Campaigning began last Friday for the existence referendum of the Daily Publication Society (DPS), which includes both The McGill Daily and Le Délit. Polling is scheduled to run between Jan. 23 and Jan. 31, when the results will be announced.

The referendum question asks students to support the DPS’s existence, which is established through its Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the university. An MoA details the contractual relationship between a student group or association and McGill, and covers arrangements such as lease space and the collection of student fees.

McGill requires that Independent Student Groups hold a referendum once every five years. To be declared valid, voter turnout during the referendum must reach five per cent of the DPS’s members (all graduate and undergraduate students at McGill). Otherwise, the DPS constitution mandates that another referendum must be held before the MoA can be renewed.

According to Faraz Alidina, the DPS’s chief electoral officer, the referendum question underwent a “rigorous tripartite approval process” in order to ensure that the question is “constitutional, interpretable, fair, and appropriate,” and that the administration will accept the results. This means that the DPS Board of Directors, the office of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning), and Elections DPS have all examined and approved the question.

“The McGill Daily and Le Délit [provide] a forum for students to express their opinions and keep informed of important campus events,” the referendum question reads. “A free and critical press is essential to a vibrant campus society and a healthy democracy.”

Although most student groups run referenda through the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the DPS decided to run its referendum independently. DPS Chair Sheehan Moore is also the Chair of the “Yes” committee—an official group that campaigns on campus for students to vote in favour of the DPS’s existence.

“Since we’re not a SSMU organization, and since our membership exceeds that of SSMU, it doesn’t make much sense to ask our existence question through them,” Moore said.  “The campaign procedures and voting system are very similar to SSMU’s, and there’s the added benefit that we’re able to poll not just undergraduates, but also our graduate student members.”

Although a “No” committee has not been formed to campaign against the referendum, some students oppose the continued existence of the DPS. Greg Frame, U3 arts, said he intends to vote “no” on the referendum.

“I don’t think the McGill Daily, at present, succeeds in starting an earnest conversation between people of different political or philosophical beliefs, [and] regularly compromises nuance in favour of ideological coherence,” he said. “I believe that news is a public good, and absolutely should be publically funded; but the McGill Daily seems much more committed to promoting a political ideology, rather than dispassionately informing the student body and beginning a debate.”

According to Moore, the DPS already makes itself accountable to students by holding annual meetings, which are open to all members of the DPS.

“Existence referenda were created recently by the administration in the name of ‘accountability,’ but in fact, all these do is derail the time and resources of student groups that are already accountable to students,” Moore said.

Frame said he has spoken with people who have been to DPS meetings, but doesn’t think they are the correct venue to voice his concerns.

“There’s a sentiment on the Daily editorial staff—as far as I’ve been able to glean—that makes the articulation of a broader viewpoint very difficult,” he said. “It’s not something that can be changed at a meeting.”

Students can vote using an online voting system. The link will be sent out on Jan. 23.

McGill’s faculty of arts plans to offer up to 100 fewer courses for the 2013-2014 academic year by reducing the number of faculty and course lecturer positions, according to an announcement at last Wednesday’s faculty meeting.

The faculty offered 1,200 courses this year. Funds made available by the 8 per cent reduction in courses are slated to go towards internships, advising, and increased numbers of positions for teaching assistants (TAs).

According to Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi, the decision has been under consideration since September 2012.

“Students have consistently indicated that they want more access to our full-time, permanent faculty,” Manfredi said. “This process will bring more students in contact with full-time permanent professors without significantly increasing average class sizes in the faculty.”

Manfredi said courses will not necessarily be “cut,” but that fewer will be offered each academic year. Each department will individually decide how to reduce the number of courses they offer—for example, courses with lower enrollment may be rotated on a two or three year basis.

“In the very unlikely event that a student finds him or herself unable to meet program requirements for this reason, accommodations will of course be found,” he said.

Manfredi reiterated that these changes will not increase class size.

“We’re focusing on [reducing the number of] very small classes so we can reallocate those resources … to make the courses that are already large slightly smaller,” he said. “Then we will provide more teaching assistantships so we can reduce the ratio of students per teaching assistant.”

AGSEM—the union that represents McGill TAs, invigilators, course lecturers, and instructors—was not given any prior notice of the decision, according to AGSEM President Lilian Radovac. Radovac expressed concern at the suggestion that lecturer positions can be filled by TAs.

