“Hi Halmoni,” I say, as I draw my Korean grandmother into an awkward, very loose, hug. “Hi say-quoi-yah,” she beams back at me, purple puffer jacket, tattooed eyebrows, and all. My grandparents are very predictable; Halmoni will measure herself against me and tell me I should enter Miss Universe; Haraboji[Read More…]
Articles by Sequoia Kim
McGill launches bicentennial celebrations with hour-long kick-off event
McGill kicked off its bicentennial (1821-2021) celebrations on March 31 by broadcasting its centrepiece event, “Celebrate 200: Launching Our 3rd Century,” live from the university’s bicentennial website. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, MD ‘18, a frontline healthcare worker and professional football player, and Heleena De Oliveira, U3 Arts and president of the Black[Read More…]
AGSEM pens open letter condemning continued issues with Workday
In October 2020, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) sounded the alarm over technical issues with the newly implemented Workday Human Resources (HR) system, which left hundreds of employees without pay for months. Two months into the Winter 2021 semester, some McGill employees are still without pay[Read More…]
The T: “A tense SSMU General Assembly and a Judicial Board hearing on BDS” Mar. 2
This week on the show: The SSMU General Assembly loses quorum, fails to pass Divest for Human Rights motion Legislative Council debates and approves the Divest for Human Rights motion Judicial Board holds a hearing re-interpreting a 2016 Boycotts, Divestments, Sanctions (BDS) ruling An investigation into the curfew’s impact on[Read More…]
Montreal advocates call attention to curfew’s impact on migrant workers
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) released a statement on Feb. 12 condemning the impact of the province-wide 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew on unhoused and migrant populations. As housing advocates have continued to push for more resources following Quebec Superior Court Justice Chantal Masse’s order to exempt[Read More…]
The T: “Divest For Human Rights” Feb. 17
This week on the show: • 7 student organizations come together to pen a motion demanding that McGill divest from companies complicit in human rights • Governance: SSMU Legislative council • Governance: McGill Board of Governors Episode links: • Student organizations collaborate on SSMU ‘Divest for Human Rights’ motion, by[Read More…]
The T: “Tier 2 Rollout and Schulich COVID-19 Risk” Feb. 12
This week on the show: • McGill announces gradual rollout of ‘Tier 2’ academic in-person activities • Some Schulich students allege that a recent in-person ensemble rehearsal posed a COVID-19 risk Episode links: • McGill plans to implement Tier 2 in-person academic activities, by News Editor Kate Addison www.thetribune.ca/news/09-02-2021/ •[Read More…]
The T: Residence Exclusions and an Open Letter on Academic Freedom, Jan. 29
The McGill Tribune · The T: “Residence Exclusions and an Open Letter on Academic Freedom”, Jan. 29 News Editor Sequoia Kim provides a weekly roundup of McGill news. Listen here through SoundCloud, or search for the title on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This week on the show: In conversation with[Read More…]
The T: Know Your Tenant Rights, Jan. 22
The McGill Tribune · The T: “Know Your Tenant Rights” Jan. 22 News Editor Sequoia Kim provides a weekly roundup of McGill news. Listen here through SoundCloud, or search for the title on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This week on the show: An Investigative feature brought to you by Nina[Read More…]
McGill Senate extends winter break by three days and sends proposed S/U policy back for revision
Winter break extension After mounting pressure from the student body for a longer winter break, the McGill Senate approved a motion on Dec. 2 to extend the winter break by three days for all faculties except the Faculty of Dentistry and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The first[Read More…]
McGill students host a ‘Fight Night,’ violating red zone restrictions
Just after 8:00 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, a group of students gathered on Forbes Field—the sports field behind McConnell Hall—to engage in planned, and spontaneous, wrestling matches. The event, which later moved to Parc Jeanne-Mance, drew first-year students from several of McGill’s residences, and even some non-McGill students. Jordan*, who[Read More…]
McGill’s dirty, oily secrets
Content Warning: Physical violence, sexual violence For years, campus environmental activist groups, such as Divest McGill and Climate Justice Action McGill, have been vocal about their demands: McGill must stop coddling extractive industries, namely fossil fuel and mining companies. From gold mining tycoon and heavy fossil fuel investor Seymour Schulich’s[Read More…]
Unresolved issues with Workday HR system leave hundreds of TAs unpaid
A variety of issues have persisted since McGill’s Human Resources (HR) system transitioned from Banner to Workday in August 2020. Eight weeks into the Fall 2020 semester, hundreds of McGill employees—teaching assistants (TAs) in particular—experienced delays in payment, and some have still not been paid at all. McGill staff have[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: SSMU’s Judicial Board
What is the Judicial Board? The Judicial Board (J-Board) is the official dispute resolution body of the Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Board of Directors (BOD), the body responsible for the supervision of the management of SSMU. The committee is made up of seven student representatives, the majority of[Read More…]
SSMU’s Legislative Council votes to condemn proposed Quebec LNG project
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its third legislative council meeting of the semester on Oct. 8, approving several questions for the upcoming Fall 2020 Referendum. At the start of the meeting, the council returned to discussing amendments to the motion to Ensure Equitable Communications from the previous[Read More…]
Reimagining self-care
Capitalism has sunk its teeth deep into the ambiguous concept of ‘self-care.’ Many students have become accustomed to citing self-care to justify money wasted on frivolous purchases. What’s more, the western world’s ethos of perpetual, hyper-speed productivity has led to the ballooning of self-importance at the expense of others’ wellbeing.[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)
What is AGSEM? The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) is the union to which teaching assistants (TA) and invigilators for McGill university belong. Founded in 1974 as the McGill Teaching Assistant Association (MTAA) and certified in 1993 as a union to represent Teaching Assistants, AGSEM is the[Read More…]
CAQ’s proposed reforms to PEQ spark criticism from student organizations across Québec
Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government announced on May 28 its proposed reforms to the Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ), a popular immigration program that fast tracks temporary foreign workers and international students to obtain the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) required to apply for permanent residency[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: The Involvement Restriction Policy
The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Inter-faculty Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP) is a contract and policy that processes, investigates, and acts on complaints of discrimination, violence, harassment, improper conduct, or gendered violence. The policy aims to minimize harm and ensure the safety and wellbeing of the individual filing the[Read More…]
The SAQ is an essential service
Alcohol consumption is often considered a university tradition: Drinking is embedded in much of student social life, culture and events. However, Quebec Premier François Legault’s decision to deem the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) an essential service amid province-wide shut-downs to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is[Read More…]
Point-Counterpoint: Old literature or new literature?
The McGill Tribune contributors Sequoia Kim and Jonah Fried present their opinions on old versus new literature. The case for contemporary literature Sequoia Kim Literature has been foundational to the ebb and flow of ideas in the world: Words and stories inform, persuade, and inspire us. However, bookshelves are[Read More…]
McGill should have a sexual health clinic on campus
I realized how important it was for McGill to have a sexual health clinic after hearing about how difficult it is for some students to get intrauterine devices (IUDs)—a small, T-shaped birth control device that is inserted into the uterus and only has to be replaced every three to 12[Read More…]
Anonymous grading: Reducing bias in educational institutions
Despite professors’ efforts to be objective, grading students can involve personal bias. Recently, certain McGill departments have adopted anonymous grading, that is grading papers and midterms without knowing the identity of the student, as a way of combating this bias. Anonymous grading is an educational policy that all McGill faculties[Read More…]