Latest News

Sports

Intramurals at McGill: The social side of sports

by Jordan Foy on

More in Sports:

Given that over 40,000 students attend McGill every year, it’s not surprising that many were athletes before coming to McGill. For some, sports were not only a passion growing up, but a way to connect with peers. While McGill has a variety of varsity and club teams, not every student has the skill or time to play at such a competitive level. Fortunately, the intramural program offers an accessible option for McGill students to remain involved in sports.

“[Intramurals are] an opportunity for McGill students, [staff, and alumni] to participate in organized sport [in a] recreational setting,” Perry Karnofsky, Manager of Campus Recreation, explained to The McGill Tribune.

The McGill intramural program features an average of 10 sports every semester, with leagues ranging from basketball to ultimate frisbee. Every semester, approximately 3,500 members of the McGill community participate on over 300 teams. Seasons generally start at the beginning of the semester, and teams register for different divisions based on experience level and competitiveness.

For many students, the intramural program becomes an integral social component of their time at McGill: It’s an outlet for them to meet other McGill students outside of their classes, as well as strengthen the friendships they already have.

U3 Engineering student Athar Ejaz highlights intramural sports as a unique opportunity to expand his social circle. Ejaz is the league coordinator for inner tube water polo and ultimate frisbee and a member of multiple teams.

“[Intramurals bring] together thousands of players,” Ejaz said. “These are people [who] you would see in your classes, or see on the street, but never say ‘hi’ to. But then after a couple times seeing them [at intramural games…] outside of the intramural context you might [reach out to them].”

For Kirk Wright, U3 Arts, playing intramural sports proved to be an invaluable method to strengthen relationships with existing friends. Wright—who has played ultimate frisbee, ice hockey, and inner tube water polo—began his intramural career on a basketball team that formed in his first-year residence. The team has maintained the same nucleus of players throughout Wright’s four years. He cites his time with the team as one of his most valuable intramural experiences

“[We went] from losing a game by 100 points in our first year to now, [where] we just made the playoffs this season,” Wright said. “It’s definitely been a journey [….] We’re not necessarily varsity athletes who get to compete at a high level, but it is fun to still have that experience and grow with people and develop.”

There are other benefits to participating in an intramural sport beyond the social aspect. The heavy course load at McGill can make it difficult to live an active lifestyle, but intramurals give students a reason to move from the library to the court, field, or pool.

“[Students] tend to get tunnel vision [and think] academics are the only thing that matters,” Ejaz said. “It is the thing that matters most, but a lot of people don’t realize that if they have a more balanced lifestyle, they’d have a better time.”

Intramural sports provide a fun release for overworked McGill students. Natalya Dreszer, U3 Environment, relied on intramurals throughout her undergraduate degree to elevate her mood, particularly during the dreary winter months.

“[Intramurals helped me] to get out of the house, [and it was nice] going and having a laugh, especially with inner tube water polo,” Dreszer said. “I can’t say enough good things about [it]. When else are you getting into your swimsuit in winter and jumping in the water?”

As the intramural program is open to alumni, some students continue to involve themselves after they graduate. Ali Sobhi, BComm ‘09, played on a variety of intramural teams throughout his undergraduate degree, although soccer was his main sport. Sobhi remains involved with intramurals at McGill, because of the community they foster.

“[Your teammates] become your [friends], and then you get to know them, so you just keep playing [with them],” Sobhi said. “It’s [more fun] to play with people you know.”

Many intramural competitors get their introduction to McGill’s program via word of mouth, generally through friends who are already involved. This informal promotion system can exclude students who might not have the right connections. As a partial solution, there are free agent meetings and Facebook groups organized for most sports at the beginning of each semester, offering an alternative avenue to find a team. Still, despite the program’s best efforts, Karnofsky acknowledges that outreach is an area that needs work.

“When [students are] coming to Montreal in August [they] get bombarded with information, and registering for an intramural sport is probably somewhere on the back-burner,” Karnofsky said. “We have some work to do, to kind of just plant the seed, whether it’s with the floor fellows, or with some of the student leaders to present [to new students] that this option exists.”

