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Editorial, Opinion

2025 PGSS executive midterm reviews

by The Tribune Editorial Board on

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The Tribune’s Editorial Board presents its midterm reviews of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) executives. Tribune editors researched and communicated with each executive before leading an Editorial Board discussion on the executives’ work and accomplishments. Editors with conflicts of interest abstained from discussing, writing, and editing relevant reviews.

PGSS Secretary-General: Sheheryar Ahmed

As Secretary General, Sheheryar Ahmed represents the PGSS to the public and McGill administration, updates the society’s governing documents, and chairs executive committee meetings. Entering this role, Ahmed’s priorities were to increase transparency, pursue election reform, and lower barriers to student involvement in PGSS initiatives. 

To increase member participation in executive processes, Ahmed introduced a new Deputy Secretary General position, splitting the Secretary General position into internal and external responsibilities to make the positions more approachable and decrease workload for future Secretary Generals. Ahmed’s accessibility efforts also included organizing executive-led orientation events for new students, hosting a PGSA and Council training event, and creating an interactive organizational chart on the PGSS website to clarify the organization’s composition to students. 

Having recently hosted the PGSS’ Annual General Assembly, Ahmed emphasized the underrepresentation of international students and students living in residence in the PGSS, as well as growing food insecurity among post-graduate students, demonstrating an awareness of continued accessibility needs to be addressed in his second term. 

PGSS External Affairs Officer: Zoe Neubauer

As the PGSS External Affairs Officer, Zoe Neubaur’s top priorities are to address austerity on campus and to mitigate the increased precarity graduate students face as a result of rising costs of living and relatively low bargaining leverage at McGill. To fulfill these commitments, Neubauer meets regularly with representatives from the Quebec Student Union (QSU), the McGill Community Council, and the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM). 

Amidst their ongoing advocacy through speaking at anti-austerity rallies and attending QSU caucuses, Neubauer is focused on providing more tangible deliverables for PGSS students. They are working to establish a PGSS mutual aid fund to provide direct monetary support to grad students to offset Montreal’s high cost of living. 

Looking forward, Neubauer’s goals are to make the PGSS mutual aid fund a reality, and to advocate for graduate students as both students and workers within the McGill community.  

PGSS Financial Affairs Officer: Mandy Lokko

Entering the Financial Affairs Officer position, Mandy Lokko has emphasized transparency, financial equity, and responsible management as her key priorities.

This semester, Lokko highlighted the expansion of the PGSS Travel Awards program as her most meaningful accomplishment, ensuring a fairer distribution of funding across master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral applicants.

A recurring concern among PGSS members has been the accessibility of the Society’s budget. In response, Lokko has begun rebuilding PGSS’ transparency framework “from the ground up”: Tracking monthly spending and developing clearer internal fiscal projections. While the budget is currently available to any PGSS member upon request, she aims to publish more accessible financial summaries and explanations on the PGSS website to improve community understanding.

Regarding McGill’s projected $15-million CAD deficit—and its potential effects on TA hiring and departmental staffing—Lokko explained that PGSS does not expect disruptions to its core services this year, though the executive team remains prepared to adjust its support mechanisms if cuts become impactful. Lokko has also helped PGSS internally absorb part of the inflation-driven increase to the Studentcare health insurance plan, preventing a steeper fee hike for the society’s members.

Looking ahead, her goals include expanding community-based grants and subsidies and continuing to make PGSS’s financial reporting more accessible online. 

The Tribune commends Lokko’s efforts to strengthen equitable grant distribution and rebuild financial transparency within the society. As McGill continues to navigate financial instability, it is essential for PGSS to maintain its strong and accessible support to ensure it meets the ever-changing needs of its constituency. 

PGSS Member Services Officer: Zeina Seaifan

As Member Services Officer, Zeina Seaifan is working to expand and address gaps in existing graduate student services. This semester, she collaborated with the society’s Health Commissioner and Mental Health Commissioner to ease the student union’s transition to Digital Doctor, a new healthcare provider. Seifan also introduced paid training for coordinator roles, including the BIPOC Graduate Network Coordinator and the Community Support Coordinator. 

Next semester, Seifan will oversee additions to Indigenous reconciliation initiatives, which will build upon the land acknowledgement at Thompson House to include educational offerings like field trips and Indigenous language courses. She will also further the PGSS Menstrual Equity Initiative by assessing avenues for improved sustainability, such as the provision of reusable menstrual products. This winter, Seifan will also evaluate the health and dental plan based on the results of a health and wellness survey she oversaw this semester.

PGSS University Affairs Officer: Amina Bourai
As University Affairs Officer, Bourai is responsible for ensuring equitable graduate student representation across McGill’s governance structure. Coming into the position, Bourai aimed to improve PGSS transparency and make the society more responsive to student concerns. Her main accomplishment this semester has been filling over 95 per cent of university committee positions, a significant improvement from past years, when these crucial representative roles sat vacant. Bourai has also successfully chaired the Library Improvement Fund committee, making use of its resources after this committee’s funds sat unused for years. As a member of the McGill Senate, she has worked with student and faculty senators to pass amendments that protect student rights at risk of being undermined. Looking ahead, Bourai hopes to encourage McGill’s administration to establish minimum funding guarantees for all graduate students and address food insecurity on campus. She wants PGSS to be willing to tackle political and moral issues that matter to students—even when the university would prefer otherwise.

Editorial, Opinion

2025 SSMU executives midterm review

by The Tribune Editorial Board on

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The Tribune‘s Editorial Board presents its midterm reviews of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executives. Tribune editors researched and communicated with each executive before leading an Editorial Board discussion on the executives’ work and accomplishments. Editors with conflicts of interest abstained from discussing, writing, and editing relevant reviews.

SSMU President: Dymetri Taylor

In his second term as SSMU President, Dymetri Taylor has attempted to balance the power between SSMU’s executive board and Legislative Council (LC). He has also worked alongside the rest of the executives to provide a new free meal service on campus. Although this is a temporary solution before the next school year to address the closure of food coalition Midnight Kitchen, Taylor would prefer to continue using a catering company in the future. 

Into the winter semester, Taylor is interested in the possibility of instituting a new student fee for athletics at approximately $10 CAD per student. This fee would help navigate challenges following recent cuts to McGill’s varsity and club program, and would cushion McGill Athletics with $500,000 CAD in additional funds each school year. Taylor stated to The Tribune that he remains committed to protecting student activism on campus. He has expressed worries about minority groups of students voting on strike procedures and disrupting class during the Shut it Down strikes, but will continue supporting striking students as long as they follow procedure. 

SSMU VP Clubs and Services: Hamza Abu Alkhair

Since assuming his role in January, Hamza Abu Alkhair has been focused on reconfiguring the SSMU club portal, the SSMU website, and the mandatory SSMU workshop program for clubs and services—which he has turned into a Udemy course. These projects reflect Abu Alkhair’s commitment to increasing clarity, accessibility, and engagement between the SSMU and both its current and prospective club and service members. Abu Alkhair has also been overseeing the post-Midnight Kitchen transition to a Food Services & Hospitality Manager-run lunch service, and has successfully increased sponsor presence at SSMU’s biannual Activities Nights.

Looking forward, Abu Alkhair is focused on planning a Winter Carnival with the VP Internal to provide students the chance to participate in an SSMU event not centred on drinking. He will also continue to manage the SSMU backlog of club applications and focus on making SSMU service evaluations more transparent. In the upcoming semester, Abu Alkhair must ensure that any moves towards internal, administrative transparency are made equally evident to SSMU’s external constituency—such as consulting with and accepting feedback from ISGs about potential upcoming changes to their Internal Regulations. 

SSMU VP Finance: Jean-Sébastien Leger

After being hired in mid-October, Jean-Sébastien Leger has worked quickly to embody the role, focusing on bridging the five-month VP Finance vacancy since last academic year that caused a significant disruption in SSMU’s fiscal operations.  What was supposed to be a month-long training process became a week-long onboarding for Leger. He immediately took on important tasks that were left behind during the disruption, such as the revised SSMU budget that will be presented in mid-December. 

