The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) called to order its penultimate Legislative Council (LC) of the academic year on March 26. As the semester draws to a close, members are moving to finalize key decisions for a smooth transition into the summer months.
Early in the session, Speaker Acadia Knickerbocker explained the notice of suspension issued to Dentistry Councillor Brian Kim.
“A few weeks ago, the Secretariat and I issued a notice of suspension to Councillor Kim after [he] was absent without regrets for three consecutive meetings,” Knickerbocker said. “The councillor did not decide to issue an appeal, and so now, [the Steering Committee] are moving towards suspension.”
Vice-President (VP) Clubs and Services Hamza Abu Alkhair then presented his executive report. He announced that multiple clubs have been approved to officially operate under SSMU, including the Chinese Drama Club and the Nigerian Students Association.
Athletics Councillor Anette Yu asked whether there were any updates regarding McGill Athletics, referring to the 25 cut varsity teams and clubs. Abu Alkhair explained that while he had previously said that the notice in motion would be ready for the present meeting, extenuating circumstances have delayed the consultation process. Yu noted that this delay could compromise the ability of teams to recruit and organize before the fall athletics season. Abu Alkhair affirmed that concerned athletes should book office hours with him for further clarity on SSMU’s timeline.
In her executive report, VP University Affairs Susan Aloudat recounted her meeting with McGill’s new Chief Security Officer (CSO) Tom O’Neill. The CSO oversees all aspects of campus security operations and is responsible for engaging with the university community to understand their concerns and improve security measures. Over the past few years, and amid student protests and strikes against the university’s involvement in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, tension between students and security has been high.
“I think that the [CSO’s] intentions are in a really good place [….] We did go into cultural sensitivity and […] cultural awareness as part of this initiative, and so we made recommendations about doing the humanizing before doing the integrating.”
VP External Seraphina Crema-Black presented the Motion Regarding a Statement on Proposed Quebec Legislation Restricting Prayer and Faith-Based Spaces in Postsecondary Institutions for approval. The motion was informed by her conversations with religious student groups and the internal council about Bill 9. The motion was ultimately passed.
Much of the discussion time was spent on the Motion Regarding Constitutional Amendments 2025-2026. Members considered how to balance the retention of qualified applicants with an even representation across faculties when constructing its board composition.
“I think it’s important that we have even representation and diverse representation,” Crema-Black said.
Between four voting options, councillors passed an amendment that will prohibit more than five voting directors from the same faculty.
Moment of the Meeting
Aloudat highlighted the tension between the goal of the Community Engagement Fund to foster community building and its allocation of $5,000 CAD to the McGill Law Student Association, which she said can be exclusionary toward students outside the Faculty of Law who may wish to use their spaces.
Soundbite
“There was a referendum regarding an institutional boycott of Israeli [universities]. It passed by a simple majority, but [that is] currently being contested both through internal McGill regulations as well as through external proceedings [….] [The judge] heard arguments today, so we’ll have a little bit more clarity tomorrow.”—Law Councillor James Scott.