy so that it[Read More…]
Funding universities is a national security issue
While the Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei may be most famous in Canada for the Vancouver arrest of chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, the company’s influence is much closer to McGill than that event might suggest. Despite security experts’ concerns that the company may be operating as an intelligence asset for[Read More…]
Let Muslim women wear whatever they want
Newly-elected Premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) François Legault recently shuffled his cabinet, naming Isabelle Charest the new Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Charest sparked controversy in early February for insisting that the “hijab is a symbol of female oppression.” When criticized for her comments,[Read More…]
Subject: Guide to #ChangeTheName
Re: Next steps regarding the name / Étapes à venir dans le dossier relatif au nom Dear McGill, I hope this email finds you well, and thanks for the snow day! I got your email, but it left me a little confused. It’s about time you noticed that no one[Read More…]
Don’t overturn a democratic vote for undemocratic reasons
In an ambiguous and poorly-worded email sent on Feb. 12, Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) executives released a statement announcing that they had overturned the AUS Legislative Council’s decision to withhold approval of the course fee for POLI 339. POLI 339 Comparative Developed: Topics 1 is a two-week summer exchange course[Read More…]