Moving into the new semester, Leger will continue to dedicate himself to SSMU’s constituency. He will revisit different club services and funding to make sure every dollar is well-spent. He will also develop new strategies for investment and providing services, making sure the student union’s budget is as efficient as possible. In light of the 2025 SSMU Fall Referendum, during which voters rejected the motion of the base fee increase, Leger will have to work to keep SSMU in the zone of a healthy deficit or surplus despite decreased student society funding. 

SSMU VP External: Seraphina Crema-Black

Per her goals coming into office, VP External Seraphina Crema-Black has prioritized advocating against Quebec tuition hikes in collaboration with McGill’s administration, political clubs, and other Montreal universities. She also organized a series of hands-on political organizing workshops focused on tenant rights, harm reduction, student strikes, food insecurity, and migrant justice to foster political engagement. Crema-Black helped lead an SSMU lunch distribution program, which has provided students 150 free vegan meals a day. She offered support to groups including Divest McGill, McGill Students for Uyghur Solidarity, Working Alternatives McGill, anti-austerity organizers, Independent Jewish Voices, and Students for Migrant Justice during her term. 

Crema-Black reports that she has had “substantive dialogue” with McGill administration on student priorities such as divestment from genocide in Palestine. She is currently working on efforts to make the old Chez Gautier building on av. du Parc into an affordable housing initiative. Next semester, she will host QPIRG’s Spring Into Action series. She also hopes to increase SSMU referendum voter turnout and expand SSMU’s free food program.

SSMU VP University Affairs: Susan Aloudat

Susan Aloudat’s campaign to be SSMU VP University Affairs—which ran uncontested—centred on an open-door policy. In line with this goal, her term has focused on expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion practices on campus. She created and is now working to expand the TLDR series on governance documents, implemented an STM Emergency transportation subsidy during the most recent STM strike, and expanded SSMU’s menstrual health portfolio. Aloudat has also focused on increasing advocacy for Arab and Muslim students, as the SSMU does not have a portfolio dedicated to these communities. With her influence, McGill libraries agreed to make available designated prayer spaces, a resource she hopes will be implemented by December exams. 

Looking forward, Aloudat is hoping to exercise the trust she has developed with university administrators in order to further vouch for student interests, such as divestment from harmful military technology. During the second half of her term, Aloudat will continue to focus on increasing SSMU resources’ accessibility, developing long-term resources for underrepresented communities, and creating a culture of trust between McGill administrators and students. 

SSMU VP Internal: Minaal Mirza

Minaal Mirza stepped into the role of VP Internal in late October with three immediate goals: Rebuilding the foundation between the Internal portfolio and SSMU staff, increasing the number of events SSMU will host this academic year, and revamping communication with students. To compensate for her late start, Mirza spent her first two weeks in the role meeting one-on-one with every staff member connected to her portfolio to map expectations, understand limitations, and work toward a realistic timeline for the remainder of the year. Her upcoming projects include a Valentine’s Day Ball, SSMU Awards Night, a scaled St. Patrick’s Day event (not a 4 Floors),  and early planning for Faculty Olympics. 

A significant portion of Mirza’s early weeks has been devoted to rebuilding the First Year Council (FYC), which has lacked structural continuity over the last two years. She has also initiated communication with the Alumni Engagement team to schedule meetings after the winter break. While the Student Social Programming Network currently has enough active contributors to host events, she encourages additional student involvement to diversify perspectives. 
Aware that executives often lack institutional memory due to rapid turnover, Mirza created an exit report document on her first day and updates it weekly with contacts, timelines, and useful information she believes the next VP Internal will need. Considering the compressed timeline she is working on, The Tribune believes Mirza has made promising progress across all fronts.

Baseball, Cross-Country / Track, Field Hockey, Golf, Martlets, Rugby, Sports

Varsity or bust: Inside the fallout of McGill Athletics’ restructuring

by Ivanna Zhang, Merce Kellner, Ethan Kahn, Mairin Burke on

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A condensed-for-print version of this article was published in The Tribune’s Dec. 3, 2025 issue.

On the evening of Nov. 20, members of varsity and club teams under the McGill Athletics portfolio were informed via email that 25 of 44 varsity and club teams will not have a future at the university upon the conclusion of the 2025–2026 academic year.

Daniel Méthot, McGill Athletics’ Director of Sport Programs, stated in the announcement that the review was “guided by [McGill Athletics’] responsibility to ensure the long‑term sustainability and excellence of Athletics and Recreation at McGill,” and acknowledged that the review’s results “leave some feeling relieved and others disappointed.”

McGill Athletics has been the brunt of media backlash since their review announcement—and “disappointment” does not begin to capture how cut teams are feeling. By sitting down with many members of cancelled varsity and club programs, The Tribune has learned from athletes that, though a varsity review was announced over the summer, the scale and scope of McGill Athletics’ ultimate cuts were understated by such announcements. These cuts have unprecedented implications on the inclusivity, quality, and community that sports provide at McGill.

Women’s Lacrosse Club

McGill Athletics recently honoured Abigail Tannebaum-Sharon, who founded the university’s Women’s Lacrosse team in 1996, by inducting her into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 24. Just a month later, McGill Athletics announced the club team was cut.

Co-captain Sarah Sinclair, U3 Arts, has been with the team for four years. In an interview with The Tribune, she expressed her frustration and disappointment over McGill’s sudden choice to axe the program.

“I was not initially super angry, but just really sad,” Sinclair explained. “The progress we have made since my first year here has been immense. We’ve been able to schedule so many more games, and have such a strong interest in the sport.”

McGill Athletics’ decision to cut the only university-level women’s lacrosse team in Quebec undermines opportunities for women players in the province, according to Sinclair.

“I think gender equity in sports is extremely important,” Sinclair emphasized. “It’s unfortunate to see how many women’s teams, like Women’s Rugby and Women’s Field Hockey, have had to fight for so long to earn their status.”

Known as the Creator’s Game, lacrosse was created by the Haudenosaunee. The Martlets honour the sport’s Indigenous roots by wearing orange shirts for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and learning about Indigenous heritages from their teammates.

“We work to support not only the Indigenous athletes on our team, but also the Indigenous roots of the sport,” Sinclair stated. “It is vital to acknowledge that both on and off the field.” 

As for the future of women’s lacrosse at McGill, Sinclair remains hopeful amid uncertainty.

“It’s going to be difficult no matter what, but being part of a community of athletes facing the same challenges gives me some hope,” Sinclair explained. “This may help us develop an even deeper appreciation for the sport.”

Men’s and Women’s Varsity Track and Field 

For Track and Field, the cuts end a 125-year-old program; the varsity team is not even relegated to club status. Co-captains Ashleigh Brown, U4 Arts, and Robert Gerstner, MSc, discussed the scale of the situation in an interview with The Tribune.

“[McGill Track and Field] has a long history. [The program being cut is] going to be like wiping a whole legacy clean,” Brown said. 

Despite cutting the Track and Field team, McGill will continue to use its tracks for Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) events—without a McGill team competing, and despite the stadium bearing alumnus and Track and Field Olympian Percival Molson’s name. 

“We’re hosting RSEQ this year, the provincial championships for Track and Field. Our track is one of [only three] banked tracks in Canada [and] is the only one in Quebec,” Brown explained. “That it’s just going to go to waste [after the cuts] [….] What else can you use it for? It’s a track. It’s for the track team.”

Gerstner discussed how this cut creates a national athletic problem beyond just McGill.

 “As many Olympians [have] mentioned, university Track and Field is the bridge between recreational sports in high school and becoming a professional or Olympian. All of these athletes come through the university system [first],” he added. “So if McGill is setting [a] precedent that Track and Field [isn’t a priority], it could have broad implications across Canada.”

Brown cited how McGill Track and Field has garnered media support from many Canadian Track and Field Olympians, including Andre Degrasse, Bruny Surin, and Glenroy Gilbert, who all called on McGill to reverse its restructuring decision. 

