Given that the entire world is currently socially distancing at home, many people have suddenly found themselves spending all of their time on the internet—so much so that YouTube has recently set the default streaming quality for all videos globally to standard definition to prevent its servers from being overwhelmed.[Read More…]
Articles by Kyle Dewsnap
Students in residence urged to return home amid COVID-19 pandemic
SHHS requests that residence dwellers move out According to an email co-signed by the Senior Director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) Marisa Albanse and Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Fabrice Labeau, practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis in large student residences is difficult due to the[Read More…]
SSMU Indigenous Affairs prepares to host academic conference
The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Indigenous Affairs Committee (IAC), in partnership with the Indigenous Law Association, the Desautels Indigenous Business Society, the McGill students chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and the Indigenous Student Alliance, is preparing to host an academic conference. On March[Read More…]
Ask me anything
Over 10 years ago, a user stumbled into /r/McGill and wrote the first post. “Is this working yet?” they wrote on Feb. 6, 2010. “Most of us hang out in /r/Montreal,” /u/iorgfeflkd replied. Ten years later, more than 4,500 users have made over 26,000 posts about topics ranging from which[Read More…]
Over 100 march in protest against nationalist Indian government in Montreal
Over 100 people marched in protest against India’s government outside Montreal’s Parc metro station on Jan. 26. The march, hosted by India Civil Watch Montreal, was part of a worldwide protest against the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP government has come under[Read More…]
Pop Dialectic: ‘Cats’ divides theatre aficionados
Every generation has its signature so-bad-it’s-good movie: Before there was The Room, there was Showgirls, then Plan 9 From Outer Space. This week, The McGill Tribune decided to investigate Cats, the newest addition to this canon. A real cat-astrophe Gabe Nisker One cat takes a couple of attempts to launch Bustopher Jones, performed[Read More…]
Deputy Provost compels McGill Daily to publish letter about Zionism
The McGill Administration recently demanded that The McGill Daily publish a letter to the editor that critiqued the publication’s definition of Zionism. The letter, written by two Jewish law students, argued that the Daily had defined Zionism in a way that was both inaccurate and malicious. Michael Aarenau, 3L Law and one[Read More…]
44 students attend SSMU General Assembly
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its semesterly General Assembly (GA) on Oct. 28, with only 44 students in attendance. The GA, which failed to meet its 350 member quorum, ratified the Board of Directors and the Auditor. SSMU President Bryan Buraga joked about the pitiful attendance during[Read More…]
Indigenous student leaders call for SSMU VP Internal’s resignation
Indigenous students are calling on Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) Internal Sanchi Bhalla to resign in a letter after allegedly failing to support Indigneous students. The letter asserts that she has failed to fulfill her mandate by declining to allow Indigenous students to use SSMU’s Listserv to[Read More…]
From fame to shame
In 2006, Tom Traves, then-president of Dalhousie University, formed a coalition of 11 schools, nine of which were among the top 15 research universities in Canada. The 11 presidents of the represented universities signed an open letter addressed to Maclean’s Magazine, denouncing their method of producing university rankings for their[Read More…]
AUS votes to strike in support of climate march
On Sept. 25, approximately 900 members of the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) voted to strike in support of the Sept. 27 climate march, exceeding the 500 minimum needed to reach quorum. In response, Climate Justice Action McGill (C-JAM), a group which promotes social and environmental justice, sent a petition to[Read More…]
McGill Faculty of Law votes to strike for climate change march
On Sept. 24, 92 per cent of McGill law students voted to strike on Sept. 27 to support the global march for climate justice. Held by the McGill Law Students Association (LSA), the general assembly saw a turnout of 63.6 per cent of all eligible members. Larissa Parker, L2 Law[Read More…]
Meet the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Executives