“They’re really demoting the idea of what course lecturers are, and devaluing what we do,” she said. “A [TA] may only have a BA, as opposed to someone with a Ph.D in their field. Is that the same quality of education?”

In addition, some students have suggested that the move will be detrimental to their educational experience at McGill. Arts Senator James Gutman criticized the university for reducing  the amount of human interaction in the classroom. He pointed towards universities in other provinces that have made more courses available online as a possible long-term result of this attitude toward teaching at McGill.

“If you look at what’s being cut, it’s [the] smaller courses, and so there’s already a move in that direction,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a big leap between being in a class of 300 and just doing your research online.”

However, there could be more immediate consequences of the decision. While Manfredi said the decision will reduce total enrolment in arts courses by no more than three per cent, students already face long waitlists during course registration. For example, 286 waitlist positions were occupied in the department of political science alone on Monday—the day before Add/Drop period ended this semester.

Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Vice-President Academic Tom Zheng said he was “saddened and concerned” by the announcement.

“Fundamentally, I believe that the variety of courses offered in Arts needs to be protected,” he said. “While putting the money saved from the cuts into funding for full-time faculty members and TAs is a sound action, it should not come under the expense of sacrificing course diversity in [the faculty of] arts.”

Tonight, the AUS will hold a Town Hall, where Manfredi will discuss the decision and answer questions from students.

Manfredi emphasized that the faculty’s decision is purely structural. He told the Tribune that the restructuring has nothing to do with the provincial government’s $19 million cuts to McGill’s operating budget. According to Manfredi, the provincial government announced the budget cuts months after the faculty began discussing this step.

“Budget cuts, if any, would have real consequences [on the faculty], but the faculty would face those consequences whether or not it was engaged in the current process of streamlining its teaching offerings,” he said.

Gutman noted that the university was unclear about the motivations behind the reductions. He said Manfredi addressed the arts reductions and the recent budget cuts in the same speech, but didn’t connect them directly.

“The worst case scenario is that they’re going after [course and faculty lecturers] for ideological reasons,” he said. “I asked during the meeting if this was punishment for unionizing [in August 2012]. Manfredi said ‘no.’ ”

Radovic, however, said she was skeptical about the administration’s claim that the budget cuts are unrelated to these reductions. Quebec universities, including McGill, claim to have had no prior knowledge of the budget cuts before they were announced on Dec. 6, 2012.

“It seems very unlikely to me that the university would have had no knowledge of any kind of forthcoming education cuts prior to when they were announced in December,” she said.

Radovac also questioned the sudden reallocation of funds towards TAs, when the university has consistently decreased TA hours for years. She added that the reallocation of funds to internships and advising would ultimately “take money out of the classroom.”

“If the university, as it claims, has no choice but to implement these radical cuts, at least be honest about it—say students are going to get less teaching support,” she said. “Don’t try to make it look like you’re going to make up the difference in another area.”

Radovac said AGSEM is currently working to raise awareness about the decision and will work with students to have the cuts revoked.

Douglas Hall, McGill’s oldest student residence, will close for renovations during the 2013-2014 academic year. According to Robert Stanley, director of project management for McGill’s Facilities Operations and Development office, they  are scheduled to begin in May, and should be completed in July 2014.

According to Stanley, the project has been planned for several years. The upgrades to Douglas Hall are part of a four-year period of renovations to McGill’s residences, intended to “modernize facilities and address outstanding deferred maintenance issues.”

Stanley added that the upgrades to Douglas Hall are possible because of the newly available rooms at La Citadelle, a residence which opened last September. Douglas Hall normally houses 179 students, but will remain vacant for the 2013-2014 school year.

Stanley, Douglas Hall Director Michael Hoover, and McGill Residences and Student Housing (MRSH) Executive Director Michael Porritt confirmed that the renovations are not a result of urgent safety concerns, but rather an effort to modernize the existing infrastructure. According to Hoover and Porritt, the building’s systems are in need of replacement and repair.

“The building was built in the mid 1920s, and it has not had very much work done to it beyond daily maintenance,” Porritt said.

“We are beginning to have leaks from the roof, and from cracks in the masonry,” Hoover said. “The repairs to the chimneys last year revealed that the problems … were more serious than we had thought. The sense is that [the renovations] really cannot be put off any longer.”

The majority of the work will be done to Douglas Hall’s exterior.Plans include replacing the slate and copper roof, restoring or replacing all the windows, and repairing the masonry.