“It goes to show that it’s not just a McGill-isolated event, but it’s just something within the community that’s a concern,” Brown reflected. “If Track at McGill gets to the chopping block, then who’s to say what other [university] track teams won’t go?” 

Brown, who is also the president of McGill’s Black Varsity Association, outlined the impact the cut has on athletes of colour at the university. 

“The cutdown reduces a [significant] portion of athletes of colour who come to McGill for Track and Field. That’s quite a big concern to me,” she emphasized. “Also, many other sports require considerable money for equipment, [which] depending on your socioeconomic background, is not always accessible. Track and Field is one of the least expensive sports, so this cut sits at the intersection of race, equality, and inclusion.”

McGill Nordic Ski Club

Vice-President Competitive of the Nordic Ski Club Matthew Randall, U3 Science, manages the team’s racing and training schedules. In an interview with The Tribune, he expressed confusion about McGill Athletics’ decision to cut Nordic Ski, a completely student-funded and largely student-administered club.

“[After the cuts], there’s not really going to be any sort of a transitional model [provided by McGill Athletics],” Randall shared. “[They’re] like, ‘We’re hands off at this point.’ But for us, it’s felt like they’ve been hands off for four years, so it’s not really any different [….] I just can’t imagine how much [money] this is possibly saving [McGill Athletics] [….] I can’t imagine how much strain we could be putting on this system that they need to eliminate us.”

Randall shared that Nordic Ski has filed an access to information request, hoping to review the 2024 internal and the 2025 external KPMG audits that McGill Athletics cited as reasons for making cuts in their Nov. 20 announcement. He highlighted the important community McGill’s Nordic Ski team fosters, which varsity restructuring takes away.

“When you’re going away to university, it can be kind of daunting to be on your own. [It’s important] to find that club or that little niche where you’re able to fit in and have that community already sort of built for you,” he stated. “You just don’t want people to miss out on that.”

Men’s and Women’s Squash Club

The McGill Squash Club has over 100 years of history, and the Women’s Squash team has won two consecutive Jesters League Championships in the past two years. The team hoped at the start of this season that their winning record would help them gain varsity status. However, despite being one of the most historic and successful programs in the country, the team was cut.

Squash co-captain Sofia Llewellyn, U3 Management, described her first reaction after hearing the news during an online Zoom call in an interview with The Tribune.

“[They] started by saying how they love squash. Then, they were like, ‘That’s why it’s really hard for [us] to say that we cut the team.’ We were all very confused and shocked. Mouth agape,” she said. “We are winning. So why were we cut? No clear answers. Nothing.”

As a club team, Squash is not financially supported by McGill Athletics. Instead, the team pays for their coaches, transportation, and accommodations with funds they raise during McGill24.  

“If it were my first year and the squash team were cut, I would consider transferring. If McGill didn’t have a team, I wouldn’t be here. It made my undergrad experience,” Llewellyn said. “[Someone] commented on our petition that [their] son was thinking of coming to McGill for the squash team, and now he’ll have to reconsider.”

Notably, McGill Women’s Squash was Canada’s first women’s university squash club—a legacy which McGill is now erasing.

“It’s ridiculous, especially for a school that prides itself on equity and receives funds for women in sports,” Llewellyn said. “The fact they’ve done this doesn’t make any sense, and it looks really poor on the school [….] It’s not like this decision sets us back a few steps. It sets us back all the way at the beginning.”

Men’s and Women’s Varsity Golf

The Men’s and Women’s Varsity Golf teams finished fourth and third, respectively, in the RSEQ and qualified for Nationals in the upcoming spring. 

In an interview with The Tribune, team captains Astoria Yen, U1 Management, and Camden Purboo, U4 Arts, explained the shock they felt after McGill Athletics’ announcement, as they believed the Golf team aligned with McGill’s restructuring evaluation factors.

“With the criteria that they gave us, we thought that we were one of the teams that were safe,” Purboo said.

“We don’t practice much at McGill, and when we do practice, it is in the gym complex and not in the [Tomlinson] Fieldhouse. So we [aren’t] taking up any space,” Yen explained. “Not only are we part of [the] RSEQ, but we are thriving within it. We’re going to Nationals. It doesn’t make any sense.”

As a second-year student, Yen noted the unfairness of unexpectedly losing a part of her university experience.

“Playing university golf is a decision that you make. The fact that the ability to make this decision has been stripped from us is devastating,” she said. “My last tournament could have been in October, and I wouldn’t have known. I didn’t know that that was the last putt. I didn’t know that that was the last time I was going to step on the tee.”

Yen and Purboo also expressed their frustration about McGill Athletics’ lack of transparency regarding the announcement.

“If [McGill Athletics] had said, ‘Hey, we’re considering cutting your team because of x, y, and z, [but] if you’re able to fix these issues, we can keep you,’ we could’ve at least had a chance. We weren’t told what was ‘wrong’ with our team,” Yen shared.

“It’s really going to hurt McGill’s reputation because of how they treat their athletes,” Purboo emphasized. “It affects the entire McGill Athletics community.”

Women’s Varsity Rugby

McGill Women’s Rugby has struggled on the pitch the last few years, but the Martlets capped off their 2025 campaign with their first victory since August 2023. Captain Raurie Moffat, U4 Education, sat down with The Tribune along with her teammates vice-captain Catherine Murphy, U3 Science, and Sarah Van Heyst, MSc, to share that their team was notified in January 2025 that they must win at least half of their games in order to maintain their varsity status.

“[McGill Athletics] basically told us, ‘We will give you less [resources], […] you guys need to improve everything, otherwise you’re [at risk],’” Moffat said.

Murphy added context on how the team has felt throughout the last few years.

“[It] feels like they’ve been slowly cutting us. [The] entire time that I’ve played on the team here, our practices stopped right after our season ended, which is really valuable time to keep improving,” Murphy shared. “Even in the winter, before I was here, [the team] used to go play in the Concordia dome. But then that didn’t happen [for us].”

Van Heyst commented on the gender bias shown by the cuts.

“The decision they made favoured [men’s] athletics over women’s athletics, and that’s a really hard pill to swallow, especially because the university does have a strong message of [gender] equality and [supporting] women in sport and supporting all of us,” she said. “But at the end of the day, the statistics […] don’t actually match that message at all.”

The comments from the three teammates painted a picture of a squad that forged strong bonds on and off the field, but due to a lack of resources and support, was unable to improve to the level that they aspired to over the last few years.

Men’s Varsity Baseball

Since the Toronto Blue Jays captured the hearts of the nation during their run in the World Series this fall, baseball in Canada has surged in popularity—yet a new generation of players will not be able to continue their journeys at McGill.

In an interview with The Tribune, Agastya (Gus) Kushari, U3 Arts, starting pitcher for Redbirds Baseball and Baseball’s representative to the Varsity Council, described how the factors leading to his team being cut by McGill Athletics were unclear.

“To be completely frank, […] we are shocked that we were cut,” he emphasized. “We are financially sustainable. We don’t rely on funding from Athletics. We have a successful culture.”

Kushari described how the team received inconsistent communication from McGill Athletics on the steps they needed to take to ensure their varsity status would remain unchanged. 

“Athletics told us that to remain varsity, we needed to establish a championship pathway […] [so] we created a National Championship [….] Suddenly, the focus quickly shifted to [us needing to create] an RSEQ baseball league with almost no notice.”

Kushari reiterated that this decision will hopefully not mark the end of baseball at McGill for next year.

“I think there’s no question on the team that we are going to try our absolute hardest to make sure that there is some form of McGill Baseball continuing in the future,” he affirmed.

Women’s Varsity Field Hockey

Martlets teams are left grappling with the gender disparity evident in McGill Athletics’ restructuring, which has cut over 100 women athletes from the varsity program: Inequity the vice captain of varsity Field Hockey Grace Hodges, U3 Arts, discussed in an interview with The Tribune.