And, despite its widespread success, many students wish that intramurals were able to offer more: Dreszer expressed frustration with its capacity, caused by what she felt was a lack of resources.

“I wish that there was more time for intramural sports, [and] that there was more space for it,” Dreszer said. “I know people haven’t been able to get on teams because there’s not enough room. And I wish that there [were] more drop-in times, and more support for teams.”

While some are frustrated by perceived limitations, the intramural program is forced to compete with clubs, teams, and even departments for access to facilities. Karnofsky stressed that the shared facilities place boundaries on what sports and game times are available for selection.

“One of the challenges [we face is that] we share the facility with the Department of Physical Education, and the varsity program,” Karnofsky said. “In terms of priority, it’s education first, [then] varsity with all their games and practices, and we get what’s left over.”

Despite these challenging conditions, intramurals have become a regular weekly activity for many students. While sports may not be for everyone, the intramural community has the potential to broaden McGill students’ social horizons. In discussing his overall experience at McGill, Wright explained that the program was an integral part of his time at university.

“The McGill experience is a nebulous concept, because at such a big university there’s something for everyone,” Wright said. “Intramurals provide a really safe, fun, affordable way to get involved in sports [.…] It’s an underutilized outlet that people don’t really think of when they talk about their McGill experience, and how to build a good social circle, and stay active.”

News, SSMU

SSMU building closure disrupts campus clubs

by Lucas Bird on

More in News:

Student clubs and services previously housed within the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) building encountered logistical burdens in their search for alternative work spaces after the building closed on March 17. The closure was the the first step in a long-term schedule of renovations and repairs which are planned to continue into Winter 2019. While the move has left some student groups scrambling, both the clubs and SSMU have made efforts to maintain a cohesive community.

Nineteen clubs, which normally occupy the SSMU building, have relocated to other workspaces in buildings on Robert-Bourassa Boulevard and Peel Street. The Plate Club, a service that lends out dishware for student groups holding events, faced countless difficulties securing a new office before eventually relocating to 3471 Peel Street.

“At first, we weren’t given a new space because [SSMU General Manager] Ryan [Hughes] didn’t know what we do with our office space,” Plate Club Internal Coordinator Doug Lebo wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune. “We told him we didn’t need to move our dishwasher and his very next email essentially indicated that we didn’t have a space because we ‘would need dishwashing capacity.’”

However, after pushing SSMU for accomodation, Lebo has been pleased with the new arrangements.

“Overall […] the physical move was really easy,” Lebo wrote. “[SSMU Building Director] Wallace [Sealy] was kind enough to install a realtor box to keep our keys in since we now operate with locked cabinets in a public space.”

Some displaced groups such as Midnight Kitchen (MK), a non-profit collective known for serving vegan lunches on campus for donations, perform services which need specialized equipment to continue operating. MK employee Wade Walker found the relocation a struggle given the group’s need for a kitchen.

“At one point, SSMU thought they found us a space but it fell through because it wasn’t a commercial kitchen,” Walker said. “The only kitchen we could find is actually in Saint-Henri, so now we aren’t doing lunch servings.”

He also lamented that the relocation planning lacked cohesiveness.

“I really wish [SSMU had] had a complete plan in place before they came to us about the building closure,” Walker said. “They’ve been trying to communicate effectively, but there aren’t enough people working on the project, so they miss and forget things we’ve told them.”

Players’ Theatre, a student theatre company formerly housed in SSMU, was evicted from their office without warning on Feb. 12. Its new office is now on Peel Street and SSMU has given them funding to rent out MainLine Theatre on boulevard Saint Laurent for their productions. Events Coordinator Cheyenne Cranston said that, while the move has been challenging, it has reminded her of the strength of the campus community.

“It has been truly amazing to see the student body be so willing to help us when we need it, and support us through the move!” Cranston wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Jemark Earle, SSMU Vice President Student Life, hoped to prioritize the community of clubs. SSMU often didn’t have solutions to the challenges faced in organizing such a massive undertaking, leaving the clubs in limbo.