“[The] new windows and casements … should increase the energy efficiency of the building, as well as making sure it remains weatherproof,” Hoover said.

The interior of the residence will also undergo extensive upgrades, including an improved ventilation system in the bathrooms, new furniture, and an expanded kitchen area in the basement.

According to Porritt, the majority of the furniture in the building will also be replaced, the kitchen will be upgraded and modernized, and the student kitchen area in the basement will be expanded.

“The building will look very close to its condition in the mid-1920’s,” Porritt said. “[There will not be] any major changes in the function of any areas.”

“There is every effort being made to keep Douglas, Douglas,” Hoover said. “[MRSH] is treating Douglas as a heritage building, which should be kept as it is.”

According to Stanley, the project is expected to cost between $13 and $15 million. The final budget will be confirmed in February or March.

Douglas Hall floor fellow Rachel Nam, and Douglas Hall President Erin Sobat said that both last year’s and this year’s residents were consulted on the renovations.

“The students of last year had a walkthrough with the administration, and were … asked whether they were okay with the proposed plans, and if there [was] anything else they wanted done to the building,” Nam said. “I think the students requested that no unnecessary renovations be done to the building that would change it drastically, and that the integrity of the building stay the same.”

“This year, we’ve had a number of opportunities to meet with David Balcombe, associate director of buildings and facilities for [MRSH], to talk further about the project as more details are established,” Sobat said.

Porritt said that current Douglas Hall residents should not be disrupted by the construction. However, Douglas Hall floor fellow Miguel Esteban noted that Douglas students were already affected last Fall by preliminary renovations to the building.

“There were a few construction [projects] from the summer … that weren’t completed in time and created some inconveniences,” Esteban said. “There was scaffolding over H-House that was taken down just in time for move-in day, but equipment was still in the way. When the equipment was moved away, there was a big patch of dirt that created a mud pit when it rained and caused some problems.”

Hoover and Porritt were optimistic about the renovations, and said the residence should reopen as scheduled for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The McGill University Post-Graduate Students’ Society’s (PGSS) Council voted against supporting permanent funding for the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office last Wednesday.

Discussion centered on whether PGSS should send a letter lobbying the administration to ask that SEDE receives permanent funding for two positions previously funded by Student Services. The decision came following debate on the Society’s ability to support individual services, due to McGill’s current financial uncertainty.

SEDE is a McGill office that organizes events, education, and training sessions that promote inclusivity and respect on campus. In 2010, Student Services agreed to provide some funding for two positions within SEDE for a period of three years. This funding ends in May of this year.

“[SEDE] provides information, education, and training to all areas of the university in order to cultivate a respectful, diverse, and supportive campus,” the motion read. “[The end of this funding] may have a negative impact on the number of staff positions at SEDE, and thus threaten SEDE’s valuable service to the McGill community.”

The motion suggests that permanent funding for SEDE could come “through Student Services or otherwise.” However, Executive Director of Student Services Jana Luker told Council that the current level of funding Student Services provides for SEDE is “not sustainable” and could affect the other services provided by her office.

“The priority that the committee of Student Services has already indicated is around mental health,” Luker said. “I guess, hypothetically, we could reduce councillors or reduce other staff, but that would be a really radical change.”

Some PGSS councillors reiterated concern over the possibility that permanent funding for SEDE could cause other services to face cuts.

“Some of the groups that money would have to be pulled from include [offices for] students with disabilities, students with mental health issues, [and] the First People’s House,” Councillor Danielle Meadows said. “The other option would be to potentially raise fees … but again, this goes against our beliefs and motives as PGSS.”

PGSS Equity Commissioner Gretchen King argued that students shouldn’t have to choose one service over another.

“I think this is a bit of a false debate, pitting SEDE against other valuable services,” she said. “If we want services [as] students, we should demand them, we should ask for them, and we should ensure they’re funded through core funding.”

According to Secretary-General Jonathan Mooney, McGill Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance) Michael Di Grappa has asked PGSS to look at areas where the Society can “stand to lose” services, in anticipation of the $19 million cuts to McGill’s budget announced by the provincial government in early December.

Mooney said graduate students should carefully consider what services they prioritize in this time of financial uncertainty.

