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a, Off the Board, Opinion

New name for the McGill bookstore, “Le James,” should stand

by Natalie Vineberg on

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The decision to rename the McGill bookstore’s new iteration “Le James” raises the question of the value in using the names of past figures who were known to be racists, misogynists, or bigots on campus. While these questions began to be asked at universities in the United States, such conversations have yet to move from the fringes at McGill. While McGill is distinct from Princeton in terms of its own history, members of the McGill community must still consider the value in judging historical figures based on current standards. James McGill was a slave owner, and it is important that the community is aware of this. But students cannot condemn his entire role at McGill based on this part of his legacy.

Though celebrated by some, Woodrow Wilson was an adamant racist who glorified the Ku Klux Klan—information that had not been sufficiently acknowledged on Princeton’s campus before the recent demonstrations. He also made Princeton into the elite Ivy League university that it is today. James McGill owned slaves, and was dedicated to the advancement of education (for white men), donating the funds to establish McGill, Dawson College, and the University of British Columbia.

These two men were not standalone figures amidst progressive change. Wilson doubtlessly hindered progress by advocating for further segregation, but it was a position supported and enforced by many other politicians. His actions represented the prevailing feeling amongst the majority of the population at the time. It was not only legal to own slaves in Quebec while James McGill was alive, it was also considered a sign of wealth and prestige. Even The Montreal Gazette, an institution with the journalistic responsibility to hold those in power accountable for their transgressions, had slaves working for it and publicized ways to buy them.

Just because a lot of time has passed doesn’t make it a faceless crime, and it’s important to not remove these people from their contexts.

While the debate surrounding such figures is undeniably important, it’s hypocritical to judge based on our current society’s standards and act like ’we know better.’ There is no way to know what will define the scale of social standards 100 years from now. It is likely that in 2116, society’s environmentally destructive habits will be seen as appalling, but humans do not either aggressively condemn or ostracize our politicians for failing to curb those tendencies.

Shedding the names of people like Stephen Leacock and James McGill from university buildings wouldn’t be more than a symbolic gesture. In schools, of all places, students should be able to learn from past mistakes instead of becoming mired in them. Removing their names would efface history, and the lesson along with it.

Just because a lot of time has passed doesn’t make it a faceless crime, and it’s important to not remove these people from their contexts. Acknowledgment, even to the extent of the names of buildings, doesn’t equal endorsement. Often, buildings are named after the benefactor—or after someone who played a crucial part in the school’s history—and not necessarily someone who is a normatively ‘good’ person.

There’s a conception that being actively involved in promoting segregation is so much worse than passively letting it happen, or as if being an apologetic racist is radically different from being an unapologetic one. It’s crucial to acknowledge the past, and recognize those who have contributed to our current position. Thus, changing a name will not right past wrongs. The deep-seated issues brought forward by these discussions cannot be fixed by a superficial solution—more conversation is the way forward, and the bookstore should bear the name of James McGill.

Natalie Vineberg is a U2 double major in Cultural Studies and Psychology. She is a photo editor at the McGill Tribune.

@McGillTripOp | [email protected]
a, Basketball, Sports

Blast from the past: James Naismith and the invention of basketball

by Nicholas Jasinski on

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Most of the sports that people follow have developed over the years, growing into the games played with the rules known today, making it very difficult to name a single inventor. Football evolved from rugby; variations of soccer have existed for centuries; hockey came from shinny, a sport where the only rule is that there are no rules; and baseball has tons of origin tales. The invention of the sport of basketball, however, can be credited in its entirety to one man; a McGill alum from rural Ontario by the name of James Naismith.

James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861 in Almonte, Ontario, a 2000-person strong lumber town about 50km southwest of Ottawa. His parents—John and Margaret—died of typhoid fever when James was only nine years old, sending him and his two siblings to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm. From an early age, it was apparent that school did not suit Naismith. He prefered to spend his days outdoors playing catch, hide and seek, or duck on a rock, a game in which one person guards a large flat stone stood up on end and opposing players try to knock it down by throwing smaller stones at it. Naismith dropped out of high school in 1877 with the full intention of pursuing a career as a lumberjack, a trade at which he excelled.