“We tried to make sure that even if we didn’t have much information, the clubs and services within the SSMU building knew everything we knew as soon as possible” Earle said. “The building [on Peel Street] was offered to us originally in August. We had been meeting with groups saying we could house them there, we had set down floor plans by the end of September, and then the administration said, ‘never mind this is off the table.’”

The building is scheduled to reopen in stages: Gerts will likely be back by the start of the fall semester, the first and second floors by the middle of October, and the rest of the building by December.

Out on the Town, Student Life

Dance your heart out: McGill dance parties that cater to often un-included communities

by Miguel Principe on

More in Out on the Town:

Montreal’s party scene can be hard to navigate. For many McGill students, it often feels as though the only places to dance and have fun lie along a four-block strip of Saint-Laurent Boulevard. And while Tokyo and Apt. 200 have their merits, these spaces aren’t everyone’s cup of tea—nor are they particularly inclusive of a range of identities, demographics, and communities. Fortunately, beneath the pulse of the city’s mainstream nightlife lies a faction of underground dance parties that aim to offer something different.

Glitter Bomb is one such event. Hosted and organized once a month by Jeffrey Torgerson—known on stage as DJ Jeffany—and Kristopher Allnutt—known as DJ Awwful—the event was originally created as a small queer hangout at the popular bowling-alley bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles. It has since grown into a popular queer pop dance party featuring drag performances at Mile End’s Bar Le “Ritz.”

(Google Images)

“Having a space for drag that’s not in the Gay Village is important,” Torgerson said. “There’s not a lot of places for drag [outside the Village]. A lot of the queens expressed that it’s important to have this queer spot that’s inclusive also to bio queens, queens who were assigned female at birth and identify as “biological women,” [….] Also, there’s a lot of disappointing transphobic ideas about drag and we want to make sure that our space is open to having performances from all backgrounds.”

Torgerson added that Glitter bomb aims to be an inclusive space where people can express themselves without putting their security at risk.

“It’s a queer dance party so it creates a space for queer people to come together, mingle, dance, and have fun,” Torgerson said. “But also, a space to dress up and be creative with your looks. “We just want you to come as yourself, have fun, and not be worried that you’re not safe in any way.”

Starting as a simple way to experience the nostalgia for the emo music of the 2000s, Emo Night Montreal, which takes place every fourth Friday, is another community-oriented event hidden in the city’s nightlife. Produced and hosted by Thierry Martineau—also known as DJ Sticks and Stones—the event started in Los Angeles in 2014 and—as it catered to a community that often couldn’t go out to enjoy their favourite music in clubs—became so popular that it was adapted in many other cities in North America, including Montreal. Martineau’s connections and personal interest in emo and pop punk along with his own thrilling experience in Toronto’s Emo Night, Homesick, led him to bring Emo Night to Montreal.

(facebook.com/emonightmontreal)

“I was in a pop punk band […] and Vendetta Productions had booked [our band] at TRH-Bar [in November 2016,]” Martineau said. “They had the venue until three and I [suggested] Emo Night in Montreal [….] We ended up selling out TRH-Bar, around 250 [people came]. So, we decided to do it again.”

As it became more popular, Emo Night eventually outgrew its original location of TRH-Bar. The organizers decided to move to Quartier-des-Spectacles’ Foufounes Electriques due to its reputation as a venue for alternative music, having hosted acts such as Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails.

Emo Night MTL strives to create space for those who seldom hear their music tastes played at clubs, and have become alienated from the mainstream club scene for this reason.

“[Emo Night is] a place to listen to songs that you sang in your bedroom […] and now can do with hundreds of people [who] know all of the lyrics,” Martineau said. “In general, people want a low-pressure, fun, kind-of cringy [event] where every song is [one] that [you’re] embarrassed to like […] Emo Night is a bit like that [where] you come in and you’re proud.”

In addition to catering to those hoping to reflect indulge in their favourite songs of the 2000s, Emo Night also welcomes lovers of today’s emo hits.

“There’s two brackets [of the emo subculture], the nostalgia ‘kids’ who are now adults, and there’s younger people who are in their [mid-20s] since pop-punk and emo [has had] a resurgence with newer bands such as State Champs and Neck Deep,” Martineau said. “[Emo Night] is meeting the needs of [both] types of people. Music-wise, we play more of the new stuff earlier in the night for the hardcores. Later on, we’ll play the [emo] hits of the 2000s that appeal to everybody.”

