Last Tuesday’s Board of Governors (BoG) meeting included updates on the provincial government’s $19.1 million budget cuts. The Board also discussed the damages from the flooding of the downtown campus that occurred Jan. 28, and the administration’s intention to replace the provisional protocol on protests with two documents: a Statement of Values, and a set of Operating Procedures.

In December, the provincial government announced $124 million cuts to universities across Quebec, including the $19.1 million cuts to McGill’s operating budget. While no decisions have been made at this point as to how the university will face these cuts, Provost Anthony Masi led four Town Hall meetings on the topic last week.

“It’s very important that our community understand this is a government-manufactured crisis,” Principal Heather Munroe-Blum said on Tuesday. “[Town Halls] are an opportunity for [the McGill community] to hear about the circumstances and give input. These were very well attended .… [There is] great concern in the community.”

Associate Provost (Faculty Affairs and Resource Allocation) Jan Jorgensen said the recent cuts would require three to five per cent across-the-board cuts to faculties and administrative units.

“As we are still undertaking consultations with stakeholders through meetings and Town Halls on the alternatives for targeted cuts, and as the government’s budget pronouncements continue to evolve … we cannot decide or announce the specific targeted cuts [until] after the Education Summit at the end of February,” Jorgensen said.

Masi emphasized the importance of communication with the community as McGill moves forward with decisions.

“It’s not only about facts—it’s about the way people perceive them,” he said. “We’re anxious to get feedback from the community.”

Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) Secretary-General Jonathan Mooney told the Tribune that he thought last week’s Town Hall meetings were an “effective” means of communication, but consultation needs to continue as the administration considers different options for reducing the budget.

“These scenarios are guaranteed to be unpleasant, but I think it would be far healthier to see the different choices debated and discussed by everyone at the university before a decision is made, than to proceed with a decision that hasn’t been carefully explored by all relevant stakeholders,” Mooney said.

The Principal also informed the Board about the Statement of Values and Principles Concerning Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and the Operating Procedures. These are the focus of two consultation sessions—one on Macdonald campus last Friday, and the other on the downtown campus scheduled for Feb. 20.

The Statement of Values and the Operating Procedures are the latest outcome in the administration’s search to create a document detailing the university’s response to forms of collective action on campus, such as protests and demonstrations.

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Josh Redel told the Board he was “happy” to see the new drafts of the documents, which he thought took the community’s feedback into consideration.

“Hopefully there can be another big step forward if that’s what’s called for,” he said. “But why [are the] Operating Procedures [not] coming [to Senate and BoG] considering it is under the same umbrella [as the previous document]?”

Munroe-Blum said she could add discussion of the Statement of Values and the Operating Procedures to Senate’s and Board’s agendas, although both governing bodies will only vote on the Statement of Values.

The Principal also addressed the aftermath of the flood that affected the downtown campus on Jan. 28. Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance) Michael Di Grappa said the expected costs “keep going up every day.” Damages to McGill property are estimated at approximately $3 million as of last Tuesday, and  McGill will file an insurance claim.

The flood occurred after a 48-inch water main burst while construction workers were completing renovations to the McTavish Reservoir. Munroe-Blum said she has been talking with Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum “to make sure that the infrastructure surrounding campus is taken care of effectively,” in order to prevent future incidents.