The Tribune’s Editorial Board presents its endorsements of the candidates for the 2025-2026 Post-Graduate Students’ Society of McGill University (PGSS) Executive Committee. Editors researched and communicated with each candidate before leading an Editorial Board discussion on the candidates’ qualifications and vision for their prospective roles. Editors with conflicts of interest abstained from discussing, writing, and editing relevant reviews. Candidates who did not respond to The Tribune’s request for comment or were unable to attend an interview were not considered for endorsement.  

Secretary General

Donald Morard III: 

Endorsement: Yes

Morard is running unopposed for the role of Secretary General. As a fourth-year PhD student, he has been involved in his department’s Post-Graduate Students Association (PGSA), is a PGSS student-member for McGill’s Senate, and is part of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM). Morard wishes to make PGSS governance more accessible to its members by introducing ‘middle-ground’ roles—between regular members and councillors, for example. He is also planning to work with the Internal Affairs Officer to organize more social activities and make the association more engaging to its members, with the hope that informal events will generate interest and participation in student democracy through committees and high voter turnout. Morard would also work on securing more funding opportunities for students by building relationships with external agencies that would support student research, as he says McGill does not have a “real plan” to bring in external funding for its students. Overall, he aims to ensure the organization is doing its best to represent students, build greater buy-in among students, and use his role not just to stand against austerity, but to push back.  The Tribune endorses Donald Morard for the position of External Affairs Officer.

External Affairs Officer

Zoe Neubauer 

Endorsement: Yes

Neubauer is running unopposed for a second term for the role of External Affairs Officer. In their first term, they reestablished a strong connection with AGSEM, represented PGSS at the provincial level with the Quebec Student Union, and took on a position on the McGill Community Council, which allowed them to foster more relationships with groups at McGill. Moving into the next term of their PGSS position, Neubauer is looking forward to achieving more at the McGill Community Council, creating a policy for interacting with unions, and continuing to raise awareness and rally students against austerity. Neubauer believes they have learned from their first term and are looking forward to improving in the position. The Tribune endorses Neubeauer for the position of External Affairs Officer.

University Affairs Officer

Amina Bouraï 

Endorsement: Yes

Amina Bouraï is running unopposed for her second term as University Affairs Officer. Bouraï prioritized increasing student engagement in and awareness of the PGSS’s governance structures, a goal she has made significant progress on through recruitment and advocacy.  In the past year, Bouraï has filled 95 per cent of university committee positions, ensuring graduate student representation in decision-making spaces. She also successfully chaired the Library Improvement Fund Committee (LIFC), through which she mobilized funding that had gone unused for several PGSS administrations. During Senate meetings, Bouraï has used her platform as a student-member to advocate for students’ rights, particularly in the context of the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures and the proposed Identification Policy for Access to Properties Owned, Occupied, or Used by the University. Finally, Bouraï emphasized her goal of addressing food insecurity among graduate students, particularly given the recent end of graduate student access to the Free Lunches Program following Midnight Kitchen’s closure. Bouraï’s dedication to protecting student rights and facilitating graduate involvement in PGSS governance is undeniable. The Tribune endorses Amina Bouraï for the position of University Affairs Officer.

PGSS Internal Affairs Officer

Drishti Kothari
Endorsement: Yes

Drishti Kothari’s core priorities in running for Internal Affairs Officer are to increase graduate student engagement, make programming more reflective of diverse faculties and departments, and ensure PGSS is visibly serving students’ needs. She proposes several concrete strategies: expanding communications beyond the PGSS newsletter and Instagram to platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Discord; building informal, direct channels with PGSAs through one‑on‑one relationship‑building; and using regular tabling and in‑person outreach so students can easily learn what PGSS offers and access resources. She also wants to create a structured “experience map” of how students feel at different points in the semester across faculties, and then design events that respond to overlapping needs rather than faculty‑specific activities. Further, Kothari wants to rework Orientation Week to make smaller, interest‑based and academically focused sessions that both welcome students and gather information about what they expect from PGSS over the course of their degrees. The Tribune endorses Drishti Kothari for the position of Internal Affairs Officer.

PGSS Deputy Secretary General

Sam Gleave Riemann 

Endorsement: Yes

Sam Gleave Riemann describes himself as a “pro-democracy, anti-austerity” candidate who supports social justice outcomes through strong democratic processes. His campaign emphasizes protecting employee rights for PGSS staff, being proactive in communicating with PGSAs and unions such as AGSEM—with whom he has preexisting relationships—and fostering inter-departmental collaboration to target shared issues such as supervision and funding. Considering that the Deputy Secretary General role is a new addition to PGSS’s executive structure, Gleave Riemann recognizes that it will largely be shaped by his actions during the next term. His vision for the role is operational, centred on file management, improving internal information systems, and negotiating contracts, such as those for health insurance. He emphasized the importance of diverse skill sets within the executive board and advocated for the use of multiple strategies to address challenges while drawing on each member’s strengths.  Given his dedication to fair democratic processes at PGSS and his extensive experience at McGill, The Tribune endorses Sam Gleave Riemann for the position of Deputy Secretary General.