Composition of SSMU Council: Yes

The most significant change in the composition of the SSMU council proposes the removal of the Architecture Councillor seat. This reform represents a fairer representation process as the Architecture Students’ Association is already represented by the Engineering Undergraduate Society. The Architecture Students’ Association has also agreed to this change. The Tribune is therefore voting ‘Yes.’

Addition of interfaculty arts & science rep: Yes

Interfaculty arts and science students are underrepresented on council. Many of the faculty’s major and minor programs are distinct from the individual arts and science faculties, and thus they require their own representative. In addition, 98.11 per cent of students  in a recent BASiC (Bachelor of Arts & Science Integrative Council) referendum voted in favour of this change. The Tribune believes this to be an overwhelming advocation of the change.

Reform of Judicial Board to comply with Quebec law: Yes

The Tribune supports the rule of Quebec law, which states that the final authority of a corporation has to be the Board of Directors. As the current structure states that the Judicial Board (J-Board) has the final authority, the current structure of J-Board needs to be reformed to fall into compliance with Quebec law. The Tribune encourages voting in favour of this reform, which simply includes changing the terms of the SSMU constitution so that the Board of Directors is the final authority in determining whether the rulings of the J-Board are valid.

J-Board procedural accountability: Yes

Currently the J-Board’s internal rules of practice are not easily accessible to students. There are no stated specifications on how the J-Board’s rules are changed, or even what notice needs to be given to SSMU members. The Tribune supports voting ‘Yes’ because it will make the J-Board’s procedures subject to ratification by the SSMU legislative council, and will make J-Board more transparent to the rest of the SSMU community by ensuring that the board makes public its rules of practice.

SSMU health and dental plan: Yes

The price of the SSMU health and dental plan has not gone up since 2005. The costs of running the plan have risen due to inflation and an increase in claims being made. The proposed fee increase of $35 is therefore acceptable in order to maintain the quality of the service. The total of $220 is still a very reasonable price to pay for a year’s worth of dental insurance, and the plan is optional. The Tribune therefore has no qualms with voting Yes.

CKUT opt-out: Yes

The Tribune strongly encourages students to vote ‘Yes’ to make CKUT’s fees non-opt-outable. Radio CKUT is McGill’s only student radio station and is a worthy compensation for the fact that McGill does not have a formal journalism program. CKUT provides excellent training for those interested in radio as well as being a valuable broadcasting service to the McGill community. A non-opt-outable funding system is desirable to ensure CKUT’s financial viability, giving CKUT a more dependable income flow. This financial independence is also an important bulwark to defend CKUT’s editorial independence from interest groups. 

Composition of J-Board: No 

The Tribune finds this proposal to change the composition of the J-Board to be a flawed one. It is hard to see any reason why the J-board should make allowances for undergraduates to sit on the J-Board. Without any legal education, we do not believe that undergraduate members would have sufficient knowledge of the law to contribute much of value to the J-Board’s rulings. Participation on the J-board should therefore remain the preserve of law students who know a lot more about the legal process than undergraduates. A member of J-Board who was not acquainted with legal procedures would simply serve to undermine the credibility of the board’s rulings. The Tribune therefore votes ‘No.’