While many francophones in Montreal can argue that much of the Saint-Laurent club scene caters to anglophone culture, C’est Extra strives to provide them with a community. The dance party is hosted every Sunday before a holiday—such as Easter or Thanksgiving—and showcases the best francophone songs of the ‘60s and ‘70s. This celebration of retro French music was established in May 1996 by Marie-Christine Champagne, known as MC Champagne, and a few friends, and first took place at the Cabaret du Musée Juste pour Rire, which has since closed.

(Frederique Menard Aubin)

“I really like old vinyls and their songs,” Champagne said in an interview with La Presse. “We wanted to make an event where people came to listen [to French music]. We didn’t really think of dancing at the time, we were thinking of listening to French music […] of ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s really loudly in the speakers […. at] the first event, 500 people came [….Everyone asked] ‘When’s the next one?.’ With much hype and by popular demand, we did it [again.]”*

This extraordinary event was held in the Cabaret Just For Laughs until 2006, when it moved to La Tulipe, a cabaret theatre situated in an 105-year-old building at Papineau and Mont-Royal. It has even led to a special edition every New Year’s Eve, which is hosted at the Place Ville Marie Observatory and broadcast for the whole city to dance to on radio station Ici Musique 100.7 FM. Still, the event has maintained its original purpose of playing classic and often-forgotten French songs.

C’est Extra works to bring together people with a common interest in French music. The event’s longevity has allowed organizers to build a community among attendees over several generations.

“Around one million people have come to dance at our nights in the [past] 22 years,” Champagne said. “First of all, we have people who have been following us for 22 years, [which] is already extraordinary. There’s those that have become parents who bring their children.”*

The approximately one million people all contribute to the event’s sense of unity.

“It’s always a pleasure to have this night […] with the people dancing and a lot of singing,” Champagne said. “We’re all together to create that moment […] a bunch of crazy beautiful people having so much fun. It’s a fusion of energy and craziness.”*

For Montrealers who don’t particularly enjoy or feel comfortable in a traditional club setting but still want to go out and dance their hearts out, keep in mind that there are plenty of dance party options to explore.

*Quote translated from French.

Student Life

A tribute to the best toys of the ’90s and 2000s

by Jade Prévost-Manuel on

More in Student Life:

Any McGill student can argue that everything was better in the ‘90s. Toys “R” Us was still in business, and Britney—not Kendall—was the queen of Pepsi. In terms of toys, the best have come from that decade and the early 2000s, when Bop It, Mr. Potato Head, and those strange crocodilian finger puppets were essentials for every kid to own. To pay tribute to our childhoods, The McGill Tribune has created a list of the old classic toys that kept us entertained for hours.

Furbies

Harbouring an eerie resemblance to Mogwais, the creatures in the 1984 Warner Brothers flick Gremlins, Furbies were the hottest toy on the market at the time of their release in 1998. Distributed by Hasbro, their pointed ears and squat, fuzzy bodies made them a cuddly gadget that all children needed to have. Even more exciting, the little creatures spoke Furbish, a made up language consisting of short syllables and simple sounds, and could even communicate with one another through an infrared port between their eyes. Between 1998 and 2001—the toy’s first three years on the market—over 14 million Furbies were sold at $35 a piece, making them one of the most popular toys of their day. Furbies’ 2018 descendent, the Furby connect, adds a new spin to the classic, lovable furby with the added ability of connecting to a digital world, similar to a neopet. Furby’s legacy, however, was tarnished when Furby connect was labelled one of multiple illegal espionage devices in 2017. A number of federal agencies claimed that the toy’s bluetooth connection may be subject to hijacking, allowing hackers to communicate with children playing with the toy.

