The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its fourth Legislative Council meeting of the year on Thursday, Feb. 27, discussing a Black Student Inclusion policy, Coucillor updates, and the granting of full status to several McGill clubs. 

The meeting began with an announcement from a representative of Agence Voltaic, announcing that their photography studio is now open on weekends and evenings to accommodate more students, in an effort to address low participation in graduation photos.

Next, Vice President (VP) University Affairs Abe Berglas discussed the launch of a special research project focused on students facing financial difficulties, and spoke to their current efforts to advocate for students through the McGill Senate. 

“We are collectively drafting a letter to Deep Saini about the vandalism that happened on campus with the windows because he asked senators to consider that,” Berglas said. “We also met with a suicidality caseworker at the Office of the Dean of Students in response to the death of a first-year student about a month ago.”

Berglas concluded with an update on the progress of renegotiating SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill, which has since been completed. 

Following this, Athletics Councillor Melanie Renaud presented the Athletics and Recreation Report. She highlighted that the Varsity Council recently organized a holiday charity event to collect over 100 shoe boxes filled with donated supplies for unhoused women. 

The Varsity Council also hosted a successful Welcome Back brunch on Jan. 22, which brought together over 150 athletes from 16 different teams. Looking ahead, the 2025 motionball Marathon of Sport, scheduled for March 23, will raise funds for and awareness of the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. 

The meeting then moved to a brief question period. Science Councillor Eric Zhao raised a concern regarding the delay in the First Year Council (FYC) election. President Dymetri Taylor attributed the issue to a miscommunication between the SSMU Elections team and the VP Internal, which had resulted in an advertisement oversight. 

“The Vice-President believed that the Elections team would be the ones to advertise for the election, while the Elections team believed the Vice President would be the one that would be advertising it,” Taylor explained. 

Taylor further explained that holding the election mid-year was impractical due to timing constraints and logistical issues. Moving forward, the next president will be responsible for organizing an election in September to establish the FYC. He also noted that, due to the human resource nature of the issue, issuing warning letters could complicate the election process further. 

The Council then moved to discuss the SSMU Policy on Black Student Advancement and Inclusion. This Policy aims to ensure targeted support for Black students at McGill, establish accountability structures to address systemic barriers, enhance Black student representation in leadership and decision-making roles, and provide financial and institutional support to Black student groups. After a presentation outlining the Policy’s goal to build on existing efforts and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for Black students at McGill, the motion was approved. 

Lastly, the Council discussed and approved a Motion on Full Status Club Recommendations, which recommended that the Legislative Council approve the granting of full status to six McGill clubs: Club de Débat Francophone, McGill Climbing Club, McGill E-Sports Students’ Association, Palestinian Cultural Club, and McGill Women’s Networking Group. After brief summaries of each club’s activities, the motion was passed unanimously. The meeting concluded with a confidential session.

Moment of the Meeting:

Berglas discussed they will be holding a queer compassion training on March 12, which will be open to all students. 

Soundbite: 

“Last fall, McGill’s Redbirds soccer team was able to reach playoffs for the first time since 2018, and they didn’t stop there. They went all the way to the semifinal round of the U SPORTS championship.” – Athletics Councillor Melanie Renaud proudly noted as she concluded the Athletics and Recreation Report.