“[But one day] he was in the saloon having a drink of whisky, and somebody turned around and said, ‘You’re Margaret Young’s boy, aren’t you?’” said Naismith’s grandson, Stuart. “‘She’d roll over in her grave if she could see you now, drinking.’ So he put down the whisky and never touched another drop as long as he lived.”

Naismith re-entered Almonte High School soon after, graduating in 1883 at the age of 21 and enrolling at McGill the following Fall. Engrained with a newfound desire to serve his fellow man, Naismith hoped to eventually become a minister. He studied harder than he had ever studied before, putting aside sports to spend time on his schoolwork. Dismayed at how quickly he fell out of shape and encouraged by a few classmates, Naismith joined the McGill gymnastics and rugby programs. His first chance to showcase his athletic ability came in rugby tryouts in his first year. Naismith was watching a match from the bench when the McGill centre left the game with a broken nose.

“The coach looked up and saw him standing on the sideline,” said Stuart. “So he said, ‘Naismith, you get in here and play centre.’ So he went in and played centre. He played very well, so they made him part of the team.”

Naismith would start at centre for every subsequent McGill rugby game for the next seven years, completing his BA with honours in Physical Education in 1888 and becoming an ordained minister at the Presbyterian College in 1890. Besides participating in rugby and gymnastics and excelling at his schoolwork, Naismith represented McGill in football, lacrosse, and soccer and still somehow found the time to be active in the Literary and Philosophical Society, the Missionary Society and to write for the Presbyterian College Journal while working as a physical education instructor at the McGill gym to finance his studies. Naismith won the Wicksteed Gold Medal in 1887 for being McGill’s top athlete and became director of athletics the following year—while still a student.

Upon graduation, Naismith chose to combine his two worlds: Athletics and theology. He developed a natural interest in the YMCA movement, present in Montreal since 1851. Naismith was intrigued by the ‘Muscular Christianity’ movement, in which the YMCA taught courses that emphasized spiritual and physical development. Naismith left Montreal to attend the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts to become a YMCA leader, capable of opening and running a YMCA branch.

It was there in 1891, during a particularly harsh New England winter, that Naismith was instructed by one of his superiors to devise an indoor game that would provide an “athletic distraction” to rowdy and confined classes. The game was to not take up too much space, keep its players in shape, and be fair and relatively non-violent. Two weeks later, Naismith returned with an overinflated soccer ball, a repurposed peach basket, and 13 rules for an entirely new sport he called “basket ball.”

Naismith remained with the YMCA until 1898—pausing for long enough to earn a medical degree–and was instrumental in founding the Denver YMCA. Later, he served as physical education director, campus chaplain and basketball coach at the University of Kansas until his retirement in 1938 after serving in WWI in France. The greatest moment of his career, in his own words, came in 1936 when he saw his game—his invention, his gift to humanity—played on the international stage at the Olympics in Berlin.

Naismith passed away in 1939 from heart failure. He is remembered today in the Canadian Basketball, the Canadian Olympic, FIBA and McGill University Sports Halls of Fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts—where he is a member of the founding class—was named in Naismith’s honour.

a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

Museum Review: Patrick Bernatchez “Goldberg Experienced.04”

by Greta Rainbow on

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In one cavernous space, the heads and shoulders of audience members at “Goldberg Experienced.04”—an eight piano rendition of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”—sway to different rhythms. For every individual, it may be a specific piano that resonates with them, or a single note appearing once in the hour-long piece, or a pattern subtly detected from beginning to end. Bach’s original “Goldberg Variations” is a compositional labyrinth, and with the interpretation of artist Patrick Bernatchez, the walls of the harmonic maze grow taller and the deceptions more cunning. Bernatchez’s concert was just one part of a multimedia examination of temporality in music at the Musée d’Art Contemporain (MAC) museum last Sunday. 

