On Nov. 2, 2012, McGill University filed a lawsuit against Arthur Porter, the former Director General and CEO of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Porter resigned from his position on Dec. 5, 2011, at which point McGill demanded repayment of a $500,000 loan the university issued to Porter in[Read More…]
Articles by Elisa Muyl
The story behind the story
How do you measure a year? Maybe you do it in days, or maybe, like every other student at McGill, in the number of all-nighters left before the first day of summer vacation begins. The Tribune does it in words; 832,000 of them. Each week, the 20 editors of the[Read More…]
Valentine’s Day: a celebration over history, in its different iterations
Chocolates, flowers, heart-shaped cards, and cheesy compilation movies with too many famous actors and too few lines—all these things signal the rapid approach of Valentine’s Day. But beyond all of these cliches lies an old, sugar-free legacy. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all[Read More…]
Keep your body heat up and your heating bills down
In case you hadn’t noticed, it was incredibly cold last week. With temperatures reaching an average of minus 27 degrees Celsius with windchill, this weather seems to mean repayment for the warm beginning to January lulled us into a false sense of security. At temperatures that seem to freeze your[Read More…]
New Years’ Resolutions Revamped
Yes, it’s that time of the year again. If you’ve made a New Years resolution this month, you are engaging in an age-old custom. According to a study by Virgin Mobile Canada, a whopping 51 per cent of Canadians make resolutions — 19 per cent of which fail within the[Read More…]
Letter from the Editor
Every week, the Tribune’s editorial board meets to express ourselves beyond each section’s typical jurisdiction. Because the membership of our editorial board changes from year to year, these discussions are a dynamic process, by which we define ourselves as a wide, disparate group united by the same curiosity. At the[Read More…]
First stops at McGill: Where to look for the help you need
McGill is infamously large and impersonal, and students must adjust to a certain level of independence. Some students make it through four years without ever going to see their advisor. Although many students may feel that they can do it all themselves, there are a lot of services available at[Read More…]
10 Reasons why autumn is awesome
If you’ve been outside in the past month, you have likely noticed that summer is now over. Though the change of season signals an inevitable descent into the cold, dark winter, the drop in temperature gives students and Montrealers alike a chance to switch up their wardrobes and pastimes. Put[Read More…]
Long Weekend Getaways
If you hail from Canada’s West Coast—or if you celebrate Thanksgiving in November for some strange reason—and aren’t going home this long weekend for turkey, take advantage of the extra day off. Go exploring! Burlington: The largest city in Vermont is only two hours away by car or bus. Its[Read More…]
Why I remember
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. On that day, I was a fifth grader in downtown Manhattan. I remember that day, and I remember every September 11th after that. Every year, I’m shocked by the strength of my feelings. Every year, I feel the[Read More…]
Love Letter to OAP
Shall I compare OAP to a summer’s day? That sounds about right. It has everything a summer day should have: beer, burgers, and engineers in lab coats. Oh OAP, it has been a wonderful four years. We started off on a rocky first step, when as a green 17-year-old, I[Read More…]
Quebec elects PQ minority government
The Parti Québécois (PQ) won 54 seats last night in a tightly contested election called in August by the Parti Liberal de Québec (PLQ). The results were announced to an ecstatic crowd of supporters, gathered at the party’s election night rally at Metropolis in downtown Montreal. As the results rolled[Read More…]
Welcome to McGill
I have been at McGill and in Montreal for exactly three years now, give or take a few American Thanksgivings. When my parents left after driving me up to Montreal, being in a new place really hit home. What was I doing in Canada, alone? For the first few weeks[Read More…]
Frosh: a senior (citizen’s) persective
Every year, McGill’s campus goes quiet as students flock home for the summer. The laws of physics that govern summertime seem to slow down time and campus becomes calm, almost quaint. It persists in this way for almost three months, unperturbed by the bustle of Downtown Montreal. But then—a strangely[Read More…]
New low cost mobile carrier made available in France
cnetfrance.fr For many cell phone users in North America, wrangling companies’ hefty monthly rates and paying for add-ons like voicemail and caller ID has become a necessary evil. Until very recently, the same used to be true for cell phone users in France. A new cell phone operator, which hit[Read More…]
Five helpful hints to prepare for your semester abroad
