Editor’s note: For many McGill students, the first campus community that they encounter is in residence. The McGill Tribune Opinion section asked contributors to draw on their personal experiences living in residence (or not), to answer the question, “Do McGill residences facilitate community-building, and if so, how?” Bryan Buraga | Lucas Bird | Kyle[Read More…]
Articles by Gabriel Rincon
Financial transparency is severely lacking at SSMU
Students are now in the homestretch of the Winter semester, but there is one obstacle: Election season. Over the next two weeks, McGill will be treated to another round of prospective Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executives for the 2018-2019 school year. Student politicians have often tried to earn[Read More…]
Not all university degrees are equally valuable
While meandering from lecture to lecture, there is one question that has undoubtedly crossed every McGill student’s mind: Why am I here again? The answer to that question for the young philosophers at McGill is likely to be something along the lines of ‘to become a more fulfilled and learned[Read More…]
Divestment comes at a price to students
At the Dec. 12 McGill University Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, members of Divest McGill protested against a recent revision to the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility’s (CAMSR) mandate. The policy change would prohibit the University from using the Endowment Fund to further specific social or political[Read More…]
Put your phone down!
A Jan. 12 Globe and Mail editorial warned smartphone users of the dangers of overusing their phones; however, its conclusions were less than satisfying. The Globe proposed that the government look into the addictive qualities and other consequences of phone use. Yet, there is already a large amount of research into the health[Read More…]
EUS alcohol subsidy motion won’t change campus drinking culture on its own
On Nov. 22, the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) will vote on a motion to eliminate subsidies for “binge drinking” events. The events in question are those that last for more than one day, and that budget for over three drinks per person, such as Frosh or EngGames. For-profit events like[Read More…]
Made in Canada doesn’t mean Canadians will watch
On Sept. 28, the federal government announced a partnership with Netflix. The online streaming service agreed to invest $500 million over the next 10 years to create “Canadian content” as part of Justin Trudeau’s cultural strategy, which will in turn pledge $125 million towards promoting Canadian content. Netflix will be[Read More…]
There’s no such thing as free public transit
A Quebec think tank recently proposed the idea that Montreal should make public transportation free. The primary goals of the proposal, released by the Instititut de recherche et d’informations socio-economiques (IRIS), are to alleviate traffic and carbon emissions. However, despite its findings, it’s not immediately obvious that making transit free[Read More…]
The VP External should support student initiatives, not direct them
On Sept. 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited McGill to inaugurate a new Facebook Artificial Intelligence lab. However important the initiative, Trudeau’s welcome was lukewarm. A group of students, including Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer, protested the Prime Minister’s visit. The protesters accused Trudeau[Read More…]
Judicial independence should not be compromised for executive goals
When Prime Minister Stephen Harper left office in 2015, he left a legacy of politicizing the judiciary. Harper reformed the way judges are appointed to concentrate power in the federal government and pursue policy goals. Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has used similar tactics for his own agenda. A PM[Read More…]
Thinking before you speak in a digital age
The comment sections of online articles offer a variety of contributions, ranging from bigotry to thoughtful insights. Of course, the purpose of comment sections is to foster productive discussion on the article at hand, which, unfortunately, sometimes does not happen. Different publications are considering ways to referee discussions on their[Read More…]
NBA Playoff Predictions
With the NBA regular season coming to a close, take a look at The McGill Tribune Playoff Predictions.
Point Counterpoint: Should NBA Teams Rest Stars
With NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently weighing in on the debate of whether or not teams should rest their stars, our writers give their opinions.
Martlet Basketball wins National Championship
The McGill Martlets women’s basketball team capped off a historic 2016-2017 season with a national championship win–the first in Martlet basketball history. Despite a dismal 2-5 start to the season, the coaching staff never lost faith in the team.
In its Charter review, McGill should revise grading policies
On March 6, McGill announced that its Senate would be consulting students on how the McGill Charter of Students’ Rights should be revised. The Charter is a document that outlines the rights and freedoms that each student at McGill is guaranteed, including academic rights. This revision is an apt opportunity[Read More…]
Bias means that fact-checking Trump may not be effective
In July 2016, Newt Gingrich offered a prime example of cognitive dissonance in a CNN interview. Gingrich argued that statistics showing declining crime rates were wrong because people didn’t say that they felt safer. His argument demonstrated the strong role that feelings play in the way people determine which data and[Read More…]
Jordan Peterson’s real thesis lost in U of T pronoun debate
University of Toronto Professor Jordan Peterson has made headlines recently for refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns in the classroom. Students at U of T have been protesting Peterson’s stance ever since late September, when he released several videos on the subjects of political correctness, the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC)[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: Campus security
McGill Security Services are an integral role in keeping our campus community safe. The force completes a variety of daily security and patrolling tasks, ensures that on-campus events remain safe, and works with the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM) to keep the peace and ensure students’[Read More…]
McGill Faculty of Engineering unveils new equity program
On Nov. 1, McGill’s Faculty of Engineering unveiled the Engineering Equity Ambassador Program. Faculty support staff and professors can volunteer to receive training to become an equity ambassador and serve as a resource for anyone in the engineering community that needs a safe space to discuss equity issues. The program’s[Read More…]
Fall 2016 SSMU General Assembly: What are SSMU members voting for?
On Nov. 7, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) will hold the Fall 2016 General Assembly (GA), where the student body will have the opportunity to vote directly on proposed motions and referenda questions. The three motions presented this Fall must be approved by popular referendum in order to[Read More…]
A Canadian’s guide to the American election
Despite having little-to-no vested interest in American domestic policy, Canadians have been fixated by the American election. They wouldn’t be directly affected if Donald Trump repealed and replaced Obamacare, or if Hillary Clinton decided to implement debt-free college for American students. Nonetheless, Canadians are very interested in debating these issues[Read More…]
2016-2017 NBA Season Preview
Winning back-to-back championships is one of the greatest achievements in sports. However, the Cavaliers shouldn’t have any issues with the pressure. They didn’t make any flashy moves like Golden State, but they remain the class of the Eastern Conference…
Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship hosts public forum on electoral reform at McGill
On Oct. 20, the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC) held a forum on federal electoral reform at McGill's New Residence Hall with the goal of engaging the public in a discussion on possible alternative electoral systems for Canada. Four distinguished academics, Political Science Associate Professor Sven-Oliver Proksch[Read More…]
2016-2017 NBA Season Preview
Saving Gerts: McGill’s drinking prowess can be harnessed for good
McGill’s binge-drinking culture has often, correctly, been cast in a negative light. It’s unhealthy, it hinders discretion, and events like Power Hour aren’t exactly resumé friendly. However, there may be a way to harness McGill’s drinking prowess for good. When it comes to the campus bar, Gerts, students may be[Read More…]