“Throughout the [restructuring] process, we were reassured that there would be an equal number of men and women’s teams when there is, in fact, not,” Hodges emphasized. “Given McGill is a [university with] 60 per cent women to 40 per cent men, that overrepresentation feels like a glaring oversight […] [and] shows McGill Athletics prioritizes its [mens’] athletes over [women’s] athletes, again and again.”

Hodges also commented on the “mismanagement” evident in the restructuring process, sharing that McGill Athletics has not instated a clear transition plan to support cut varsity teams.

“[McGill Athletics’] inability to hire adequate staff, their inability to effectively run a home game, and just in general, [their] neglect [of] the field hockey team […] shows […] [the university] investing in what they consider to be flashy [programs], and not in teams that can really build themselves up,” she shared.

Hodges emphasized the strong community McGill’s Field Hockey team supports at the university and beyond, citing how the Martlets help train the Quebec provincial field hockey team, as well as run tournaments for recreational adult leagues.

“We help fill the gaps where [these programs] need,” she said. “McGill Field Hockey is a really important pillar of the sport in the province, and in taking this away, McGill Athletics has affected not only the students at this school, but also girls in sport in general.”

According to athletes, McGill’s varsity restructuring places women on the margins, penalizes clubs that have been self-managed and self-funded for years, interrupts decades-long legacies of success, and erases the communities of support and student life that teams foster.

Many cut teams are circulating petitions community members can sign and share in solidarity. Students’ Society of McGill University members can also vote in the non-binding Special Plebiscite Concerning Cut Varsity Teams and Competitive Clubs until 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 4, to indicate their support for a robust and inclusive McGill Athletics program.

Sports Editor Clara Smyrski and Sports Staff Writer Jenna Payette are members of the McGill Women’s Field Hockey team. Sports Staff Writer Lialah Mavani is co-captain of the McGill Women’s Squash Club. Smyrski, Payette, and Mavani were not involved in the writing, editing, or publication of this article.

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV, Music

The Tribune presents: The best/worst of 2025

by Norah Adams, Alexandra Lasser, Annabella Lawlor, Bianca Sugunasiri, Malika Logossou on

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Best: Music

Deadbeat by Tame Impala – Alexandra Lasser

Tame Impala’s latest album, Deadbeat, introduces hypnotic beats and bold electronic psychedelia. The album opens with “My Old Ways,” where Kevin Parker, the musician behind Tame Impala, laments his inability to progress and evolve, instead sinking into his old habits and mindset. This song introduces the strange pessimism that pervades the album as Parker emphasizes feelings of loneliness, isolation, and being an outcast. Instead of being ashamed of this, he wears his perceived lowly status as a badge of honour, with the track “Loser,” proudly and repeatedly labelling himself as such. Deadbeat contrasts vulnerable lyrics with Parker’s usual aloof beats and synthesizers, creating his signature, unique effect of distant sensitivity. 

In the five years since his last album, Parker produced pop hits for Dua Lipa, wrote for various movie soundtracks, and worked as a DJ. Deadbeat reintroduces Tame Impala as a solo artist and songwriter, delivering an immersive experience of self-affirmation through Parker’s musical style.

Mark William Lewis by Mark William Lewis – Annabella Lawlor

Have you ever longed for a little more harmonica in your life? With a metallic sharpness and a sonorous hum that resonates loudly atop every melody it encounters, Mark William Lewis’ self-titled record from this September is the record to turn to. The project is both vibrant and mellow, cruising through its jiving soundscapes with tender lyrics and disposition. 

London-based Lewis became the first artist signed to A24’s music label in June, marking the artistically ambitious production company’s new ventures into music entertainment. Embedded in London’s sounds of dark, avant-garde grooves, his latest record is a remarkable work that drips in style. You can feel the brisk chill of these English nights on the terrific “Tomorrow is Perfect” and a cavernous hunger for memory on “Silver Moon.” Having had the chance to see Lewis play these tunes at L’Esco on Nov. 12, I’ve never cheered louder for someone playing a little metal box.

Best: Film & TV

Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos) – Annabella Lawlor

A thrush of symphonic bees looms outside an unassuming American suburbia. Beneath its quaint architecture lies a secret: The kidnapping of pharmaceutical corporation CEO and culturally renowned girl-boss, Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone). Cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) hold Fuller captive in their dank basement, accusing her of being an Andromedan, an alien occupying Earth to destroy the human race.

Bugonia is a glorious and unflinching film: Disturbing in its moments of torture, heart-wrenching in its exploration of Teddy and Don’s familial past, and startling in its uncompromising vision of our reality. Director Yorgos Lanthimos, known for films like Poor Things and The Lobster, produces a perturbing spectacle of life. 

Stone, Plemons, and Delbis deliver stunning embodiments of their characters. Ranging from calculated composure and cruel outbursts to heartbreaking misery, Plemon’s performance is the most unbelievable feat of the film. Bugonia’s marvellous encapsulation of our contemporary cultural anxieties makes it one of the most unforgettable films of the year.

Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc – Bianca Sugunasiri

Based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga Chainsaw Man, this animated Japanese film tiptoes the lines of horror and romance in a devastating dance. Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc followsReze and Denji as they are ripped from innocence and mutilated into weapons. Groomed by the Soviet Union to capture his heart, Reze entraps Denji in her affections, only to falter as her own fragmented upbringing is reflected in his gaze. Whilst extorted for their militarized abilities, Reze and Denji flounder in their mislaid affections. 

The film’s animation is boundlessly talented, capturing a breathtaking cacophony of explosions at one moment, and the stillness of a quiet pool punctuated by muted laughter at another. However, it was the score that came alive, plunging into my chest and squeezing until my tears flowed freely. Soft, haunting piano keys caressed like whispers of a childhood never to exist beyond moments submerged underneath the rain. Aching pulls at violin strings barely allowed me to take a full breath. Quivering notes held every word unspoken, echoing long after the theatre was empty. 

Worst: Popular Culture

First AI artist on the Billboard Charts – Alexandra Lasser

Xania Monet, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) singer created by Telisha Jones, hit No. 30 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart in the first week of November with the song “How Was I supposed to Know.” The artist amassed 1.4 million listeners on Spotify and is now signed with Hallwood Media in a $3 million USD record deal. Monet demonstrates the profitability of AI artists, having already released two albums and countless singles since her creation in July. This milestone represents the threat of AI technology to authenticity in the music industry.

Jones insists, however, that there is humanity behind the music, using Suno to create songs around her poetry. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended his decision not to label AI music, noting it makes music production accessible to beginners. Monet’s success signals a new era for music listeners, who will need to be consciously aware of the music they consume. AI as a tool for self-expression or as a profitable alternative to real artists remains a central question in discourse around AI music.

Worst: Music

The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift – Norah Adams

Taylor Swift dropped her 12th studio album this past October. Before the release of The Life of a Showgirl, she teased fans with images of herself adorned in jewels and feathers, her eyes shining pensively with reflection of her life. 

The Swiftie community rumbled with anticipation, her longtime listeners eager to receive an album, expressing how both they and Swift have matured over the course of her career. Instead, what Taylor Swift gifted to fans was a disingenuous group of songs wrought with internet lingo and mentions of her meathead football boyfriend. 

The pop star’s lyrics sound like an AI-generated imitation of her previously poetic songwriting. In “Cancelled,” she sings, “Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.” 

What sets this album apart from her others is that it is not just the public who dislikes it—as with her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department—but also Swifties. Her newest album has left us all wondering if maybe the show shouldn’t go on.

Worst? Best?: Popular Culture

Labubus – Norah Adams

Despite standing just 22 centimetres tall, the Labubu made massive waves this year. Designed by Hong Kong-born and Netherlands-based artist Kasing Lung, the fluffy keychain monsters gained popularity after Lisa from Blackpink was spotted with one clipped to her bag. Labubu quickly surpassed being a fun toy and reached internet fame. 

