The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) has been periodically on strike since April 24, 2024. The union, which represents tenured and tenure-track professors at the Faculty of Law, received its certification in November 2022, after a year-long legal battle with McGill at Quebec’s Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT).[Read More…]
Articles by Ghazal Azizi
Arts professors and faculty lecturers form McGill’s third and largest faculty union
With over 9,000 students and more than 300 staff members, the Faculty of Arts is the largest on campus. Despite its size, the Association of McGill Professors of the Faculty of Arts (AMPFA) surpassed the number of signed union cards necessary to file for certification at the Tribunal Administratif du[Read More…]
A conversation with Arts Senator-Elect Víctor Muñiz-Fraticelli
Víctor Muñiz-Fraticelli is an associate professor of Political Science and Law at McGill, making him jointly appointed in both the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Arts. His union membership card pledges the Association of McGill Professors of Law and he will serve as one of the representatives of[Read More…]
Picketers block access to Scotiabank over 450M USD investment in Israeli weapons manufacturer
Content Warning: Mentions of war, violence, genocide, and antisemitism Montreal students and community members gathered once again on Nov. 9 to demand a ceasefire and protest Canada and McGill’s complicity in the war in Gaza, as well as Scotiabank’s investment in a private weapons manufacturer in Israel. In the month[Read More…]
Quebec students and faculty mobilize against provincial government’s proposed tuition hikes
Students and faculty from McGill, Concordia, and Bishop’s University protested against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition increases for out-of-province and international students attending anglophone universities on Oct. 30. Quebec Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry announced the tuition hike on Oct. 13. Quebec will double tuition fees from about $9,000[Read More…]
McGill disputes Associate Deans’ membership in law faculty union
On Nov. 3, McGill and the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) gathered once again at Quebec’s labour tribunal office for a hearing to discuss whether the faculty’s Associate Deans belong in the union. Since November 2022, AMPL has been the certified bargaining unit for the Faculty of Law’s[Read More…]
Education professors apply to become McGill’s second faculty union
In November 2022, Quebec’s Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT) certified the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) as the bargaining unit representing the Faculty of Law’s tenured and tenure-track professors, a first in McGill’s history. Less than a year later, the Faculty of Education, almost double the size, has[Read More…]
McGill TAs allege $1 million in wage theft by the university
As McGill students returned to campus for the first day of classes on the morning of Aug. 30, they were greeted by food trucks and music on McTavish Street as part of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)’s rally for better contracts. AGSEM, the union representing teaching[Read More…]
McGill hit with class action lawsuit for alleged mind control, brainwashing experiments from 1943 to 1964
Content Warning: Descriptions of medical abuse, physical abuse, and psychological torture Charles Tanny visited the Allan Memorial Institute, a research and psychiatric centre operated by McGill’s Royal Victoria Hospital, in August 1957. He was referred to the Allan after experiencing pain in his face, a condition his family doctor believed[Read More…]
Paper straw–infused beverages might become norm amid single-use plastics ban
At Bar des Arts (BdA), students are encouraged to bring their own reusable cups or buy old Frosh ones to avoid single-use plastic. But BdA manager Sam Baron estimates that the student bar goes through approximately 50 plastic cups every Thursday. As of March 28, however, a Montreal municipal by-law[Read More…]
Turkish students organize donation drive in response to devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria
On Feb. 6, Türkiye and Syria were struck by an initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by a series of quakes, including a 7.5 magnitude aftershock nine hours later. It was Monday morning in the region and Sunday night in Canada. Less than 48 hours later, on Feb. 7, the Students’[Read More…]
Stop skirting around the clitoris
Content Warning: Mention of sexual violence Against a red background, my mobile browser welcomes a vibrating text box that reads “clit-me.” Clicking on the arrows to view the next page, I see a fluffy white avatar that I’m instructed to customize: A clitoris. I choose a wide-eyed smiley face, a[Read More…]
Rolling the dice on academic freedom
McGill University bears the name of its founder James McGill, but this honorific was a condition tied to James’s large donations that were used to establish the institution. His gift, however, cannot be isolated from the colonial violence which produced it. He was only able to formalize the higher education[Read More…]
Charles Bronfman’s $5 million donation to MISC raises concerns about academic freedom
Statement of Retraction The original version of the article below quoted Students for Palestinian Human Rights McGill (SPHR) about Charles Bronfman’s latest donation. The quote stating that the “McGill administration [are] puppets to their Zionist donors” played into anti-Semitic stereotypes about Jewish people being “puppet masters” of institutional decisions—a trope[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: Getting a job on campus
How does one get a job on campus and what positions are available? McGill’s Human Resources job board, Workday, lists a plethora of job openings for students such as administrative and research positions. Another key job site is MyFuture, which includes both on-campus and off-campus opportunities for students from research[Read More…]
McGill librarians say students regulate volume levels, but not food consumption in libraries
Finals season is fast approaching, and with them comes extended library hours to accommodate students. Libraries are a popular study spot and as foot traffic increases, more students have to confront library policies like silent zones and bans on eating. Anjolie Levêque, U2 Arts, is one of these students. On[Read More…]
Along Party Lines: Quebec’s provincial election results
This article was last updated at 12 p.m. on Oct. 4. Voters streamed into polling stations to cast ballots in Quebec’s provincial election on Oct. 3. Polls closed at 8 p.m., concluding five weeks of campaigning dominated by issues such as language and minority rights, Indigenous issues and separatism, and[Read More…]
“Woman, Life, Freedom” echoes through streets as Montreal rallies in support of Iranian protests
Content Warning: Mentions of misogyny, police brutality, and violence Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the streets of downtown Montreal on Sept. 27 and Oct. 1, rallying in solidarity with the protests in Iran against the country’s current Islamic regime. The ongoing protests were sparked by the murder of Jina (Mahsa)[Read More…]