The masterstroke of Bach’s 1741 piece, intended for the harpsichord, is in the name: “Variations.” The composition is cyclical, with 30 variations on the same bass line and almost the same harmonic structure. It is still lauded today for its highly emotional effect within a mathematical structure. Although only an estimated 100 copies of the print music were originally released—sound recording wasn’t invented until over a century later—“Goldberg Variations” has become one of the best-selling pieces of classical music to date.

Bernatchez is someone whose fascination with the deceptively simple composition endures. His continuation of the legacy, however, is more complex than any other performance. In the MAC basement, eight glittering black-and-gold pianos and their young players are not mimickers playing a tribute show to Bach. If they mimic anything, it is the “Goldberg Variations” on scratched vinyl. 

“Goldberg Experienced.04” is part of a larger piece. Two flights up the stairs of the museum is the temporary exhibition space titled “Patrick Bernatchez: Les temps inachevés.” The show examines the space-time continuum, time travel, decomposition, and the cycle of seasons and lives. There is a lot of black and stainless steel. With hours of looped videos, drawings of distorted women inspired by mold stains, and headphone listening stations, the space becomes a corner of cosmic dark matter. In the piece “Goldberg Experienced.03,” eight altered vinyl recordings of Bach’s composition, as performed by Glenn Gould in 1981, play simultaneously. As the records were altered by natural wear, the product lost some human control. Their collective sound was transposed by composer Patrice Coulombe into a piece for eight pianos. 

So, then, is the performance in the museum basement a new piece? Or is it the fourth version of the original, as Bernatchez indicates in its name? It is the blur of authorship and creative process that fits with “Les temps inachevés.” The ideas of cyclicity are conveyed by Bernatchez visually in the exhibition, and “Goldberg Experienced.04” is a completely immersive audio component. At times ,the high notes drip, accompanying Bernatchez’s video of a leaking ceiling in the Fashion Plaza industrial building. The simulation of rapidity by eight pianos, a sound unachievable by one player, connotes the artist’s graphite and ink depictions of decay, like growth on fast-forward. Just as the individual pieces of “Les temps inachevés” require conceptual explanation, “Goldberg Experienced.04” has strength in instrumental numbers. Whether the sound is booming or twinkling, it becomes superlative when the eight pianos are synchronized. 

Despite a thick history of connections and inspiration, “Goldberg Experienced.04” feels youthful. This is due to the near total dominance of the joyful G-major in Bach’s composition, and to the curation of Bernatchez and Coulombe. When listeners are drifting 40 minutes into a purposely repetitive and dragging piece, the cacophony comes to a clattering halt and only one player remains, notes light and high. The realization comes then to listen closely for what is hiding below the sound’s surface.

As the show ends, another layer is complete: This group of listeners on Sunday in the basement of the museum. The performance of Bach’s piece will never be exactly the same. Although it is another question, of course, if that was recorded.

You can learn more about Patrick Bernatchez’s work on his website: www.patrickbernatchez.org

a, Student Life, Student of the Week

Student of the Week: Jonathan Motha-Pollock

by Emma Whitehall on

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A recurring theme in the life of Jonathan Motha-Pollock is exploration of the world with an open mind. Although originally from Toronto, Ontario, he is looking forward to taking a year to travel following his graduation in April.

When making the decision to come to McGill for his undergraduate education, Montreal stood out because Motha-Pollock wanted to study in a major city outside his hometown. He liked Montreal when he visited, and was pleased to discover that the city has remained charming since living here.

“I didn’t want to go to a small-town university and I really liked Montreal as a city," Motha-Pollock said. "Its just a pretty and cool place to live.”

When applying, Motha-Pollock valued the size of McGill University and the numerous options he saw for himself as he entered a multi-track degree. He eventually settled on majoring in Cultural Studies with minors in French and Communications. He chose his major, which focuses on film theory and analysis, because it is an interdisciplinary stream that covers overlapping topics such as gender studies, race, and power relations.