TikToker Jungle Pops made a viral satirical video claiming to own “the one and only 24k gold Labubu […] the most expensive Labubu in the world.” With a $55 CAD price tag, many wishing to participate in the trend bought knock-off versions, and fast fashion brands began slapping the Labubu face on everything. Mounds of these items ended up in landfills after the trend died down.

Labubu is beneficial to us all this year, as it serves as a reminder of how quickly trends can become harmful. In a world where memes are not just funny jokes among friends, but prompts to consume, Labubu can teach us how to keep memes online and in conversation, and off our credit cards.

Love Island USA – Malika Logossou

Season seven of Love Island, a reality dating show, temporarily became the internet’s obsession this year. Contestants live in a secluded villa under constant camera surveillance and must repeatedly recouple to avoid elimination through viewer votes. Memes, TikTok edits, songs, and host Ariana Madix’s ever-changing outfits made the season a shared cultural experience. However, the premise of finding love was replaced by lust and performative drama, as contestants appeared more focused on winning voter approval than forming genuine connections. 

Of the final couples—Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley, who split during the finale, Pepe Garcia and Iris Kendall, Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales, and Olandria Carthen and Nicolas Vansteenberghe—only the last pair remain together. The winning couple, Espinal and Arenales, barely lasted one month in the real world. 

Montreal, News

Behind one eviction notice:  A community debate over land, contamination, and control

by Yusur Al-Sharqi, Armen Erzingatzian, Mairin Burke, Eliot Loose on

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On a strip of land in Kahnawà:ke, where drivers speed toward the Honoré Mercier Bridge on Route 207, Jason Diabo’s Wild West Smoke & Vape shop now sits boxed in by a newly carved bypass road that diverts traffic from his storefront.

In October 2025, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) issued Diabo an eviction notice. Since then, a rotating group of community members has gathered in their shop daily, prepared to intervene if enforcement arrives.  

For those keeping watch, the dispute is part of a concerning pattern in Kahnawà:ke: Years of opaque land deals, an industrial project involving contaminated soil, and the expanding jurisdiction of the MCK—whose authority, community members say, has stretched far beyond its original sphere.

“Do govern yourselves accordingly”: Diabo’s eviction notice

Diabo, who suffered from health issues following his work doing cleanup at Ground Zero, later invested his settlement into his roadside shop, which he has since operated for over 20 years. Diabo originally leased the land from a private owner under a five-year agreement, with the option to renew for an additional five years. 

In an interview with The Tribune, he shared that when MCK bought the land in 2013, the former owner stipulated Diabo’s renewal clause must be carried over. Instead, the council allowed his lease to lapse without negotiation. 

“They cancelled my contract in 2019. It was supposed to be renewed after five years, [but] they didn’t ask me to renew,” he said. “They said my lease is terminated […] with no just cause.”

The eviction letter, obtained by The Tribune, gave Diabo 30 days to vacate the property or face removal by “any and all remedies available,” at his own cost and expense.  

According to Diabo and several residents present during The Tribune’s visit to Kahnawà:ke, the MCK and Tewatohnhi’saktha (Tewa), the Economic Development Commission of MCK, used community funds of around $1.3 million CAD to purchase the 17-acre lot on which Diabo’s shop lies, without holding required consultations with the community.

“I invested all my money in this place,” Diablo said in an interview with The Tribune. “I built this whole place with my partner, literally with our hands.”

Diabo’s niece, kwetiio, is one of the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers), the group currently in a legal dispute with McGill over allegations of unmarked Indigenous graves on campus. kwetiio has been helping her uncle navigate his potential eviction. She shared that the MCK’s lack of consultation with Kahnawà:ke community members violates Mohawk consensus-based protocol under the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace, which the Band Council has pledged to uphold.  

“When land is purchased from a person with a certificate of possession, the land process is that it goes back to the people, not to a corporation like Tewa or MCK. It is supposed to be for the use and enjoyment of the people,” kwetiio clarified in a written statement to The Tribune. “In this case, the community was never consulted.”

For MCK to make land decisions, it must acquire a Band Council Resolution to submit to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada for approval. kwetiio told The Tribune that these kinds of resolutions should be brought to the community for discussion, but MCK did not inform the community.

Furthermore, it was later revealed in court that Tewa and MCK had made an agreement with the Quebec government, under which Quebec would return land acreages to the Mohawk community—land that already belongs to the Haudenosaunee—in exchange for no interference with Transport Quebec’s construction plans for Route 207.

“When asked in court, Marissa Leblanc (executive of Tewa operations) said that Tewa could be leasing the land to someone and collecting revenue if Jason vacated the premises,” kwetiio wrote.

Other residents reaffirmed this sentiment in interviews with The Tribune, stating that MCK’s acquisition and eviction procedures in Diabo’s case illustrate a broader pattern of council decisions being made without community consent. 

Diabo’s eviction notice itself ended with a final line that some residents described as “threatening”: “Do govern yourselves accordingly.”

Band Council and traditional governance

While the MCK operates as Kahnawà:ke’s official governing body under the Indian Act, its authority remains a subject of contention. The Act imposes a federally designed band council system—accountable to the Canadian government—on Kahnawà:ke’s community, rather than using the consensus structure outlined in the Great Law of Peace, in which clan mothers select chiefs. 

Many Kahnawà:kero:non—Kahnawà:ke community members—argue that major land decisions, including purchases, leases, and industrial agreements, must follow these principles of collective choice instead of Indian Act procedures, which they view as colonial administrative structures rather than structures of legitimate governance.

“The Band Council creates the illusion that they can make laws, that they can sign on our [communal] behalf, […] [but] they’re not lawmakers,” kwetiio said. “They don’t have any legislative power. They don’t have power over us as individuals.”

“It sounds like a conspiracy movie”: Residents fear a hidden industrial agenda

MCK has publicly described the highway project built outside of Diabo’s shop as water and sewer infrastructure improvement for residents in the area. However, residents believe the project has an unpromoted purpose: Enabling industrial truck traffic linked to the JFK Quarry company, a gravel and asphalt operation just down the road. 

Several residents said they were unaware of any agreement between the MCK and the JFK Quarry company involving contaminated soil until documents suggesting a relationship were circulated at a recent council meeting. Solterra, an environmental services company, lists the JFK Quarry company site in Kahnawà:ke on its website as a “coming soon” contaminated soil facility.

The Tribune could not independently verify the documents pertaining to an alleged contaminated soil agreement between the MCK and the JFK Quarry company, and the MCK did not respond to request for comment in time for publication. 

“Why is this so important, my little spot I have here?” Diabo asked. “It’s because of [MCK’s] highway. They want to modify the highway so over 30,000 trucks can pass here within the next 30 to 40 years to fill the quarry with contaminated soil.”  

Concerns about contamination are not isolated to Diabo’s property. In April 2025, The Eastern Door reported that families living near the JFK Quarry company site have suffered rashes, persistent coughing, nosebleeds, and dust coating their houses and yards. Some community members such as Kerry Diabo also mentioned independent testing results in conversations with The Tribune, indicating that their groundwater samples showed elevated manganese levels—which pose serious health threats, especially for children. 

“[Manganese is] all over this area […] [in] the air, the trees, the water,” while pointing toward land he remembers playing on as a child. “Vegetation doesn’t grow [anymore].”

Jason reaffirmed this, describing the environmental effects already taking place on the land.

“There was all this wildlife, […] turtles that used to lay eggs underneath my porch. No more because of the road.” 

The MCK’s selective enforcement and unclear authority 

Residents also expressed frustration with what they view as heavy-handed MCK enforcement in Kahnawà:ke land disputes, with MCK relying on Band Council-appointed, police-like Peacekeepers. kwetiio recounted a situation where officers entered her property during a cannabis-related dispute. 

“They came in like they were on Spike TV,” she recalled. “Instead of serving us properly, they made an example of us so nobody else would assert their rights [….] When they came on [my mother’s] land […], she [said], ‘I thought you’re supposed to be peacekeeping.’ [They] said, ‘Nope, we’re police’ [….] They train with the RCMP.” 

