Last week, in our Oct. 29 issue, The McGill Tribune published an open letter written by Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Indigenous Affairs Commissioner Tomas Jirousek. In the letter, Jirousek explains the events that led him and other Indigenous student leaders to ask for the resignation of SSMU Vice-President[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
A samosa ban could have been prevented
Samosas sales, not midterms, seem to be what is now giving many McGill students a hard time. On Oct. 22, Montreal Inspection des Aliments issued a warning to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) due to sanitation concerns over a samosa sale in the basement of Burnside Hall. If[Read More…]
Exams belong in the past
Job interviews for entry-level positions in the technology sector are notorious for the use of whiteboard tests: Interviewers ask applicants to solve programming problems on a whiteboard, without access to reference materials or coded-checking tools that programmers would usually have access to when doing real work. Universally reviled by applicants,[Read More…]
Gerts, it hurts: I want you back
With vain hope in their hearts, students received an email from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) on Oct. 28, hoping to read a promising update on the University Centre’s closure. However, students were disappointed by yet another delay: Gert’s, club spaces, and community spaces are still inaccessible. Initially,[Read More…]
“Made by McGill” disregards students’ ongoing concerns
Two years ago, McGill cut its Eating Disorder Program. Then, this fall, a change in policy left note-takers working for McGill’s Office for Student Disabilities without proper compensation. McGill has excused these cuts, and other functional problems, as tough decisions forced upon the administration by complex financial difficulties stemming from[Read More…]
Open letter on Indigenous affairs at SSMU
The “Redmen” name was a visible and constant reminder of McGill’s historical discrimination against Indigenous students. It is with great pride that I can say that, after years of Indigenous student activism, we have successfully changed the name. While the #ChangeTheName campaign demonstrated Indigenous resilience and strength, it also rallied[Read More…]
How I watched my country’s revolution from McLennan
I am human. I am distraught, disorganized, and disillusioned. I can barely attenuate how exhausting and disorienting this week was into coherent words. On Friday, it was my birthday. My friends and I hosted a potluck on Sunday. The long weekend ended with a pleasant dinner at my roommate’s family’s[Read More…]
Reflections on racism from the election
The 2019 federal election was my first experience voting. When I was a child, voting seemed like a distant, adult future; growing up outside of Canada also made that future seem more inaccessible, because my participation in Canadian political issues was always online, thousands of kilometres away. But finally, this[Read More…]
It was the landlord, with the lead pipe, in the moldy basement
Finding housing in Montreal can be a harrowing experience for students who are not properly informed about their tenant rights. For this reason, many students find themselves in illegal renting agreements, a scenario that can lead to serious problems such as costly repairs which should have been covered by their[Read More…]
Love at first bite
We set the scene on a Sunday afternoon. Dinnertime is approaching and my family has elected to order in. We shuffle through a list of options, and settle on Eastern Twist, a sandwich shop a couple of blocks away that sells barbecue chicken wraps—a form of Americanized roti, an Asian fusion[Read More…]