“When Heather Munroe-Blum came to Council a year ago in January and asked ‘what are the priorities for grad students?’ everyone said ‘funding,’ he said. “This is not to say that SEDE is not important, but I really worry that … [by] supporting one particular unit within the university and saying this is a priority, next month we’re going to get two or three more units coming to us, saying ‘we’re a priority, too.’ ”

King also proposed adding a motion to the agenda, following a request that PGSS endorse the current DPS existence referendum. Several council members expressed concern over the timing of the motion, since it was submitted five days after the deadline to submit motions to Council.

“It has been clear that we would have this referendum since December,” Michael Krause, PGSS internal affairs officer, said. “I think [this motion] is unfair, because councillors did not have the time to prepare for this, and to inform [themselves on] whether they, or their constituents would be for or against this.”

King, however, said she only received a request for an endorsement from the DPS on the day of Council’s meeting.

“The campaign period runs from Jan. 18 to 31, so it would be important for this session of Council to hear and vote on this motion [today],” she said.

After hearing debate on the topic, Council voted against adding the motion to the agenda.

On Jan. 18, the Institute for Studies in International Development (ISID) hosted a seminar by Jean-François Gascon, the vice-president of capacity building at SNC-Lavalin. The first event in a speaker series organized by ISID, Gascon’s presentation focused on explaining the concept of “Creating Shared Value” (CSV).

Specializing in project management, SNC-Lavalin is one of the largest international engineering and construction firms in the world, and is headquartered in Montreal. Recently, the company has been the subject of news headlines across Canada, concerning financial controversies over a hydroelectric dam scandal, unexplained transactions, and deposits in Libya.

According to Gascon, CSV is a business strategy that connects current social values with big business expansions.

“The key element here is the convergence of social progress, … and the competitiveness of the company,” Gascon said. “CSV is all about how your company takes its place in the economy, and values the convergence of economics and societal benefits.”

Corporations with CSV strategies, such as Nestlé, Microsoft, Pfizer, and SNC-Lavalin use their economic strategies to also fulfill responsibilities of social and infrastructural improvements in developing countries, by creating local jobs through the projects they manage.

SNC-Lavalin, which has a large presence and heavy influence in developing regions such as Latin America and Africa, also has a very large environment sector, which Gascon claims “differentiates SNC-Lavalin from [its] competitors.”

In 2007, SNC-Lavalin began implementing the “Local Resource Development Initiative” (LDRI) in current engineering projects abroad. Gascon explained that LRDI is a new division that highlights the importance of local produce, labour, and work. It aims to create and improve developing countries’ infrastructure and socio-economic situations through a “holistic approach.”

“[The LRDI’s aim is] one of developing and empowering local workers, companies and communities through training, mentorship, and capacity building,” Gascon said.

Gascon explained to the audience that the LRDI attempts to create shared value and maximize local benefits by increasing employability for the local workforce, while reducing project costs during construction. The project trains workers in the host countries, and prepares them for construction work, which is a sustainability strategy fully integrated during the construction phase.

“[The LRDI addresses] government requirements for community expectation on positive economic impacts of a mega project,” Gascon said.

According to Gascon, the LRDI has been successful in many countries, notably Afghanistan, Madagascar, and most recently, Algeria. The initiative has been widely supported by local communities, and has even succeeded in securing involvement with First Nations groups in Saskatchewan.

The seminar, held in Peterson Hall on the McGill campus, attracted an audience of McGill students, alumni and staff, as well as Montreal citizens interested in the seminar’s theme of corporate social responsibility. Many attendees explained that they had come to learn about the new shift in modernization centered on CSV.

Becca Dooley, U3 management and head of a sustainability group in the faculty of management, was enthusiastic about Gascon’s seminar, despite not being an international development student.

“I found a lot of value in this talk, as there was a lot of overlay in what we learn in class as well,” she said.

Kathryn Helin-Glick, U3 economics and international development studies, expressed personal interest in the “other side” of corporate shifts.

“Usually economically, [profit-maximization corporate shifts are] basically [all] exploitation,” Helin-Glick said. “So it’s fascinating to see companies adopt these strategies that are mutually beneficial to themselves, and where they’re operating.”

Following the seminar, Philip Oxhorn, director of the ISID, elaborated on the institute’s motivation for organizing a presentation by Gascon within the ISID seminar series.

“[Corporate involvement at the international level is] one of the key issues facing development everywhere, and Canadian companies are all over the world,” Oxhorn said. “[So] it’s important that international development students understand how corporations see their roles in these countries.”