Diabo’s eviction notice stands in uneasy contrast to how other land disputes are handled in Kahnawà:ke. In a 2020 letter reviewed by The Tribune, the MCK informed resident Angus Brian Lahache, who was involved in a private encroachment dispute, that the MCK “does not currently have a judicial mechanism” for civil matters, advising him to seek recourse through the external Quebec court system. Residents argue that this inconsistency—strict enforcement in some cases, deference to outside courts in others—leaves individuals feeling both overpoliced and underprotected, with no clear path for resolving disputes. 

“My uncle, every day, lives with this [uncertainty],” kwetiio said. “He wakes up wondering, ‘Is today going to be my last day of work?’”

Beyond Route 207

As work on Route 207 continues and community mistrust of MCK lingers, residents say their daily presence at Diabo’s shop is both practical and symbolic: A refusal to let a community member face eviction alone, and a challenge to Band Council decision-making processes that they view as undemocratic. For them, community is not an abstract value, but an active practice that entails mobilizing, showing up, and demanding that major developments reflect collective will.

“[We] don’t have the luxury of not asserting [ourselves],” kwetiio said. “Because then, we would be non-existent.”

Across the river, McGill’s ongoing legal battle with the Mohawk Mothers has raised similar questions about the sincerity and integrity of Indigenous consultation, and about whose voices are heard and respected in land-related decisions. In both cases, the stakes are about more than one building or one project; they concern the meaning of Indigenous community governance and the obligations of institutions operating on unceded territory. 

The Route 207 dispute is one more reminder that community is not something simply invoked at ceremonies or in land acknowledgements, but something negotiated—and defended—every day.

“[The Band Council has] no business to do what they’re doing,” one resident shared. “They have to ask the people, and they didn’t.”

A previous version of this article more broadly described the certificate of possession process, stated that the MCK used community funds of around $2 million CAD to purchase the 17-acre lot on which Diabo’s shop lies, and did not mention Tewatohnhi’saktha’s specific involvement in land purchasing in Kahnawà:ke. In fact, clarifications from kwetiio were necessary to accurately inform paragraphs 9, 12, 13, 14, and 15, and to adjust the community funds figure to $1.3 million CAD. The Tribune regrets these errors.

Student Life, The Viewpoint

Viewpoint: The cost of community, learned in aunties’ basements

by Yusur Al-Sharqi on

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I was pulling at the grass on the Lower Field, talking about McGill with all the idealistic excitement of a first-year, when my friend (Canadian, white) said she was scared of “adult loneliness.” Once you graduate, she said, you never really see anyone again unless you really try. The other friend (American, white) nodded instantly, as if this were obvious.

I had no idea what they were talking about. 

Growing up in the Arab diaspora meant that friendships didn’t disappear when the school year ended or when people moved to another country. Every weekend, you were dropped into some auntie’s basement with thirty kids and no adult supervision, and told, “play.” You hated half of them on principle; someone was always crying, someone tattled, and someone broke something. Repeat the next weekend. Travel didn’t save you either. You’d land in another country, and someone you’ve never met would have already been notified. Suddenly, you were on her plastic-covered couch drinking tea you didn’t want.

Eventually, you learn that showing up isn’t a choice; you inherit community, whether you want it or not. It’s an intergenerational debt you keep paying because your parents once needed someone else to pay it. Westerners, on the other hand, view culture as an external container instead of a system they actively co-create, and that misunderstanding is part of why they perceive adult loneliness as inevitable.

As capitalism begins to lose its shine, 20-somethings in the West have grown hungry for community. They cosplay it in their Plateau apartment ‘friendsgivings’ and their shared grocery lists. But ask them to clean the kitchen and suddenly there’s an hour-long household meeting about who’s responsible for wiping down the counters. In my world, that conversation would be humiliating. You clean the kitchen because you use it, because other people use it, and because the space isn’t just yours.

Community, as Arabs practice it, is not gentle. If anything, it’s surveillance, obligation, and being witnessed in moments you’d prefer to hide. It is unglamorous labour. You don’t get the luxury of pretending your actions don’t affect anyone. If you disappoint someone, you fix it because you will see them again. If you don’t show up, people notice. If you leave a mess, it becomes everyone’s burden. Western individualism, on the other hand, is built on the assumption that you can always leave—the city, the friend group, the relationship. If you’ve spent your whole life believing you are free from obligation, the moment a community requires anything from you, it starts feeling like a constraint. But that’s exactly why diasporic communities survive: People understand they’re accountable to something larger than their own feelings in the moment, something that predates them and that will outlast them by decades. They behave accordingly.

There were years when I wanted nothing more than to escape this inherited debt. To have the peaceful, independent adulthood I imagined white Canadians grew up expecting, one where you choose your people and draw boundaries without guilt. 

Then, my grandmother died. People I hadn’t spoken to in years came to our home to honour her with a khitma, a funeral ceremony where the Qur’an is divided among everyone and read piece by piece until the whole thing is completed. Every auntie showed up: The ones who barely knew us, the ones who didn’t like us, the ones who always kept their distance. They came carrying food, children, plastic bags filled with whatever they thought might help. They lined the walls of our house, Qur’ans in hand, and read until the entire 600 pages were done in less than an hour. There were so many women present that each of them carried only a sliver of the burden.

Moments like this remind me that community isn’t about intimacy or affection; it’s about dependability. You can dislike each other, avoid each other, forget each other, but none of this will absolve you of your obligation to one another. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s how we survive.

Science & Technology

Vroom! Reintroducing McGill Formula Electric

by Sarah McDonald on

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If you’ve walked through the McConnell Engineering Building, you may have wondered why on earth a racecar sits in the centre of the lobby. It seems vaguely fitting—after all, it is the engineering building—but the central questions remain: Who built it, and why?

The answer: McGill Formula Electric (MFE). 

MFE is McGill’s Formula One team. It competes in events organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), with the season culminating in a key competition each June in Michigan.

At MFE’s workshop, U3 Electrical Engineering student and team captain Raj Kirpalani, and the team’s technical program manager Lora Izambard, U3 Mechanical Engineering, detailed the inner workings of the mysterious team that lurks in the McConnell basement in an interview with The Tribune.

“When people think about Formula One within a student context, they think Formula One with a slightly smaller car, which is actually not really exactly how it goes,” Kirpalani said. “It is still a very formula-styled car, especially when it comes down to the engineering of it. Things like the aerodynamics and the vehicle dynamics, they stay very similar.”

However, in Formula SAE events, speed is not the only important metric. 

“The competition’s goal is really to create well-rounded engineers at the end of the university cycle,” Izambard explained. “Because it does teach you about the actual technical engineering, but you also need to have a very strong background in project management, overall organization, managing the budget, managing logistics, [and managing] a lot of business and commercial relationships.”

The competition is split into seven categories, only four of which involve the car actually moving. There is an acceleration event—a 75 metre dash, if you will—and a 22 kilometre endurance event. A ‘Skid pad’ event measures cornering capabilities, and, lastly, teams compete in the traditional ‘Hot Lap’ race around the track.

After months of designing, manufacturing starts with a bang during an intensive, month-long chassis layup session; over these weeks, the team works 24/7 to build the structural frame for the car. While most North American university teams rely on welded steel-tube skeletons, MFE boasts a carbon fibre monocoque. This single-piece frame allows their final design to be lighter with increased torsional rigidity, helping the frame resist twisting under pressure. 

Next, each subteam attaches its pseudo-independently constructed systems to the chassis, ultimately creating a functional car. The team then tests the car until competition season arrives. 

By competition season, a central transition has occurred: What starts as a muddle of 400 general members—with disciplines ranging from engineering and computer science to business and history—grows into one cohesive community. 

“MFE feels like a very close-knit family where, especially when the workload gets very tough, I think we lean a lot on each other,” Kirpalani explained. “I think a lot of people would think that if you get so involved in the design team, you might lose out a bit on that side of your social life [….] I would almost say it’s the opposite […] [MFE] kind of becomes a friend group in and of itself.” 