“Since the degree is so diverse, I get to experience […] a whole bunch of different streams, departments, and courses,” Motha-Pollock said. “I like this kind of education because it creates the broad foundation that will eventually become the way I see the world.”

While acknowledging that it is a unique stream among his peers, Motha-Pollock points to the classes he has been able to take as a cultural studies major as the feature that has most defined his time at McGill thus far. He finds that people are shocked to hear the highly contemporary and topic-specific courses he is able to explore, such as a course he’s taking this semester on Netflix, and one he took last year on the Kennedy family.

“I have really enjoyed what I have been able to study, and I’m easily able to write papers on topics I’m passionate about, which is weirdly more rare than you would expect when you talk to people about what they’re taking,” said Motha-Pollock. “So, I think that’s lucky.”

When it comes to extra-curricular activities and clubs, Motha-Pollock has enjoyed his time participating in the McGill Debating Union (MDU), as well as working as a tutor for the essay center. Membership within the MDU is an extra-curricular activity that Motha-Pollock has come to value in his last two years at McGill for its engaging nature and the opportunity to learn and talk about topics ranging from popular culture to global politics.

“Debate is a great way to meet new people and talk about things that [I] wouldn’t necessarily have considered before, or issues that I’m not even certain where I stand on them yet,” Motha-Pollock said.  

Having recently added a part-time job to his plate in order to save money for his travel goals upon graduation, Motha-Pollock is enjoying a busy final semester at McGill, but not too busy to brainstorm where he plans to go. Areas around the world that are on his mind at the moment include South America—especially Peru because of rumours that Machu Picchu is going to close to the public, Tanzania to fulfill his desire to go on a safari, as well as various countries in and around Eastern Europe, simply because he has never been there before.

 

 

“I like to base myself in and explore an entire country. I really enjoy the idea of an extended cultural immersion trip […] and being able to do everything there is to offer as well as discover things off the beaten track.”

Having two parents who have both completed PhDs, he finds himself inspired by the way they own their passions. Motha-Pollock sees continued education in his future—possibly a Master’s program in film or communications—but for now he’s got travel on his brain. He takes pride in completing goals and being able to look back and reflect on what he has completed and achieved. As a soon-to-be graduate, he will certainly have plenty of upcoming time to meditate on his time at McGill—most likely somewhere on the other side of the globe.

When asked if there was one thing he wanted people who are meeting him for the first time through this article to know about himself and his character, Motha-Pollock was quick to reply in a light-hearted tone.

“There’s no better feeling in the world than returning from the restaurant bathroom to see that your food has arrived,” he said.

 

Q&A

McGill Tribune (MT): If you could have a conversation with any person, dead or alive, whom would you choose?

Jonathan Motha-Pollock (JMP): I would say Joan Rivers. I’ve always been a fan of hers and I had hoped to see her live, so it was sad when she died. I think she was a very quick-witted, talented, and intelligent woman. Her stand-up is a hoot!

MT: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

JMP: Probably kulfi, an Indian ice cream my mother makes.

MT: Who is your favourite artist?

JMP: Right now…Troye Sivan.

MT: What is your favourite movie of the moment?

JMP: Jongens, a Dutch movie that portrays a really cute coming of age story about two gay teens.

 

 

a, Opinion

In defence of Ebenezer Scrooge

by Justin Hatherly on

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As the holiday season becomes more distant, reflecting on the value of a particular Christmas trope is no less valuable. If Christmas is the season of selflessness, then surely one of the great symbols of Christmas is Ebenezer Scrooge. Contrary to common belief, however, he should be known for his original characteristics, not his reformed self. It’s our interpretation of Charles Dickens’ classic, not misers like Scrooge that needs to change. Prior to his encounters with three ghosts, the iconic Dicken’s character seems to have had no redeeming virtues. Indeed, Ebenezer Scrooge is one of literature’s best known misanthropes, who many would consider a miserly, sociopathic bully. Conventional wisdom has come to view A Christmas Carol as a story of redemption in which the irredeemably cruel Scrooge makes amends on Christmas Day; however, one could argue that this characterization is highly questionable. Despite being outwardly unsympathetic, Scrooge, inadvertently, would have been an important public benefactor.

