Editor’s note: The McGill Tribune compiled a list of the top-10 most read Opinion articles of the 2017-18 year, reflecting, among other things, a year of controversial Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) action, growing discussion around the pervasiveness of sexual assault on university campuses and beyond, and continued criticism of[Read More…]
Articles by Jackie Houston
Softboys
If you ask someone what a “softboy” is, they either know exactly what you mean, or they have no idea. When I asked Dylan Adamson, U2 Cultural Studies, to define the term, he rattled off a list of weirdly specific, seemingly unrelated qualities. “He talks about feminism a[Read More…]
Board of Directors delivers updates on Special Committee on Anti-Semitism
The Students’ Society of McGill (SSMU) Special Committee on Anti-Semitism is in the planning stages of developing its recommendation for the SSMU Board of Directors (BoD) and Legislative Council. On March 14, the committee will advise the Board and Council on how to best confront anti-Semitism on campus and make[Read More…]
Change My View Ep 2: Are we adults?
In the second episode of Change My View, the Tribune Podcast where fringe opinions are put to the test, four Tribune editors consider the question: Are we adults?
SSMU Legislative Council votes against endorsing Daily Publications Society
At its Nov. 2 meeting, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council voted against endorsing the Daily Publications Society’s (DPS) upcoming existence referendum. Additionally, Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer and three faculty representatives moved for a special extension of the Fall 2017 referendum period. The Council also passed[Read More…]
Navigating “just hooking up”
To my knowledge, I’ve been on one formal date in my life—and I say “formal date” in the movie-and-dinner, Gilmore Girls sense of the word. It was July in Toronto, and I met him at a midtown pub. I was sweaty, because July in Toronto is sweaty, but he told me[Read More…]
Advice to our younger selves: What we wish we had known
Regardless of how far you’ve travelled, coming to McGill is a huge adventure to embark on. Your first year is chance to reinvent yourself and push your boundaries. Try to look at each experience as an opportunity to learn more about yourself–the more experiences you have, the more you’ll grow.
On Melodrama, Lorde reveres being young and dumb
It’s easy to trivialize pop music, or dismiss it as something intrinsically lesser than “real music." It can seem banal, and focus on catchiness in lieu of explicit meaning. But those criticisms often miss the point of the genre. At its best, a pop song isn’t about a message, per[Read More…]
Why it pays to slow down this summer
Remember your elementary school summers? When school was out and the living was easy? Goodbye, long division–hello ice cream sandwiches, sleepover camp, and Saturday morning swimming lessons. As an undergraduate student, summers are sort of like those swimming lessons. Except instead of learning to float on your back, someone just[Read More…]
SSMU Election 2017: VP Operations
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) Operations is responsible for managing the SSMU building, operations including Gerts Bar and Sadie’s, and overseeing SSMU’s sustainability efforts. Anuradha Mallik is the only student running for election as VP Operations. Her platform includes reviewing SSMU’s unethical and unsustainable investments, continuing[Read More…]
We need to keep asking stupid questions
In my first high school political science course, I had a friend who was very clever and well-informed—the kind of self-identified young intellectual that read the New York Times like scripture. One class, he got into an argument on electoral reform in Canada with another very clever and well-informed student.[Read More…]
Senate Report on CAMSR Open Forums on Sustainability seeks to address participant frustrations
At the Jan. 18 meeting of the McGill Senate, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi presented a Report on the McGill Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility’s (CAMSR) September Open Forums on Sustainability and a written response to its recommendations. In addition, senators addressed questions submitted by Students’[Read More…]
The social hangover of McGill’s drinking culture
I was at a café the other week, trying to decide between one croissant or two croissants, when I found myself confronted with an all-too-frequent crisis—I was faced with a familiar face, but no name to put to it. Luckily, she seemed to be in the same dilemma. We locked[Read More…]
Planet McGill: The McLennan midterm migration
As dawn breaks over McGill campus, still glistening with last night's freezing rain, all seems quiet. The Y-intersection is deserted and most doors won't open for another couple of hours. But, rest assured, there is one building that never sleeps: The McLennan-Redpath Library complex. Majestic, isolated, and open 24 hours[Read More…]
The ineffective weekly conference: Getting past 10% participation marks
"And be sure to say your name before speaking, so I can put you down for participation marks," a teaching assistant instructs a room of blank-faced undergraduate students. An attendance sheet circulates. A pen taps against a desk. To break the silence, someone offers a summary of the week's course[Read More…]
The dangers of the endless scroll: Social media use as a mental health indicator
The internet has a dark side. A recent McMaster University study is the latest to confirm the adverse effects of too much screen time: The connection between internet use and mental illness is even stronger than previously thought. The survey of 254 McMaster University students, using the Young Internet Addiction[Read More…]
Settling the score between the Milton and Roddick gates
Among the various forums for discussion in the McGill community, there is no arena more heated than the McGill Reddit feed. In this warzone of unfiltered debate, the best and brightest minds of the anonymous internet community go head-to-head to tackle the campus’ most pressing issues. With the bake sale[Read More…]
Album Review: GO:OD AM – Mac Miller
It’s always darkest before the dawn, and while the slew of mixtapes, EPs, and two studio albums leading up to Mac Miller’s latest release, GO:OD AM, might not constitute darkness, it’s been a long-winded journey for the 23-year-old rapper. While his debut album Blue Slide[Read More…]