The MFE community, however, is decidedly male-dominated. While women make up 35 per cent of McGill engineering students, they account for 25 per cent of the MFE team leads. They are actively addressing this by implementing women-only workshop sessions and collaborations with groups like POWE McGill. 

“It’s one of my personal life battles, getting more girls on the team,” Izambard said. “I want to keep emphasizing that we’re super open, and that […] we actually need more women.”

Still, MFE works to foster feelings of belonging. They host social events for members, have holiday traditions, and participate in events like Engineering Frosh. 

“We have an award ceremony at the very end of every competition, at the Airbnb, just for us. And it’s cute awards like ‘rookie of the year,’ stuff like that, to really bring us together.” Izambard said.

While many join teams like MFE with their resumes in mind—many of the leads intern at companies like the Canadian Space Agency, Tesla, and Astranis—MFE’s sense of community is what keeps people coming back year after year.

As Kirpalani said, “You come for the CV-building and the technical [skills], but you stay for the family.”

MFE is hosting a competition for its car’s wrap design, with submissions open until Dec. 10.

Opinion

Campus Conversations: Community

by Sarah McDonald, Clara Smyrski, Rupneet Shahriar on

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A love letter to the library
Sarah McDonald, Science & Technology Editor

If you’d have told me when I first got to McGill that my closest friendships would be forged in a library, there is no way I would have believed you, not even a little bit. Surely I’d make friends through classes, residence, and sports teams—but the library? No way. 

Little me simply couldn’t fathom how a library—a space for silent studying and wistful peering out the window, wishing you were at Open Air Pub (OAP) instead of Schulich—could ever lead to anything more than a dutifully earned grade and a fluorescent-lighting-induced headache.

What I didn’t understand is how central the libraries are to community life here at McGill. They are, at least in my experience, more than just academic hubs; they are social epicentres. 

When half of my ENGL 311 class agreed to meet to edit one another’s essays last October, I expected to learn a favourite colour or two, fix our essays, and leave. What I didn’t expect is that over the course of the year, those same people would fill my camera roll, my living room, and my heart so completely.

What began as an editing session in a McLennan library room quickly turned into a Wikipedia deep-dive on our professor. This, in turn, morphed into a conversational spiral only a deadline and a sugar rush could inspire. We left that room with two entire inside jokes—not bad for a bunch of strangers.

For the rest of the semester, we prepped for every assignment—whether it be an essay, a midterm, or a final exam—together. The library rooms in McLennan and Redpath became our second home. Those walls watched as we printed and marked up essays, played and re-played Kahoots, and wrote first drafts. But they also watched as we talked and hugged and snacked and vented and laughed and laughed and laughed so hard someone probably cried. 

Even after we had long established ourselves as a real friend group, we still found ourselves returning to the library rooms. After dinner and ice cream one February night, no one really wanted to go home; our roommates were asleep and it was cold outside. What did we do? We booked a library room.

Now, don’t get me wrong; I will be the very first to say there is more to university than just the library. However, there is also more to the library than just solitary confinement. There is something to be said about the feeling of collective camaraderie that only the environment of a library can truly foster. I don’t care if I’m writing a research paper and you’re solving differential equations; when it’s 2:00 a.m. in a McGill library, we’re in the same boat.

Libraries are the centre of our community for this very reason. Whether you’re studying, crying, or keeled over laughing with those soon-to-be friends from your class, the libraries—or at least their talking floors—will welcome you with open arms. I will forever mourn the day my friends and I stop texting the self-explanatory ‘library?’—a place, a question, and a bid for connection all rolled into one.

Goodbye to McGill’s athletics community 

Clara Smyrski, Sports Editor

On Nov. 20, McGill Athletics and Recreation announced the decision to cut 25 of their varsity and club sports teams, effectively ending 202 collegiate varsity careers and the entirety of the 18-team club sports program. 

For many at McGill, this decision is a mere headline that may catch their eye but will inevitably be pushed to the back of their mind. For others, however, it’s a turning point in their university experience—one that cracks the foundation that has supported them through every challenge university life has thrown their way.

Sports are not just a way to stay active; they teach teamwork, accountability, determination, and perseverance. Sports are arguably one of the most effective community-builders in the world. Sports have the power to bring teammates from completely different backgrounds and contexts onto the same field—and the power to unite entire nations across political and religious divides.

On the McGill Field Hockey team’s Change.org petition, an alumna of the team, Catriona, commented on how field hockey has changed her life beyond university. 

“Playing field hockey was what made me finally feel at home at McGill. It has provided academic and professional mentorship and connections that I would never have had otherwise [….] I know employers that have specifically sought out student-athletes because they work hard, balance responsibilities, and commit to being part of a team,” she wrote. “I will seek [a field hockey team] out wherever I live for the rest of my life—but I would not be doing this had I not been given the chance to play in college.”

Similarly, on McGill Track and Field’s petition, one commenter, Nadine, wrote that universities would not be/universities without sport. 

“My involvement in university athletics had a profound impact on my life. Beyond the medals, memories, and friendships, training and competing taught me how to balance my time, set priorities, and develop discipline and a strong work ethic,” they wrote. “Post-secondary education is far more than what happens in the classroom, it shapes who you become.”
The athletic community at McGill is far from perfect. For years, it has been riddled with unequal resource distribution and tension between teams and their administration. But this decision takes an already crumbling athletics community and rips it down the centre.

Amidst a hiring freeze, Quebec’s new French proficiency requirements, and a nationwide cap on international study permits, both McGill University and McGill Athletics and Recreation are grappling with a new and harsh reality. But when at a crossroads where McGill Athletics could’ve used their international prestige to stand against the Quebec government for the sake of all its student-athletes, they instead chose to succumb to pressures at the expense of their student-athletes. 

McGill has long distinguished itself as an institution that seeks to bring international academic and athletic talent to the province. With this comes a privilege and a responsibility to protect students, professors, and researchers—both current and future. The varsity restructuring decision not only sets a negative precedent for university sports nationwide, but also sows a deep distrust between McGill student-athletes and their administration. McGill Athletics’ continued lack of transparency, their limited and vague communication with teams, and the absence of any accountability mechanisms or appeal processes fracture any sense of trust or community that was previously built.

The athletic community at McGill is invaluable. It is with the heaviest of hearts, a profound agony for a lost future, and a bitter taste in our mouths that we are forced to say goodbye.

Accidental traditions

Rupneet Shahriar, Web Editor

People are often puzzled when I describe myself as an optimistic realist, someone who hopes deeply but holds expectations lightly. Growing up, I moved too often to build traditions. I never decorated bedrooms fully, never sat in the same classroom two years in a row, never stayed long enough for rituals to form. I was always a visitor, carrying only a seasonal pass from one community to another. 

I thought community traditions meant going to church every Sunday or wearing pink on Wednesdays—rituals that stood the test of time. My own immediate family was far more unconventional. Other than wearing new clothes and eating good food on Eid, we didn’t have many annual traditions. But my grandmother did. The night before Eid, her entire house smelled of sugar, saffron, and ghee, each corner steeped in her belief that no one should ever leave her home on an empty stomach. She treated that responsibility like a badge of honour. These moments are the earliest traditions I remember, even if I didn’t see them that way at the time.

I often found myself feeling as though I had arrived after these traditions were already formed, stepping into inside jokes and routines I had no history with. It made the community feel closed off, like something you earned only by staying in one place for years. 

Then something unexpectedly softened: I started noticing moments of belonging I couldn’t explain away. Every Saturday, without fail, I find myself with a warm bowl of food and even warmer company. My friends and I pick a new spot based on the last TikTok we saw, letting our curiosity choose for us. It’s never planned far in advance, and yet it’s become the most reliable part of my week. What matters most to me about this ritual is simple: I am thousands of miles away from home, yet I haven’t spent a single Saturday alone. 