If he chose to save his money conventionally—say, through a bank—Scrooge would have added to the supply of funds available to be loaned out and helped push down the interest rate that borrowers pay. Suddenly, at this new lower interest rate, someone may have finally been able to purchase that house they had longed for. Credit may have become affordable for an entrepreneur or a student may have been able to finance higher education. While it is true that in Scrooge’s time few would have purchased such goods and services, the principle still holds. People then may have used the credit to pay for medical bills, coal to heat their homes, or a myriad of other goods or services they could not afford without personal borrowing. Despite the self-interested motives that would have driven his savings, Scrooge, by opting to save rather than consume, would have provided more resources to society as a whole that could finance and fund the desires of others.

Far from being a vice, the fact that Scrooge eschewed mass consumption should be celebrated.

If Scrooge chose to sit on his money and do nothing—or perhaps bathe in it—he still would have done society a service. By reducing the total stock of money in the economy, he would have contributed to a contraction in the money supply. The fall in the money supply reduces total spending in the economy and puts downward pressure on the price level. This fall in prices opens up numerous possibilities to the range of actors that participate in an economy. Consumers might now be able to afford a little more meat or coffee. Businesspeople might be able to purchase more inputs to expand production. Here again, Scrooge’s seemingly cold-hearted stinginess has unintentionally contributed to socially desirable outcomes.

In this whole world, there is nobody more generous than the miser: This is the person who could deplete the world’s resources but chooses not to. When saving, his or her resources are directly transfered to someone else. If he or she merely consumes less than he or she might otherwise, more is left for others to enjoy. The only difference between miserliness and philanthropy is that the philanthropist serves a favoured few who directly receive their money while misers spread their largess far and wide.

Far from being a vice, the fact that Scrooge eschewed mass consumption should be celebrated. By consuming very little, Scrooge left more for others to consume at lower prices. For example, Dickens described the old miser as only using insufficient amounts of coal to heat his manor over Christmas. By demanding only minimal amounts of coal, Scrooge leaves more for others to use and reduces upward pressure on its price. In effect, far from being a negative trait, this frugality allows others to benefit from more and cheaper coal. Who is a more benevolent neighbour than the person who uses very little and thus allows others to use more?

As a man of means who consumed very little, and who was also contemptuous of philanthropy, Scrooge did one of two things with his vast fortune. He either saved it conventionally by loaning it out and seeking a profit, or he may have simply chosen to stuff his money under the proverbial mattress and literally do nothing with it. Both of these behaviours add to social utility and well-being.

On an individual basis, Scrooge’s thriftiness probably would only have a very marginal impact and not lead to enhanced social utility; however, the combined efforts of those millions of Scrooges out there do undoubtedly contribute to societal welfare gains.

Justin Hatherly is a Canadian who grew up in Hong Kong. He has failed at many things and thus has turned to that last refuge of scoundrels—writing opinion pieces. 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

a, Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: McGill advising does not provide sufficient tools for students to carve their own path

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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With add/drop coming to a close, students’ laments of academic advising at McGill are likely to abate. But at the moment, undergraduate students bemoan the bureaucratic advising system. The fundamental flaw with the McGill mindset is that students are expected to be independent without necessarily having been provided the tools to do so. First-years often do not already possess the independence that is required to understand the McGill process. The solution is not to promote hand-holding; university is the time to acquire autonomy. Yet there must be more of a balance between adequate advising services and self-sufficiency.

In March 2015, the McGill Univeristy Senate discussed the discrepancies in the ratio of students to advisors between the different faculties. At that time, the ratio of students per advisor in Arts was 843 to one; for Management, 198.33 to one; and for Law, 88 students per advisor. These disparities are large and will take time to address. In the meantime, the university must provide students with the tools and skills required to navigate the advising system so that these imbalances do not feel as drastic as they are.

