The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) held its first meeting of 2025 on Jan. 7,  discussing topics ranging from hiring practices to gender-neutral washrooms in the University Centre.

The meeting began in a confidential session before SSMU President Dymetri Taylor presented the Executive Committee Public Report, which included a motion on hiring at the student bar and café Gerts to prepare for its Jan. 6 reopening. 

Next, Taylor reviewed motions passed on Jan. 6, including some delegating the oversight of SSMU staff under the Vice-President (VP) Sustainability and Operations portfolio to other executives. VP External Hugo-Victor Solomon moved to oversee SSMU’s Grocery Program Coordinator and Sustainability Coordinator positions, while VP University Affairs Abe Berglas now supports the Campus Crops Coordinator.

Next, the Board ratified a motion to approve 2025 Winter Referendum dates, establishing the nomination period as Feb. 3 to 21 and the campaign and polling period as March 10 to 21.

The second motion, brought forward by Berglas, aimed to increase the number of gender-neutral washrooms in the SSMU building by modifying existing bathroom designations. Director Rishi Kalaga reported that some students raised concerns regarding the presence of gender-neutral washrooms directly next to the campus bar.

“A lot of women have come to me and said, ‘Look, this motion does not represent us. This motion is a threat to our safety and our security,’” Kalaga said.

Berglas responded that the motion aligns with SSMU’s Trans Advocacy Plan, stating that McGill’s Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) exclusively has gender-neutral washrooms in the Thomson House, which also hosts a bar. According to Berglas, PGSS has not reported issues relating to this matter. Berglas further noted that three-quarters of SSMU’s Legislative Council were in favour of the motion on Dec. 5, and discussed the need to centre trans voices in conversations about the motion.

“I don’t think, if you’re not a part of a minority group, you get to decide whether or not you’re transphobic,” Berglas said. “Just like I wouldn’t be able to decide whether or not I did something racist. That’s just not really for people not in that group to say.” 

Councilmember Hamza Abu-Alkhair raised concerns from the Muslim Students Association about a lack of women-only washrooms next to the Gerts-adjacent SSMU prayer room.

“Women who wear the hijab, for example, when they want to wash up or fix their hijab, they have to do so in a female space, and men shouldn’t be able to see that, so they had expressed concern about the motion,” Abu-Alkhair said.

Alongside other Board members, VP Finance Pauline Jolicoeur and General Manager Maya Marcus-Sells expressed uncertainty about the motion’s adherence to Quebec building code and health and safety provisions that do not explicitly address gender-neutral washrooms. Berglas affirmed the importance of these facilities.

“We shouldn’t be making a choice between the comfort of women and the ability for trans people to go to the bathroom. To me, that just doesn’t sound like a reasonable assessment,” Berglas said. 

Jolicouer also noted concerns that McGill’s ownership of the building would require SSMU to request university permission to pass the motion. President Taylor motioned to approve a budget of $1,000 CAD for a review of the gender-neutral washroom motion’s adherence to Quebec law and McGill policy by the firm Melançon Marceau Grenier Cohen. The Board approved the Quebec law review component of Taylor’s motion. Councilmember Emma Chen suggested a postponement of the original gender-neutral washroom motions until after legal review, which the Board formally agreed to.

Before moving back into confidential session, the Board unanimously approved a motion to nominate a vetted candidate to a Judicial Board role, a motion to appoint Director Honoah Xu to the Finance Committee, and a motion to approve Terms of Reference for the Health and Safety Committee, which ensure the well-being of full-time employees at SSMU.

Moment of the Meeting: Taylor reported that the Menstrual Health Project has increased its number of coordinators.

Soundbite: “It’s very important for us to realize that we have a very large and diverse membership, and we should try to take them all into account.” — Marcus-Sells on increasing gender-neutral washrooms in the University Centre.