Along Party Lines: Quebec’s major parties on Indigenous issues and separatism
Content Warning: mentions of residential schools, racism, and abuse Ahead of Quebec provincial elections on Oct. 3, The McGill Tribune looked into each major political party’s stance on the issues of Quebec nationalism and Indigenous relations. Pressing Indigenous issues in Quebec today In June 2021, the National Assembly of Quebec[Read More…]
Student activists protest SSMU decision to drop Palestine Solidarity Policy
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) announced in a statement on April 22 that they would not be adopting the Palestine Solidarity Policy, despite 71.1 per cent of voters endorsing it in the Winter 2022 referendum. The Policy would have mandated the Society to condemn the surveillance of Palestinian[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: SSMU and McGill’s Memorandum of Agreement
In an email sent to the student body on March 24, McGill’s Deputy Provost Fabrice Labeau condemned the adoption of the Palestinian Solidarity Policy, a question that was approved in the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Winter 2022 Referendum with a 71.1 per cent majority. Labeau announced that McGill[Read More…]
McGill threatens to terminate MoA with SSMU over the approval of Palestine Solidarity Policy
On March 21, the Palestine Solidarity Policy question on the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Winter 2022 Referendum passed with a 71.1 per cent majority. The following day, however, Deputy Provost Fabrice Labeau informed SSMU that the university found the policy to be in violation of SSMU’s constitution and[Read More…]
Sudden removal of Palestinian Solidarity Policy from SSMU Referendum causes controversy
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Winter 2022 Referendum spurred confusion and outrage among students after the Palestinian Solidarity Policy question did not appear on the ballot. Elections SSMU had previously approved the question, but when the polls opened on March 14, the question was not on there. After[Read More…]
Student experiences of the ongoing invasion in Ukraine from Montreal
Content warning: Mentions of war and violence On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine after months of military buildup along its border. Since then, Russian forces have been invading and bombing major cities in Ukraine, claiming 636 civilian lives and forcing 2.8 million[Read More…]
Law professors continue to push for a union, a first in McGill’s history
For the first time at McGill, a group of professors are seeking a union to represent them in their relations with the McGill administration. On Nov. 7, 2021, professors at the Faculty of Law submitted their union membership cards to the Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT), Quebec’s labour relations tribunal,[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: The loosening of COVID-19 restrictions on campus
On Feb. 8, Premier François Legault announced the Quebec government’s plans to ease most pandemic measures in the province, with the exception of the vaccine passport and mask rules, by March 14. As the province reopens, McGill’s COVID-19 protocols will evolve accordingly. In university-wide emails sent out on Feb. 4[Read More…]
Anti-Black racism has no place in Nowruz celebrations
Every year, Persians meticulously celebrate the exact second that the sun passes the celestial equator, as the spring equinox marks the start of a new year, Nowruz. Nowruz, and most of the traditions that accompany it, have direct roots in Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions in the world. Yet,[Read More…]
AUS General Assembly fails to reach quorum, blocking motion to strike for hybrid learning
On Feb. 2, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) convened for a General Assembly (GA) to discuss a motion to strike in opposition to McGill’s current reopening plans. The GA was scheduled after a petition organized by former Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Bryan Buraga received the required 200[Read More…]
#McGillOnStrike gains momentum as Law Students Association votes to strike
The Social Work Student Association (SWSA) passed a motion to strike on Jan. 17 after McGill denied the faculty’s decision to continue online learning until Feb. 25. Since then, many other faculty student associations have followed suit, joining forces under the hashtag #McGillOnStrike to protest the timing of McGill’s reopening[Read More…]
Wellness Hub staff drawn to overwhelmed Quebec hospitals amid COVID-19 surge, leaving limited student appointments
The week of Jan. 3, Charlie*, U1 Medicine, said they contacted the Student Wellness Hub’s phone line every day of the week in an attempt to book an appointment for their partner, who was suffering from a concussion. Instead of receiving support at the Wellness Hub, which would be fully[Read More…]
Queer McGill, SSMU, and UGE form coalition against proposed Bill 2
Content warning: transphobia On Jan. 29 of this year, a Quebec Superior Court ruling declared six provisions of the province’s Civil Code unconstitutional and discriminatory against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In response to an order by Quebec Superior Court judge Gregory Moore, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette proposed Bill 2 at the[Read More…]
Barrage of emails from Elections SSMU confuses voters
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall 2021 Referendum’s results were released on Nov. 15 following a string of technical errors and discrepancies in communication that resulted in widespread confusion. Initially, the voting period was scheduled to start on Nov. 8 and end on Nov. 12. However, a day[Read More…]
Gerts Café celebrates opening with complimentary double shots of espresso
Gerts Café, the daytime operation of Gerts Campus Bar, officially opened its doors to the McGill community on Nov. 8. The official launch comes after the cafe had to postpone its opening due to equipment shipping delays. Tre Mansdoerfer, BEng’19, originally proposed a cafe model for Gerts during his term[Read More…]
Rapid COVID-19 testing project among several new COVID on campus
McGill introduced a series of updated COVID-19 policies and initiatives late October and early November, including a vaccine passport requirement for entering libraries, an updated self-assessment form, and a rapid COVID-19 testing project. The updated protocols accompany the university’s transition from “emergency response” to “recovery and resumption.” As of Oct.[Read More…]
McGill students frustrated with university’s frequent internet issues
Since October 2017, McGill has been rolling out its Network and Information Security Upgrade initiative. These upgrades seek to improve network infrastructure by installing new equipment and access ethernet cables throughout McGill’s buildings and creating wireless local area networks (WLANs), among other projects. Despite these efforts, students and faculty have[Read More…]