Too much pressure is placed on individual students. This pressure, compounded with the ratio disparities, challenges the ability of students to cope with all the other stresses of post-secondary education. This is particularly overwhelming for students new to McGill, who must dive into the entire McGill context headfirst. To make sure that they do not crack their skulls, further advising initiatives must prioritize the usability of the online interfaces while also providing clear information.

 

 

Developing and implementing these initiatives is one thing, but ensuring that students are properly equipped to use them is another.

Despite the creation of Ask an Advisor—an online service that guarantees an answer or referral within 48 hours for any academic advising inquiry—students are still finding themselves entrenched in a bureaucratic loop. Developing and implementing advising initiatives is one thing, but ensuring that students are properly equipped to use them is another.

A first step may be to include opt-outable advising sessions in all first-year programs. Rather than depending on students to wait in line to see someone in an inundated advising office, students would become familiarized with the advising process upon arrival at McGill so that they may continue to use the services throughout their university careers. Students would then hopefully understand the wider scope of their university education and be more proactive in using advising resources. An added benefit would be that it would protect students from deferring graduation in order to correct mistakes made early on.

To form, other facets of the McGill community must work to minimize the risk of students falling through the cracks of the McGill system. To supplement this initiative, faculty and departmental associations should expand peer mentorship programs, such as by offering program-specific advising during add/drop. Facilitating students to help other students will reduce the stresses on the advising system while providing students with the benefit of their experience. While the advising experience differs between faculties and departments, a common thread prevails: The websites are not up to snuff, and must be improved drastically. Program details, advising resources and tips, and a guide for how to use the advising system must be presented more clearly. If adopting the attitude that “Getting Informed is Your Responsibility,” the structure must be in place to do so.

Unlike in high school, the expectation at McGill is that students will see an advisor after having exhausted all the online resources. An added benefit of improving the usability of the website and encouraging students to become familiar with the interface would be to increase the availability of in-person advising appointments. An online scheduling service—which is already in place at Service Point—would also reduce wait times and improve the efficiency of advising appointments.

McGill promotes the self-sufficiency of its students by emphasizing their responsibility for their own education. While this is an important skill to learn for later in life, there is an irony to reinforcing this independence in advising. The service that is normatively intended to assist students is currently instead a site of stress and confusion. To the extent that the intensity of this dismay correlates to the disparity of advisors per student between faculties, it is necessary that students are provided with the proper tools to use advising resources to their advantage.

 

 

a, Science & Technology

All for one and one for all

by Andy Wang on

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The origin of life on Earth remains a heavily researched topic in evolutionary biology. Among the myriad of questions yet to be answered is how simple, single-celled organisms evolved to be complex and multicellular.

While the mechanism for this phenomenon has been elucidated in plants and fungi, little is known about the evolution of multicellularity in animals; however, in a recent paper published in eLife, a group of American scientists have discovered a mutation that could explain the evolution of mitotic spindle orientation, a key step in cell division.

Multicellular organisms differ from their unicellular counterparts in that cells differentiate and arrange themselves into functional structures like muscles, bones, and skin. By forming tissues and organs, multicellular organisms not only survive but thrive. To grow, cells undergo what is known as mitosis, where two identical daughter cells are formed from one original parent cell through division. During mitosis, cells in a multicellular organism coordinate with their neighbours to maintain shape and function. To do this, they rely on specialized structures known as mitotic spindles. When the cells split, the mitotic spindles are responsible for ensuring that each new cell acquires the correct number of chromosomes in the right orientation. 

The researchers discovered that a single amino acid mutation in an enzyme, which previously had no role in mitotic spindle organization, was suddenly implicated. This allowed for cells to create more complex structures because cell division could now be more controlled and organized. It is rare for single amino acid substitutions alone to be both necessary and sufficient for a gain of function in evolutionary biology. The results even surprised the scientists.

“If you asked anyone on our team if they thought one mutation was going to be responsible for this, they would have said it doesn’t seem possible,” Ken Prehoda, a co-author of the paper, explained to The Washington Post.