(Daily Mail)

Tamagotchi

The Japanese word Tamagotchi literally translates to “lovable egg”—and that they were. These digital pets that ‘90’s kids still remember fondly were originally released in 1996 by Japanese toy company Bandai, and hit American and European shelves in 1997. Tamagotchi pets lived inside of an egg-shaped, pocket-sized apparatus camouflaged as a keychain bobble. Long before the distraction of text-messages, Snapchats, and HQ Trivia notifications, the incessant beeping of a hungry Tamagotchi was the epitome of student distraction, causing many elementary schools to ban the toys in the ‘90s and early 2000s. To celebrate its fandom, Bandai America marked the 20th anniversary of the American release of the game on Nov. 15, 2017 with a miniature version of the original Tamagotchi. To students craving distraction and a chance to once again neglect their poor, hungry Tamagotchis, fear not: These little bad boys are still being sold, one only needs to scour the pages of Amazon to find them.

(Cordelia Cho / The McGill Tribune)

iDog

Although the iDog came out significantly later than Furbies and Tamagotchis, it deserves an honourable mention as one of the most entertaining accessories of the 2000s. If you weren’t jamming to your preteen tunes with your iDog in 2005, your millennial experience was not complete. Developed by Sega Toys, iDog was an electronic ‘musical companion’ for the millennial child that sold for about $35 in 2008. With an auxiliary port that connected to MP3 and iPod devices, this toy had an LED display that would light up and strobe in time to the device’s music. The iDog could ‘dance’ by cocking its head and flapping its awkward, plastic ears rhythmically. iDogs even had their own music-dependent personalities, displaying a spectrum of emotions based on their attitude toward the music played. The toy’s popularity eventually led to the creation of a clothing line of adorable iDog beanies, scarves, and slippers for decorating the devices. Though its successors, the iCat and the iFish, never found the success that the iDog did, these dancing robotic animals were a notable part of any sleepover.

(fixit.com)
ABCs of Science, Science & Technology

Giggle Juice: The science behind booze

by Morgan Sweeney on

More in ABCs of Science:

A few drinks into one Saturday night in late November, my brother and I made a sacred pact to speak exclusively in freestyle. Walking along the pavement, I giggled as the city spun slightly, my stomach soaring with euphoria. My brother was in what he calls “the happy place”—a state of inebriation where everything is funny and one has no inhibitions. This is what appeals to most people about alcohol intoxication: The giddy feeling it induces and the lack of self-consciousness that accompanies it.

Despite the ubiquitous presence of alcohol at social gatherings, surprisingly few people know how it affects their brain. The body’s responses to alcohol consumption are enabled by the molecule’s simple structure—ethanol is small, composed of only nine atoms. Its tiny size allows it to diffuse freely through most organic structures, including cell membranes, the blood-brain barrier, and a multitude of different neural receptors.

Dr. David Stellwagen, an associate professor in the McGill Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, elaborated on the specifics of how booze affects the brain in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“The actions of alcohol are complex, and involve changes at many cell types,” Stellwagen said. “Alcohol’s main action is on the inhibitory [Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid or] GABA-A receptor, as a positive allosteric modulator.”

A positive allosteric modulator is a molecule that increases the activity of a protein. In this case, GABA receptors become more active as a result of the binding of alcohol—incidentally, this is the same receptor whose activity Valium upregulates. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, whose role is to tell the neurons to chill out and stop firing. Since the GABA receptor proteins are more active, the effect of the GABA molecule is amplified, and the neuron is less likely to fire.   

When neurons don’t fire, they don’t send signals to other neurons, which renders them inactive. When this happens in certain parts of the brain, namely, the prefrontal cortex, it helps to reduce the anxiety we usually experience when contemplating the future and our personal capabilities. However, if too many neurons are impaired, dire consequences can follow.

At high doses, alcohol has also been found to block the effect of a certain type of glutamate receptor, called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NMDA). NMDA receptors in the hippocampus have been found to be necessary for long-term potentiation—the transition of memories from short to long-term. While we can’t be totally sure why blackouts happen, this “blocking” function seems to be a plausible explanation–if memories can’t be “backed up,” they’re forgotten, which would erase any record of the previous night.

However, lost memories are far from the worst possible consequence of alcohol consumption. In an interview with the Tribune, Dr. Edith Zorychta, associate professor of Pharmacology at McGill, expanded on alcohol’s more serious repercussions.