Bryan Buraga, President What are your three main goals as SSMU President? “Three of my main goals include governance reform, advocacy for student issues, and just better communication with the student body. Governance reform is a project that will take about a year to unfold. We are consulting with a[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: The AUS Special General Assembly
In anticipation of the Sept. 27 climate strike, Climate Justice Action McGill (C-JAM) has filed a petition to the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) calling for its members to hold a general strike. Ahead of the AUS’ general assembly (GA) on Sept 25, The McGill Tribune looked into what a strike[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: Students’ rights
McGill is a school with a massive student population as well as a reputation for thrusting independence upon its first year students, both factors which can lead to an alienating experience. For this reason, clear information becomes an invaluable commodity for all students. This week The McGill Tribune spoke with the[Read More…]
McGill changes controversial varsity team’s name
On Apr. 12, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier announced her intention to change the name of the men’s varsity sports teams in an email to the McGill community. The men’s sports teams will be referred to as ‘the McGill teams’ during the 2019-20 season and a committee will choose a[Read More…]
SUS constitutionality questioned in Judicial Board petition
Asa Kohn, U1 Mathematics and Statistics, has filed a petition against the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), accusing the organization of ignoring its constitution’s instructions on how to proceed in the event of a resignation. He sent the petition to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Judicial Board (J-Board) on[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: The SSMU Base Fee Increase
In this year’s Winter Referendum, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is asking students to approve a significant increase to their mandatory base fee. The McGill Tribune spoke with SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer about what SSMU is planning to do with the new funds. Why is SSMU trying to[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: The Montreal wastewater system
With the spring thaw on the horizon, students are already swerving away from massive puddles on street corners and sidewalks. To better understand why the temporary flooding is so severe, The McGill Tribune looked into how Montreal handles its wastewater. Where does the water go? According to the City of Montreal,[Read More…]
AUS executive team broke constitution, Secretary General finds
During the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council on Feb. 27, representatives unanimously approved two questions for the upcoming AUS referendum concerning the powers of the Executive Committee. One asked whether executives should be restricted from voting on AUS matters digitally and the other whether executives should be allowed to[Read More…]
Provincial student federation AVEQ announces dissolution
In a joint statement issued by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) and L’Association étudiante générale de l’Université de Rimouski (AGECAR), the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ) announced its dissolution on Jan. 26. AVEQ, the primary mandate of which was to represent students across Quebec by uniting[Read More…]
Let’s talk about Bell Let’s Talk
On Jan. 30, Canadian social media will be flooded with posts about mental health, spurred by Bell’s annual “Let’s Talk” awareness campaign. Since 2011, Bell has raised over nine million dollars for mental health initiatives, which has helped approximately 2 million volunteers to receive mental health crisis training. Their largest[Read More…]
McGill Book Fair opens a new chapter
In a sudden resurgence, the McGill Alumni Association’s annual book fair will return in Oct. 2019. The 2018 fair was originally planned to be the final iteration due to future renovations planned for the book fair’s space in Redpath Hall. However, organizers of the event have since made new arrangements.[Read More…]
Senate divided over ban on student-staff relationships
Having missed the Jan. 1 deadline set by the Quebec government to revise its sexual violence policy, McGill’s revisions, which are scheduled to be introduced to the Senate on Feb. 20, have become a point of contention between students and staff since last month’s meeting. When the Ad-Hoc Senate Committee[Read More…]
McGill Tribune Monthly News Recap | November 2018
Check out our monthly news recap for November 2018!