The scientists began the process by searching publicly available databases for different amino acid sequences that matched  the protein across all eukaryotic species which ranged from humans to jellyfish. They then used massive data analysis computations to extrapolate the ancestral protein sequence. Genetic manipulation of living cells were used to create ancient versions of the proteins. By comparing each successive version, the team ultimately managed to successfully pinpoint the mutation that conferred multicellularity to eukaryotes.

Another prominent example of a single mutation leading to immediate beneficial consequences is the sickle cell gene. While one copy of the gene confers resistance to malaria, individuals who have two copies of the gene—homozygous recessive—develop sickle cell anemia, a severe form of anemia which can only be cured with a bone marrow transplant.

While it is true that discovery and research in evolutionary biology are ultimately associated with the past, mechanisms involved in multicellularity and mitotic spindle orientation can provide new insight into the pathways involved in cancer. 

“Normally, all of the cells in our body cooperate,” Douglas Anderson, the paper’s lead author explained in an interview with The Washington Post. “One way to think of cancer is a reversion from a multicellular state to a point where these cells are behaving as unicellular organisms.”

The discovery of this single mutation opens up further questions about the origin of multicellularity, such as the mechanisms and molecules involved, as well as other evolutionary events in this pathway. Together, all of these events create the dazzling array of diversity in life. 

a, News, SSMU

SSMU executive mid-term reviews

by The McGill Tribune on

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Kareem Ibrahim—SSMU President

 

Due to the resignation both the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) general manager (GM) and the Daycare director, President Kareem Ibrahim was forced to assume many of both positions’ responsibilities. In acting as a caretaker, he has performed impressively in ensuring that SSMU as a whole has continued to function and provide services to students; however, as a result of the resignations, many of Ibrahim’s original plans and ideas have been derailed. Initiatives such as the completion of a human resources equity policy and the establishment of a consultation listserv, which was a campaign promise to better consult students, have fallen by the wayside. Additionally, efforts to increase outreach and be more visible to students were inadequate in comparison to the primacy they received in his election platform—the Fall General Assembly (GA) failed to reach quorum.

Although he wasn’t visible externally, he was constantly present within SSMU—much of his portfolio includes acting as a support member to other executives or other permanent and part-time staff. He was responsible for student-staff orientation in September, a task normally under the portfolio of the GM, and has also overhauled many internal regulations of the president’s portfolio while also improving the operations of Council.

With the introduction of a new Daycare director, GM, and a vice-president (VP) Internal this semester, a period of relative calm has presented itself in an otherwise tumultuous tenure. Moving forward, Ibrahim will need to return to the tenets of his platform that have been neglected in order to ensure that the somewhat frayed relationship that students have with SSMU is repaired and strengthened.

 

 

 

 

Emily Boytinck—VP External Affairs

 

Since the dissolution of the Fédération Étudiante Universitaire du Québec (FÉUQ), Vice-President (VP) External Affairs Emily Boytinck has actively participated in the formation of two new student associations: The Union Étudiants du Quebec (UÉQ) and the Association pour la Voix Étudiante au Québec (AVÉQ). She has reached out to faculty associations to present information on both organizations, appropriate consultation given the early stages of both organizations.

Most of Boytinck’s political focus last semester concentrated on the Divest McGill and McGill Against Austerity campaigns. Boytinck was active in event planning for both campaigns as well as meeting with administration. She also coordinated with Elections Canada to launch the vote campaign during the federal election.

Boytinck additionally completed extensive work on community affairs, including delivering letters to every house in the Milton Parc neighbourhood during Frosh. Boytinck has put forward new initiatives to improve community relations, including a garbage survey to lobby for new trash cans.

With no VP Internal, Boytinck was delegated the planning of 4Floors, which failed to sell out. Though she was handed the event on short notice, she and the committee should have concentrated more on advertisement of the event, and less on organizing ticket-sales online, which will hopefully be taken into consideration next year.

A consistent problem throughout the semester was low attendance at the events Boytinck organized. This problem may have been exacerbated by a lack of effort to reach out to groups on campus that vocally opposed these causes. In the coming semester, we would like to see more consultation with such groups from Boytinck, which will hopefully increase interest in her educational events.