panoramio.com Moving to Canada from the United States, though probably the easiest “international” transition anyone could ever make, was surprisingly difficult for me. Moving to Paris from Canada, on the other hand, has been very easy and natural. This may be because I am no longer 17, or that I’ve[Read More…]
News analysis: the riot in perspective
Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune Elisha Lerner / McGill Tribune The McGill student body is large and diverse, with a multitude of different interests that infrequently overlap. Rarely does an event on campus carry enough weight and importance to unite the entire school in discussion. Thursday, Nov. 10 is an[Read More…]
Negotiations with MUNACA briefly suspended
Negotiations between MUNACA and McGill came to a halt on Friday, Nov. 11 after the provincial conciliator suspended talks. The Quebec government appointee did so, citing that the parties were too far apart on wage issues. Dates for negotiation were undecided until yesterday evening, when the conciliator called the parties[Read More…]
SSMU Council discusses co-signing letter with MUNACA
Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune Councillor resignation The session began with an announcement that Fenimore Love, the representative to SSMU Council from the faculty of religious studies, was resigning from his position. He did so without any explanation; the council expects a replacement. Libraries Colleen Cook, Trenholme Dean of Libraries,[Read More…]
AUS GA endorses Nov. 10 national student strike
Ryan Reisert / McGill Tribune Last Tuesday, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) held its first General Assembly in recent memory. In a crowded Shatner cafeteria, over 200 arts students gathered to debate and vote on motions, including two separate endorsements—one of QPRIG/CKUT and one of MUNACA—and a faculty-wide student strike[Read More…]
Riot Police at McGill
Elisha Lerner Following the end of the province-wide demonstration against tuition hikes, 14 students occupied the fifth floor of the James Administration Building wearing hoods and masks. According to Fariddudin Attar Rifai, president of the Association of McGill Undergraduate Student Employees, this occupation allegedly occurred around 4:00 p.m. Soon after,[Read More…]
UPDATE: Riot police respond to tuition hike demonstration on campus
Elisha Lerner Twenty thousand students from all over Quebec gathered on Thursday, Nov. 10 at Place Émile-Gamelin near UQAM to demonstrate against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition increases. The demonstration then made its way up Berri Street at 2:45 p.m., continuing through the streets of Montreal, ending at the McGill[Read More…]
SSMU solicits feedback from students on GA reform
Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune Last week, the SSMU executive held a series of Town Halls to address General Assembly (GA) reform. Under a dozen students attended the Town Halls, which were intended to solicit feedback from and engage students in a discussion on various suggested changes to the GA.[Read More…]
SSMU opens discussion on General Assembly reform
There are many ways in which students can participate in student government. Short of being elected to SSMU Council or another faculty association, however, the most direct way to engage in campus politics is through the General Assembly, where students can have a say in how SSMU operates. floor.” If[Read More…]
MUNACA strike update: tensions arise
Sam Reynolds The MUNACA strike continues without advances at the bargaining table. Outside the negotiating room, however, relations between the two parties have taken a sour turn. The last few weeks have seen the confrontation of alumni by picketers over homecoming weekend, the picketing of several administrators private homes, the[Read More…]
Montreal native delivers 50th annual Massey lecture
Each year, the CBC, in conjunction with the House of Anansi Press, and Massey College in the University of Toronto, hosts the Massey Lecture, a series of lectures given by an expert guest speaker on their original research. In honour of the 50th anniversary of the lecture, CBC invited Montreal[Read More…]
McGill cleared by CNT; Profs support end to strike
Sam Reynolds Duct tape on the sidewalks by McGill’s entrances now demarcates exactly where MUNACA members on strike are allowed to march. Those aren’t the only lines on campus as a result of the labour conflict; these are divides which no one expects will be crossed anytime soon. New developments[Read More…]
Fee levy opt-out period concludes
It’s that time of year again: when the McGill chapter of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group and its opponents go head-to-head over the issue of the former’s opt-outable fee levy. The opt-out period, during which students may choose not to give small support fees to student groups like[Read More…]
MUNACA labour disruption passes the one month mark
The struggle between McGill and MUNACA over pensions, wages, and compensation has just entered its fifth week. Since Sept. 1, the parties have not come close to reaching a settlement on the core issues. However, there have been two major developments in the last few weeks: McGill was taken[Read More…]
