McGill has come under fire for awarding former principal Heather Munroe-Blum an honorary doctorate on Oct. 31. The university highlights her “unprecedented renewal of McGill’s outstanding professoriate” and her “unwavering efforts to find necessary resources to maintain McGill’s excellence.” Yet, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and on-campus labour unions[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Hiring discrimination exists—it’s time for universities to acknowledge it
In her Nov. 4 column in The Globe and Mail, Margaret Wente denounced the decision of Universities Canada, a national university lobbying group, to release the demographic data for each university faculty in a national database. Her argument is that universities have come to prioritize inclusivity over performance; hiring staff,[Read More…]
In countering hate and racism, SSMU must keep local issues at the forefront
On Sunday, Nov. 12, thousands of activists filled Place Émilie-Gamelin for the “Large Demonstration Against Hate and Racism.” A McGill contingent, led by Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer, joined forces with a coalition of Montreal activist groups to protest hate and the far-right. SSMU Council[Read More…]
A letter from your upstairs neighbour
Last week, The McGill Tribune published an op-ed criticizing upstairs neighbours for their “categorically inconsiderate” behaviour, such as bodybuilding, blasting music, and having loud sex. I was disappointed by Sydney King’s assertion that upstairs neighbours are inherently selfish and rude. In my time as a student in Montreal, I’ve lived on[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: Not a free press without free speech
The McGill Tribune’s latest editorial, “If SSMU Council won’t stand up for campus press, students must,” claims that it is the The McGill Daily’s pro-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) stance against Israel that in part fueled the events at the Nov. 2 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council. However, to[Read More…]
Made in Canada doesn’t mean Canadians will watch
On Sept. 28, the federal government announced a partnership with Netflix. The online streaming service agreed to invest $500 million over the next 10 years to create “Canadian content” as part of Justin Trudeau’s cultural strategy, which will in turn pledge $125 million towards promoting Canadian content. Netflix will be[Read More…]
Lies I tell myself about my upstairs neighbours
At 19 years old, it seems like I’ve lost the privilege of deciding when I go to bed and when I wake up. No, I don’t live with my parents, and no, my roommates aren’t dictators. I just have really loud, obnoxious upstairs neighbours. Their anonymity makes it easy to[Read More…]
Fall 2017 SSMU Referendum Endorsements
Motion Regarding Sustainability Projects Fund Fee Referendum Question: “Yes” The Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) is an open fund that students can apply to to finance community projects and environmentally friendly ideas, thereby promoting sustainable initiatives across campus. Some projects sponsored by the SPF currently are The Plate Club, Rez Life,[Read More…]
If SSMU Council won’t stand up for campus press, students must
For some, campus publications have become proxies for different opinions on recent Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) controversies, most notably the Oct. 22 SSMU General Assembly and divisions within the executive. The Nov. 2 SSMU Legislative Council meeting saw a surreal turn of events in this trend, when the[Read More…]
RE: The Oct. 23 General Assembly
Editor's note: After the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall 2017 General Assembly (GA), and subsequent controversy on campus, the Tribune is accepting letters representing students’ current views on SSMU. Click on any of the titles below to read current submissions. If you would like to join the conversation[Read More…]
