The invalidation of Tariq Khan’s victory in the SSMU elections, and the subsequent outcry, have perhaps served as the perfect summation of the crisis of credibility that has characterized student government. Throughout this year, the councillors and executives of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) have been far more[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
Elections SSMU institutionally unaccountable
I am not one of the several thousand students who voted for Tariq Khan. However, since the student body has been informed of Elections SSMU’s invalidation of Khan’s victory on Apr. 1, I have questioned the underlying policy. Many students, including myself, have expressed surprise that Elections SSMU even had[Read More…]
Looking ahead to a sexual assault policy
In an attempt to reduce the effects of rape culture on campus, York University has recently begun handing out rape whistles to female students at orientation. This approach to stopping sexual violence, reminiscent of a sardonic scene out of Pitch Perfect, highlights the pervasiveness of rape culture on university campuses,[Read More…]
What we learned opening a student-run café
After two years of planning, 3,493 burritos, and 7,824 customers, the Student-Run Cafe (SRC), “The Nest,” is wrapping up its first semester of operation. It has been an exhaustingly exhilarating experience, one that I feel very lucky and proud to have been a part of along with many other incredible[Read More…]
SSMU showcases continued incompetence, contempt for students on building fee
On March 21, 2014, students voted 53.6 per cent and 60.8 per cent, respectively, against both parts of the proposed SSMU building fee. Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Katie Larson, in a recent interview with the Tribune, condescendingly accused students of ignorance, saying students “did not do their[Read More…]
In provincial election, student issues absent
On April 7, Quebec will go to the polls to elect a new government. The campaign has been marked by claims and counterclaims of voter suppression, voter fraud, duplicity, and an overall tone of nastiness. What it hasn’t been marked by is attention to issues relating to university students. That[Read More…]
An open letter to the new student representatives
Welcome to the fold—or should I say, welcome to student politics at McGill. Some of you may be new to this process, and some of you may be veterans; but either way, you’re now involved in the decision-making process within this university. Some of you have more power than others[Read More…]
Do we still need Canadian content requirements?
We need more Canadian porn. That is, according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the government agency known for imposing strict requirements regarding the amount of Canadian-produced, written, or otherwise Canadian-made content that is aired on TV or radio. The aim of the CRTC is to ensure that[Read More…]
Sultan of the Turkish Republic?
On March 30th, Turkey will go to the polls in nationwide municipal elections. After a summer of anti-government protests, an economic downturn, and a corruption scandal implicating prominent members of the ruling party’s inner circle, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a polarizing figure in Turkish society. Although he[Read More…]
To vote or not to vote: a moral and logistical quandary
On Friday, Mathieu Vandal, head of the election revision board for a downtown Montreal riding, resigned over concerns that large numbers of non-francophones were registering to vote in the upcoming election without proper screening. At a press conference on Sunday, Parti Québécois (PQ) candidates accused “people from Ontario and the[Read More…]