“The more you drink, the greater the inhibition, and it eventually shuts down all parts of the brain,” Zorychta said. “[Overdose] kills by inhibiting the parts of the brain that regulate breathing and circulation.”

Zorychta went on to describe alcohol’s powerfully addictive nature.

“Alcohol is strongly addictive, and chronic users have a difficult time giving it up,” Zorychta said. “There is a dramatic and dangerous withdrawal reaction.”

This is because alcohol tampers with levels of another neurotransmitter; dopamine, the chemical responsible for the initial energetic feeling of well-being after a drink or two. Since dopamine regulates the reward pathway in the brain, it is the change in the level of this same neurotransmitter that causes alcohol and other psychoactive drugs to be addictive.

While drinking can be fun, the brain is a carefully calibrated organ that is sensitive to change. It’s essential to be cognizant of the effects of any drug you put in your body, especially one as commonly used and abused as alcohol.

Creative, Podcasts, SSMU

Ed Talks Episode 1: SSMU

by Tristan Surman & Calvin Trottier-Chi & Audrey Carleton on

More in Creative:

News Editor Calvin Trottier-Chi and Managing Editor Audrey Carleton sit down with Multimedia editor Tristan Surman to share their thoughts on voter apathy, how fall reading week created single-issue voters, and both the outgoing and incoming SSMU executives.

Photo by Lauren Benson Armer

Creative

Is McGill depriving your right to smoke?

by Heng Jiang on

More in Creative:

Contributor Heng Jiang addresses McGill’s new smoking policy. How will it affect students (smokers and non-smokers alike)? Where will the designated smoking areas on campus be? Will you be able to smoke weed on campus when it is legalized? Is this the right first step in McGill’s mission to phase-out smoking on campus entirely?

Watch this video to have all of your questions answered!

Video by Heng Jiang

Arts & Entertainment, Pop Rhetoric

Gap-Toothed Women

by Ariella Garmaise on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

In preparation for getting her braces on, my 13-year-old sister Noa recently met with her orthodontist for a consultation. The two agreed that she would have her braces on for about three years, that her elastics would be a neutral white instead of the bright pink and green for which I had opted at her age, and that she would floss regularly. The only point of contention was what purpose the braces served.

“I want you to keep the gap between my two front teeth,” Noa told Dr. Feinberg. Her diastema (the scientific term for the space between front teeth) had long been a defining feature; she often joked that she could fit her entire tongue through the opening, and the gap was cute and charming.

Dr. Feinberg informed her that this would not be possible, despite her diastema not being a medical liability.

Pop culture has long considered gapped front teeth to be a desirable trait, despite common perceptions that it is a cosmetic flaw that can be easily taken care of. Perhaps counterintuitively, it is pop culture that has taught my sister to embrace this quirk. As early as in the The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer describes “the gap-toothed” Wife of Bath, her diastema being symbolic of beauty and lust. Gap-toothed models like Brigitte Bardot and Lauren Hutton dominated magazines in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and stars like Madonna, Anna Paquin, and Georgia Jagger have carried the quirk into the new millennium.  Even The Bachelor franchise, a series not known for its progressive beauty standards, starred gap-toothed bachelorette Rachel Lindsay in its latest season.

Les Blank’s 1987 documentary Gap-Toothed Woman looks at women with diastemas from all walks of life; he interviews notable gapped-tooth women like Hutton and United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He gives equal airtime to everyday women to air early childhood grievances on this perceived flaw. Eventually, even the non-models conclude that their diastemas are empowering.

“I’m just wondering if people don’t think there’s some mystique about gap toothed women,” one woman giggles to the camera. “Gap-toothed women are supposed to be sexier.”

However, gaps in teeth need not only be for their aesthetic value. Diastemas are a non-issue, and fixing them can be expensive and painful.

For example, Patricia Arquette has famously refused to fix her crooked (albeit not gapped) teeth. When her parents offered her braces, she declined.

“It didn’t feel like it would fit who I was inside,” Arquette said in an interview with Today.