TEDx McGill brings in experts to talk development
On Nov. 24, TEDx McGill hosted a conference entitled Climbing Ladders, which featured 10 presentations and performances by scholars, journalists, and students. Emilie Nicolas Emilie Nicolas, a board member of the socially progressive Broadbent Institute think tank and co-founder of Quebéc inclusif, a non-profit organization that advocates for inclusivity[Read More…]
Constitutional challenge contested in judicial hearing
The Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Judicial Board (J-Board) held a hearing on Nov. 20 to determine if the Anti-Violence Fee Levy (AVFL) motion was constitutional. The AVFL passed referendum on Nov. 12 with 79.4 per cent of students in favour of the creation of the new fee, which would[Read More…]
Trib Explains: The SSMU Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy
What is the GSVP? During the 2016-17 academic year, accusations of sexual violence were levied against the former vice-president external and president of the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU). While McGill’s administration had a policy against sexual violence during the upheaval, SSMU had no such legislation, leading to an[Read More…]
McGill Tribune Monthly News Recap | October 2018
#ChangeTheName, passing a set of guidelines relating to instructor-student relationships, and the resignation of the SSMU VP External. October was a crazy month at McGill, let’s take a look back at some of the stories.
The McGill Tribune – Fall 2018 General Assembly Recap
The McGill Tribune recaps the most important parts of the Students’ Society of McGill University’s fall general assembly.
Anti-violence fee levy allegedly unconstitutional
On Oct. 14, Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) Senator Bryan Buraga petitioned the SSMU Judicial Board (J-Board), which oversees disputes over SSMU laws, to hold a hearing on the constitutionality of the Anti-Violence Fee Levy (AVFL). The AVFL will be voted on in the upcoming Fall Referendum and, if it[Read More…]
Shag Shop reopens at McGill to service students
The Shag Shop, Healthy McGill’s sexual and reproductive health store, has reopened as of Oct 1. Students can now order contraceptives, sex toys, and menstrual products online and pick them up at the Brown Student Services building. Daneese Rao, U3 History and Lead Peer Educator at Healthy McGill, encourages students[Read More…]
McGill celebrates first-ever Queer History Month
The Office of the Provost, Queer McGill, and the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF) are a few of the many groups that have collaborated to plan McGill’s first Queer History Month. Officially known as Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, Two-Spirited, and Intersex (LGBTQ2I+) History Month, the planned[Read More…]
8th annual Indigenous Awareness Week honours First Nations from across Canada
McGill’s Faculty Club saw a change in decor on Sept. 17, when its historical paintings were replaced by artwork from local indigenous artists, welcoming guests to the opening event of McGill’s eighth annual Indigenous Awareness Week (IAW). Moreover, for the first time in McGill’s history, IAW’s length was extended from[Read More…]
A foot on either side
In March 2017, Andrew Potter, former director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), resigned after publishing a column titled “How a snowstorm exposed Quebec’s real problem: social malaise” in Maclean’s magazine. In addition to causing a rare McGill snow day, the blizzard also sparked a decidedly less rare debate over[Read More…]
Campus Conversation: First year residence—a house or a home?
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…]
Facebook remains integral to student success despite controversy, survey shows
Amid an international movement to delete Facebook and outcry from McGill first years who have not been able to join the McGill Facebook community, recent survey data found that students rely on the site for their academic success. According to a survey The McGill Tribune distributed from April 2 to 4,[Read More…]
Data bank: Your Facebook account is worth more than your chequing account
Facebook has had a rough week. In the past seven days, four different lawsuits were filed against it, Sonos temporarily left its advertising program, and Elon Musk joined the #DeleteFacebook movement by removing SpaceX’s and Tesla’s profiles from the social media giant’s platform. With Facebook in the throws of a[Read More…]
Testing Quebec’s patients: Students should care about the nursing crisis
On Jan. 29, Sherbrooke nurse Émilie Ricard posted a photo of herself in tears on her Facebook page, giving a sarcastic thumbs up and smile to the camera. She captioned the photo with a diatribe, mocking Quebec’s Minister of Health Gaétan Barrette’s tweet that his government’s 2015 health care reform[Read More…]
Why students don’t care about SSMU
It’s that time of year again: Your friends from rez and frosh are inviting you to Facebook events and announcing their candidacy for various Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) positions. But, despite their well-lit headshots and carefully-worded bios and platforms, voter turnout in recent SSMU elections suggests that most[Read More…]