And it isn’t just the Saturdays. Every summer, I find myself back within the yellow walls of a Cheesecake Factory, sharing the same Louisiana Chicken Pasta with the same two friends. Despite twenty other lunch ideas each year, we always return to that same booth—an accidental tradition that has quietly become ours.

It took me a while to understand that community and traditions aren’t predictable. They can be as simple as starting a movie with my roommate and falling asleep twenty minutes in—what matters is that we chose to do it anyway. Traditions show up in the 10:00 p.m. library visits, when you sit beside a friend who’s drowning in notes just so they don’t feel alone. And sometimes, tradition looks like your friends turning off the lights and bringing out a birthday cake every single year. Small communities become something steady, even when nothing else is.

My home will never smell as decadent as my grandma’s, but I’ve learned it can be just as full of love and laughter. In building these small traditions, I’ve begun shaping my own definition of community. Community doesn’t appear once you’ve stayed in one place long enough; it’s about choosing people and letting them choose you back.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Uncovering Parkinson’s disease

by José Moro Gutiérrez on

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) results from the progressive loss of specific brain cells responsible for movement. As these neurons deteriorate, patients experience tremors and difficulty with balance and coordination. Although treatments can alleviate specific symptoms, nothing slows the progression of the disease. Projections estimate that by 2031, approximately 163,000 Canadians will be living with Parkinson’s, emphasizing the necessity of effective therapeutic options. 

PD is often associated with aging, as most patients are diagnosed after the age of 60. However, some patients develop symptoms decades earlier. Early-onset Parkinson’s—which develops before age 50—puts patients at a particular disadvantage because they live with the disease for longer and consequently face limitations during important stages of adulthood, often experiencing heavier emotional and economic burdens.

Sabrina Romanelli, a third-year PhD student in Pharmacology at McGill, is currently working in the Trempe Lab to better understand the molecular factors that drive this form of Parkinson’s.

“I really wanted to work in PD research because my grandmother had the disease [….] I saw her go through it, and I understood the toll that it takes on people, and the way that people suffer with the disorder,” Romanelli said in an interview with The Tribune.

The Trempe Lab concentrates on early-onset Parkinson’s by studying two proteins: PINK1 and Parkin. These proteins maintain the health of the mitochondria. Under normal conditions, the mitochondria powers cellular functions; however, when mitochondria become damaged, they generate harmful by-products that can cause neuron death. PINK1 detects the damage, stabilizes on the surface of defective mitochondria, and signals that it must be eliminated. Parkin then follows this signal and clears the defective mitochondria. Mutations in either PINK1 or Parkin disrupt this process, preluding to early-onset Parkinson’s.

McGill researchers are particularly interested in how PINK1 stabilizes on damaged mitochondria long enough to activate Parkin. The TOM complex, a protein structure responsible for transporting proteins into mitochondria, is at the heart of this process. One of its subunits, TOM7, may help hold PINK1 in place when mitochondria are damaged; in the absence of TOM7, PINK1 fails to function.

“I’m trying to better understand how PINK1 is able to interact with this complex,” Romanelli said. “And the reason why this is so important is because the PINK1-TOM complex has become this key therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease.”

The Trempe Lab currently studies how TOM7 influences PINK1’s behaviour to determine how this subunit affects PINK1 stabilization.

“One thing that I’m doing is taking wild type cells and cells that have TOM7 not present and running that on mass spectrometry to see if there’s any key differences between the conference composition of the cells,” Romanelli explained.

Studying PINK1 is challenging because the protein is unstable under normal conditions. Cells rapidly degrade it when mitochondria are functioning normally. As a result, experiments require timing and careful manipulation of mammalian cells, which can be unpredictable and sensitive to their environment. Despite this, mammalian cell systems are essential for Parkinson’s research because they are comparable to the characteristics of human neurons.

“I think it’s an important field to study primarily because […] as the population keeps aging, we are going to see more people being diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases,” she said. “But I think what’s really good about our lab is the fact that we’re focusing on early-onset Parkinson’s, […] because these people have to suffer with the disease for longer periods of time.” 

Studying the interactions between PINK1 and the TOM complex has important implications for future therapies. The PINK1-TOM7 connection is a promising therapeutic target, and drug candidates may already be affecting this pathway. However, without a good understanding of how PINK1 stabilizes on mitochondria and initiates the removal of damaged components, drug design remains challenging. Understanding this mechanism could allow for the development of treatments that act preventively rather than mitigating existing symptoms.

“What I would want people to take away is the fact that basic research could be very powerful. It starts at the lab bench,” Romanelli said. “I won’t find a cure in my PhD, but hopefully my PhD will bring us a step closer to a cure.”

McGill, News, SSMU

New campus food initiatives aim to fill the gap Midnight Kitchen’s closure left

by Malika Logossou on

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On Oct. 27, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) launched a free vegan lunch program, offered Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the first floor of the University Centre. Students can pick up a meal as part of SSMU’s efforts to address food insecurity on campus. The current program was established after SSMU closed Midnight Kitchen—a student collective known for its free lunch service—on Oct. 1. This semester, meals are prepared by a catering company; SSMU is working towards a permanent lunch service run by a Food Services & Hospitality Manager that would operate out of a kitchen space in the University Centre.

In a written statement to The Tribune, SSMU President Dymetri Taylor outlined the current program’s timeline and plans, highlighting that it could extend into the Winter semester depending on the success of an alternate plan for replacing Midnight Kitchen. 

“[The program will] run until December 12th, as that’s the last day that the University Centre is open for this semester,” Taylor wrote. “It may continue to run during the Winter semester, depending on whether it’ll be possible for 5-meals/week to be served out of the 3rd floor kitchen space [by the Food Services & Hospitality Manager].”

Taylor explained that the SSMU has received frequent feedback on how to improve the current program, whether it be requests for larger serving sizes, or concerns about the ingredients used in meal preparation. One of the most common suggestions—asking that SSMU increase the number of meals offered—prompted the union to expand the program. 

“Initially it was 100 meals, increased to 125, and we will now be increasing to 175 meals/day starting next week (total of 875 meals per week),” Taylor wrote. “The frequency is going to remain at lunch servings once per day.” 

Taylor added that SSMU evaluates the program’s success by monitoring daily turnout.

“[Our measure of success is] that all the servings each day are gone and there’s no one left at the end of the serving without food,” Taylor wrote. 

Student reactions to the program remain mixed. One student who has attended the lunch program several times, who wished to remain unnamed, shared concerns about SSMU’s ability to adequately replace Midnight Kitchen in an interview with The Tribune. 

“I don’t think [the lunch program] fulfills the needs that Midnight Kitchen once provided [….] I’ve gone [about] four times now, on different days, and the [SSMU] portions are significantly smaller [than Midnight Kitchen’s], and you’re only given one meal option,” they said. “There’s no […] side salad, there’s no […] dessert.”

The student also emphasized the loss of a sense of community that Midnight Kitchen’s closure has created.

“Midnight Kitchen was great because it was also […] a collective effort of students making [the food served]. Now it’s a catering company that [provides the SSMU meals], and so you kind of lose that sense of community [….] The community and social justice aspect is completely gone.”

Maria Konovalov, U3 Arts, echoed these concerns about the quality of food SSMU is serving through its new lunch program in an interview with The Tribune.

“What I do like is that [the program] is daily. However, what I will say is that I have eaten there twice, and I will not go back because the food fully made me nauseous,” they stated. “There’s no dessert, [the food is] unseasoned [….] I really do hope that [SSMU will] improve the quality of their food.” 

The Arts Undergraduate Society of McGill (AUS) has also piloted its own initiative in response to the demand for accessible meals on campus following Midnight Kitchen’s closure. On Nov. 21, the society test-ran its Food Security Program, offering 50 free meals to students in the Faculties of Arts and Arts & Science who registered in advance through AUS Express for pickup from the Arts Lounge.

For more information on McGill’s accessible campus food services, consult SSMU’s Free Lunch Program schedule and menu, and the AUS Instagram @ausmcgill.

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