Not only did she cite a refusal to conform to how she was expected to look, but Arquette also believed that her teeth added character, and gave her a unique advantage in pursuing a career on screen.

Moreover, diastemas are also genetic, a symbol of heritage.

“Everybody in my family has [a gap], the women in my family,” says another woman in Blank’s documentary.

Growing up, I was the only woman in my family without gapped-teeth, and it was my mother and sister who got attention for their sweet smiles. Their grins were reflected in television and magazines, and it makes me sad that the trait I have always admired will soon disappear. I’d like for my sister to plead with Dr. Hirsch to keep her diastema; at the very least, I’d like for a 45-year-old orthodontist to stop telling my pubescent sister what she should look like.

 

News, SSMU

Heated debate on free tuition dominates general assembly

by Laura Oprescu on

More in News:

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) convened for its Winter General Assembly (GA) on March 26. Fewer than 350 students—the minimum requirement to meet quorum—attended the GA, forcing the assembly to become a consultative forum. All motions passed by a consultative forum can be added to the agenda of the following SSMU Legislative Council meeting. Attendees the Motion to Organize the Fight for Free Education and Cancellation of Student Debt, the only motion submitted to the agenda.

SSMU President Muna Tojiboeva attributed low attendance at the GA to the nature of the sole motion presented.

“The GA has been advertised on Facebook and publicized widely,” Tojiboeva said. “I think [lack of attendance has] more to do with the non-controversial nature of the motions, which usually attracts people to the GA.”

The motion was drafted by Socialist Fightback’s McGill chapter and mandates that SSMU support initiatives for free education and student debt cancellation. It calls upon the SSMU Vice-President (VP) External to collaborate with student activists across Canada to mobilize a one-day strike in Fall 2018. Additionally, the motion requested that SSMU establish monthly democratic assemblies to engage students in SSMU’s advocacy campaigns.

This motion is preceded by SSMU’s current policy to promote free education, which passed in 2015. Socialist Fightback member Natalia Garcia believes that organizing a strike is the next step in the fight for free education.

“The best way to fight for our rights is mass action,” Garcia said. “It took the 2012 mass strike for the government to cancel the tuition hikes. That’s what the government responds to, not letters, not votes. They respond to pressure. We don’t believe that [the government] will do anything by themselves if it’s not coming from [students].”

During the debate period, SSMU VP External Connor Spencer expressed her support for the motion, predicting that free tuition is potentially on the horizon for Canadian universities.

“The NDP just passed, at their congress a month ago, a motion to endorse free tuition,” Spencer said. “This is something that’s on the agenda for the upcoming provincial election, because students have mobilized. This motion is incredibly timely, and I want to lend my full support.”

Socialist Fightback member Vishwaa Ramakrishnan explained that this motion is only one step in the right direction toward free education.

“The motion is Canadian-centric but it is designed to expand beyond the confines of [Canada],” Ramakrishnan said. “This is a global issue. It’s time we start uniting as students across the country, across the world, for free education. I think only through solidarity, with this resolution as a first step in that greater and broader plan for free education, that we can achieve that.”

(Tristan Surman / The McGill Tribune)

Not all students were in favour of the motion, however. Andrew Figueiredo, U2 Arts, stated during the debate period that he thinks free tuition is too ambitious a goal for a student strike.

“It’s fine and dandy to talk about free tuition, but it’s a bit of a pipe dream at this point,” Figueiredo said. “It would be nice to implement in the long run, but this motion is not the way to get there. A one-day student strike would not only be disruptive to campus life, it would frankly not work.”

Figueiredo further criticized the motion for a lack of fiscal policy details and expressed concern about the long-term repercussions of implementing free tuition.

“We could essentially tank the Canadian economy with this kind of idea, if it goes far enough,” Figueiredo said. “So let’s take a step back and think about these things, not go on strike, have pertinent discussions on campus, take some economics classes, and consult some experts before going about this.”

A majority of the consultative forum voted in favour of the motion. It was then discussed at SSMU Legislative Council on March 29, where an amended version passed calling for SSMU to work toward the implementation of monthly democratic assemblies in Fall 2018.

 

1 … 562 563 564 565 566 … 1,363

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue