The academic year is back in full swing, and Students’ Society executives are for the first time facing oversight of their actions from SSMU Council. Two notable summer projects have come up so far, the Harm Reduction Centre (HRC) and the Flying Squad. Both are still in the larvae stage, and there are many details that remain to be worked out concerning their structures before they can be given full approval.
News
News, off and on campus.
Alleged plot enrages SSMU
Relations between the Students’ Society and La Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Québec have reached the boiling point this week due to what SSMU has deemed a “scheme to undermine the political sovereignty and democratic processes of the McGill campus.
Creating a clean Canadian future
Sustainable development and environmental law were on the minds of 65 lawyers from across Canada as they met in Montreal last week. Addressing topics such as criminal law and the environment, evaluation of environmental damages and Aboriginal law, the 18th annual Environmental Lawyers in Government conference discussed ways to solve current environmental problems.
Africa is not the dark continent
A conference on African development held at Concordia University Saturday and Sunday reminded its audience of their “global responsibility” towards the world’s impoverished peoples. Organized by the Global Forum on International Cooperation, a student organization at Concordia, the conference, entitled “Connecting Global Youth Confronting Global Challenges: A Conference on African Development,” explored dilemmas and realities of development in Africa.
FEUQ membership on fall referendum
For the second time in two years, Students’ Society Council has taken steps to remove SSMU from student lobbying group la Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Québec. In a special Council meeting held Thursday, a motion was passed that will add the question of SSMU’s membership in la FEUQ to the fall referendum ballot.
All GA motions pass
The Students’ Society held its first semi-annual General Assembly of the year last Thursday. Required once a semeseter after an ammendment to the Students’ Society constitution made last spring, the GA is designed to provide a way for students to take part in active democracy on campus.
Montreal politician makes noise in library school
The importance of libraries as a political issue was stressed by Plateau-Mont-Royal Executive Helen Fotopoulos to the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies on Wednesday. Fotopoulos spoke about her experiences trying to bring attention to the state of libraries in the Montreal area.
CAMPUS: Hema-Quebec’s speedy return questionable
Héma-Québec is still unsure about returning to McGill after a controversial though effective protest staged by radical sexual rights group Second Cumming during last January’s blood drive. The demonstration was in protest of the blood agency’s policy barring men who have sex with men from donating blood.
Debating Union wins nationals
The McGill Debating Union had its most successful performance on the national stage in years, winning the 2010 Canadian National Debating Championships in Edmonton just over a week ago. Half of the quarterfinalists, three-quarters of the semifinalists, and both of the finalists were McGill teams.
CAMPUS: SSMU delays handbooks
A recent controversy over the content of the SSMU handbook has resulted in a three week delay in its realease due to the firing of the two original editors. Genevieve Friesen and Sara Kipp-Ferguson, the original editors for the handbook, were let go in August when the finished product was deemed unacceptable by Students’ Society executives, said Vice-President University Affairs Finn Upham.
