Despite the heavy snowfall outside, students and professors showed up last Friday to hear Antoinette Handley discuss how the AIDS epidemic has shaped the moral and political economy in South Africa. Handley, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, is well-known for her research on the subject.
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News, off and on campus.
As more students opt out, campus groups face budget shortfalls
Last Thursday concluded the Winter 2010 student fee opt-out period, which had begun two weeks earlier on January 14, and the current academic year has seen the highest level of opt-outs ever. Each semester McGill gives students a two-week window during which they can, through the online Minerva service, opt out of several fees that support Students’ Society and faculty association groups and funds, as well as a pair of independent student groups: the McGill chapter of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) and Radio CKUT.
Post-Graduate Students’ Society holds second-annual Green Month
The Post-Graduate Students’ Society recently wrapped up its second-annual Green Month. The PGSS environmental committee spearheaded the series of events, which were held throughout the month of January. “Green Month is a month that is dedicated to everything that is sustainable and focussed on environmental issues,” said Cynthia Nei, environment commissioner for the PGSS.
McGill Model United Nations conference celebrates twenty years
This past week, McGill hosted the 20th annual McGill Model United Nations conference, a series of simulations where delegates debate and draft proposals to deal with past, present, and future international issues. The four-day event opened with Canadian Member of Parliament and McGill alumnus Justin Trudeau’s keynote address, in which he encouraged students to be politically involved.
Level II varsity teams face dramatic funding cuts in 2010-11
With a proposed 67 per cent funding cut for the upcoming year, McGill Athletics’ Level II teams will face some drastic changes in the near future. Funding for McGill varsity teams is based on a three-level tiered system. The 2010-11 McGill Athletics and Recreation budget proposal, released last week, would cut Level II funding by $147,871, making the total amount $73,163, compared to $221,034 last year.
Provincial government clashes with McGill over MBA tuition rise
The McGill administration’s decision to switch to a self-funded model for its Master of Business Administration program, which would forgo provincial funding by substantially raising tuition, has recently drawn criticism from the provincial government. McGill’s Board of Governors originally approved the switch to a self-funded program at a meeting in July.
Senate meets for first time in 2010
The McGill University Senate convened for the first time in 2010 last week to discuss pertinent issues affecting the university. Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, the senate’s chair, offered her remarks prior to the questions and motions period. Munroe-Blum first discussed McGill’s participation in an upcoming research relationship between Quebec and India.
A rich tradition: experts speak in 14th annual McGill Pain Day
Over 150 pain researchers and specialists participated in the 14th annual McGill Pain Day on Thursday, which was organized by McGill’s Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain and the Department of Anaesthesia. Held in the New Residence ballroom, the day-long event brought together students and researchers to discuss our understanding of, as well as the treatment and curing of pain.
Delegates meet in Montreal to discuss future support for Haiti
After a day-long conference yesterday at the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, members of the international community working along with Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive put forward a general framework outlining future support for Haiti, the nation that was devastated by an earthquake on January 12.
New fee: it’s complicated
In an effort to close a multimillion-dollar shortfall in the university’s budget, the McGill administration has introduced a small charge on all revenues received by the university’s self-funding units. These units, which include Students Services, Athletics, Food & Dining Services, and the residence system, operate semi-autonomously from the rest of the university, at least in a financial sense.