 

 

 

 

 

Zacheriah Houston—VP Finance and Operations

 

The absence of a GM has greatly affected the position of VP Finance and Operations, with tasks such as the budget revision being completed weeks later than has been typical in the past. However, it is a testament to Zacheriah Houston’s ability that despite this, he has been able to implement significant changes within SSMU. Houston worked to create an online form and streamlining system for club audits, simplifying the process and making it much more easily understood and accessible for SSMU clubs. Additionally, Houston has laid the groundwork for a base-fee increase referendum question, which will be voted on later this month, and has worked towards creating a purchasing database of ethical suppliers for SSMU.

The Student Run Cafe (SRC) is one area that Houston will need to pay more attention to in the upcoming semester. The SRC opened at the beginning of this academic year on the second floor of SSMU, in the space across from The Nest—another student-run initiative. While the idea of renting space to student-run cafés as opposed to commercial tenants is a nice one, neither the SRC nor The Nest, which has been operational for over two years, have yet to break even, let alone turn a profit. The fact is that many students are unaware that the SRC and The Nest even exist, therefore focus needs to shift to outreach, advertising, and communication with all students if the SRC hopes to be a profitable venture for SSMU.

 

 

 

 

 

Chloe Rourke—VP University Affairs

 

Compared to the roles of the other executives, the role of the VP University Affairs has been the least affected by the vacancies at SSMU. Rourke has continued to working to implement initiatives geared at improving students’ mental health and well-being, including planning the second Mental Health and Awareness Week at McGill, as well as instating Happy Lights, a program which allows students to rent lamps used to treat seasonal affective disorder from SSMU.

Rourke has also worked on broader academic initiatives, such as liaising with McGill administration and faculty regarding a proposed Fall Reading Week. Along with the VP Finance and Operations, Rourke has begun discussing SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill.

Rourke has continued her efforts to bring a new sexual assault policy to the McGill Senate. While drafts of the new policy existed before her term in office, it is commendable that Rourke is working on supplementary initiatives, such as a protocol outlining support measures for persons who have experienced sexual assault. Creating university-wide policies is a bureaucratic process, and while Rourke’s efforts are admirable, the consequences of the bureaucratic gridlock mean that initiatives that were started before Rourke’s term, and that Rourke herself worked on, may not be enacted until after her term.

 

 

 

 

 

Kimber Bialik—VP Clubs and Services

 

Kimber Bialik’s focus on institutional reorganization in areas of her portfolio over the past semester has brought an increased efficiency to the way both SSMU Clubs and Services are run. Additionally, her ongoing efforts to increase general promotion of both clubs and services, and improving general resources for each, have brought about visible changes.

Moving Fall Activities Night outdoors to reduce the wait time in line, allowing clubs to sell event tickets at the front desk of SSMU, and ramping up social media presence were small initiatives that allowed for students to have more access to information about clubs and involvement.

Bialik additionally completed an overhaul of club space by getting rid of club offices on the fourth floor of the SSMU Building, creating common areas, bookable rooms for meetings, and installing lockers.

Bialik has not only been working to maintain the four committees under her purview—Services Review Committee, Club Committee, Space Committee, Building Committee—but she has also facilitated the creation of a new club consultative committee. The Building Committee, responsible for allocating funds to improve the SSMU Building, received little to no student consultation in the past, because it is comprised primarily of permanent staff members; this past semester, Bialik froze part of these funds and allowed students to come forward with proposals on how to spend $20,000, ultimately resulting in the purchase of new carpet and furniture for the SSMU Student Lounge.

Her biggest undertaking was completion of SSMU’s service reviews, a behind-the-scenes, administrative effort. Although service reviews are supposed to be completed each year, they have been neglected since 2011, with some services having no record of ever being reviewed. On average, past SSMU Clubs and Services executives have completed five service reviews per semester; Bialik ensured that all 20 were reviewed and brought up-to-date last semester alone.