Wave of unionization hits campus
Of all of the labour disputes on campus, the MUNACA strike has most tangibly affected students. For some, this is limited to the awkward process of crossing picket lines for class. For others, the strike has substantial implications for their research, labs, or graduation schedules. The MUNACA strike is only[Read More…]
MUNACA: strike update, week three
Sam Reynolds Sam Reynolds McGill was granted an injunction by Quebec courts Friday to control protesting at campus entrances. Striking MUNACA workers are now forced to stay four metres away from the university gates. The number of protestors will also be capped within the four metre boundary. Additionally, noise makers,[Read More…]
Council endorses MUNACA on behalf of students
Sam Reynolds Sam Reynolds SSMU’s endorsement of MUNACA, Teaching Assistants’ contract negotiations, and a proposal to replace tenants of the Shatner cafeteria were on the agenda at the first SSMU legislative council of the year, held last Thursday. The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) presented on Teaching[Read More…]
9/11 – A memoir
Two Sundays ago marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11. I don’t have anything to say that hasn’t already been said. All I can offer is my personal experience. My fifth grade class was in the middle of story time when we heard the terrible bang that[Read More…]
Gert’s event conflicts with SSMU Equity Policy
An event at Gert’s was suspended last week when it came under scrutiny for featuring female bar-top dancers. Concerns that the women were being sexually objectified almost resulted in the event’s cancellation. Instead, the event has been postponed and will include male dancers as well. SSMU hosts many major annual[Read More…]
McGill remembers Jack Layton
The Canadian political landscape, still reeling from the tragic and untimely death of Jack Layton, finds itself in a greater state of uncertainty than in May—the month when the Conservative Party claimed a majority government. It was then that the NDP shed its fringe status by defeating the Liberals and[Read More…]
Student avoids SSMU
As May approaches, many graduating students will be looking back on their time spent at McGill and reflecting on their legacies. Jack Stewburgh will likely graduate with the distinction of being the most controversial SSMU president in recent history. U3 student Stephanie Gagné, however, has accomplished an equally notable feat;[Read More…]
Ex-Mandela cabinet minister Naidoo asks big questions
Alice Walker After a warm introduction, Jay Naidoo, clad in a dress shirt and leather jacket, addressed a collection of about 100 students who gathered in the Bronfman Management Building on Thursday evening. “What do you want to talk about? Well … OK, what does the future hold?” At an[Read More…]
McGill prepares to replace WebCT
Many McGill students have their fair share of issues with WebCT, but it looks as though they might become a thing of the past. By May of next year, McGill is planning to have replaced WebCT with a new learning management system, or LMS. The movement to replace the Blackboard[Read More…]
Law School in Canada vs. USA
For students who have had their hearts set on going to law school since childhood, David Segal's recent New York Times article, "Is Law School a Losing Game?" offered a familiar but oft-ignored warning: Law school is difficult and expensive; proceed with caution. In his article, chronicling the overwhelming debt[Read More…]
Bilingualism: a plus
According to a recent study, Canadians who speak both English and French are likely to have higher incomes than their unilingual peers. Louis Christofides and Robert Swidinsky of the University of Guelph found that a basic knowledge of a second language could positively affect one’s income. Using data from the[Read More…]
Alcohol worse than crack, says British study
Alcohol is worse than heroin, according to a recent study by the British Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. The study, conducted by David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacology professor at the University of Bristol, along with Drs. Leslie King and Lawrence Phillips, ranks the harmful effects of alcohol and other addictive substances[Read More…]
Why you shouldn’t take your iPod to the gym
Miranda Whist Miranda Whist A stranger turned around and looked at me, wide-eyed and a little bit accusingly. “Where’s my stuff?” she half-asked, half-whined. We were in the gym locker room, and she’d opened her locker to find it empty. A series of locker robberies sweeping the McGill gym locker[Read More…]
New campus for University of Sherbrooke in Longueuil
Montreal Metro stations located near the city’s universities generally have names to reflect this fact: McGill, Guy-Concordia, and Berri-UQAM. However, Six years after being renamed, the Longueuil – Université-de-Sherbrooke metro station remained something of a misnomer – that is, until now.