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MHAUS connects students with mental health resources

by Tali Zuckerman on

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With the winter semester underway and deadlines looming on the not-so-distant horizon, students may find themselves needing to access the mental health resources available on campus. Despite the existing counselling services, peer support networks, and medical mental health services available at McGill, many undergraduates don’t take advantage of all the resources available to them. Mental Health at the Arts Undergraduate Society (MHAUS) is working to address the under utilization of resources through community outreach.

Led by mental health commissioners Melody Gao and Olivia Frank, U1 and U3 psychology, respectively, and their team of four other undergraduate students, the committee falls under the portfolio of AUS Vice-President External Rebecca Scarra and meets with the mental health committees of other faculties.

Gao and Frank coordinate outreach programs that strive to better connect students in need of additional support with already existing campus services. Through this work, the commissioners hope to establish an environment in which all students, including those not suffering from mental illness, view mental well-being as a priority.

“[Mental health] is something that needs to be worked on constantly,” Frank said. “It’s not just something that is acknowledged in times of difficulty, but something that is always important and should always be recognized on campus.”

Though other McGill faculties and student organizations have similar mental health committees, such as the SSMU Mental Health Committee, MHAUS is the first to service McGill’s largest undergraduate faculty. Still, both commissioners stressed the importance of collaborating with student-run mental health committees from other faculties to pool their resources and expand overall reach within the McGill community. Through collaboration, MHAUS hopes to bring more attention to the overall importance of mental health. According to Frank, the committee aims to integrate the successes of other mental health groups on campus to foster acceptance of mental health struggles on campus.

“It’s not about competing with their success, but rather creating awareness in any way possible,” Frank said. “I think everybody on campus is beginning to see that change toward how crucial mental health and overall wellness is. The decrease in stigma [surrounding mental illness has] been a massive change, and I think [that having] more people at the table is just going to create a more diverse and more accepting environment and a better conversation.”

For members of MHAUS, success means meeting student needs. Hosting tabling events and publishing surveys on its Facebook page are a few of the ways the committee hopes to gather student feedback and provide information on services that students need.

Ultimately, MHAUS is an organization for all students; both Frank and Gao believe that mental well-being is crucial to every student’s success—both inside and outside of the classroom. In executing this goal, both commissioners stressed the need for making mental health support more available.

“It’s not about creating accessibility for those who need it, because everyone needs it,” Frank said. “Everyone needs to address their mental health just as much as they address their physical health. An image of health that doesn’t include [mental health] is ignoring a massive component of what health looks like for students and for everybody.”

McGill, News

McGill Book Fair opens a new chapter

by Kyle Dewsnap on

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In a sudden resurgence, the McGill Alumni Association’s annual book fair will return in Oct. 2019. The 2018 fair was originally planned to be the final iteration due to future renovations planned for the book fair’s space in Redpath Hall. However, organizers of the event have since made new arrangements. Anne Johnston Williams, co-book fair coordinator, is optimistic about the event’s future.

“The day after the sale finished, we began to get feedback from people in various positions at McGill,” Williams said. “After a number of meetings and consultations, we received confirmation in November that the work on Redpath Hall would be finished in September. Although we may not always have access to the lower level where we work, there seems to be a spirit of cooperation between the departments involved.”

This is not the book fair’s first near-death experience. In 2011, organizers unanimously voted to cancel the event for 2012 after low volunteer turnout. However, it soon regained momentum after two graduate students stepped in as coordinators. The fair was cancelled again in 2013 due to renovations to the Redpath terrace. After the repeated cancellations, low interest plagued the event’s new launch in 2014—both students and book retailers failed to show up.

All proceeds from the fair go toward the McGill Book Fair Bursary. Last year, the book fair raised over $50,000 for three different funds for students in financial need: The McGill Book Fair Bursary for all undergraduate students, the McGill Book Fair Bursary in Music for students in the Schulich School of Music, and the Jane B. Hood Bursary in English Literature, named after the fair’s longest-serving coordinator. Gabrielle Korn, managing director for Alumni Relations, estimates that the book fair has raised over $1.8 million over the past four decades.

“The Book Fair was initially started by the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association and the Women’s Associates of McGill (Wives of Professors) over 45 years ago,”  Korn said. “From the beginning, proceeds from sales were divided between the two groups and returned to the University. The Alumnae Association supported scholarships and bursaries, and the Associates funded a lecture series [….] When the Women’s Associates disbanded, the Alumnae Association carried on solo and all proceeds from the fair went toward supporting their scholarships and bursaries.”

The McGill community can donate books, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, and sheet music. Books are sold at an average price of three dollars, and unused material is donated to Renaissance, a Quebec non-profit dedicated to providing training to people experiencing difficulty entering the workforce.

“It’s great news that they’re reopening [in 2019],” Owen Lewis, U2 Arts, said. “There were a lot of people there when I went. I was able to find stuff that you wouldn’t be able to get from a normal book store, and at a bargain. It was nice to give to a good cause as well.”

The book fair’s continued success depends on donations from the McGill community; starting on April 9, McGill community members can donate material in good condition every Tuesday and Thursday to Redpath Hall. Williams also said that there is an ever-present need for drop-off supervisors.

“One of the areas where we need assistance is in finding new depots, places where people who can’t otherwise get to McGill can drop off their donations,” Williams said. “The depot people then bring the books to us at their convenience. Students can always drop by on Tuesdays and Thursdays to say hello, check out the free boxes, and ask if any help is needed. Once October comes, we need all the word-of-mouth advertising possible.”

The 2019 book fair will take place Oct. 22-24. Students interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact one of the coordinators.

Private, Science & Technology

Uncovering the molecule behind synaptic plasticity

by Farida Rahman on

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Our brains function according to the “use it or lose it” phenomenon: If a skill or piece of information is underused, it becomes harder, if not impossible, to recall it. Conversely, reviewing new knowledge or practicing an action is one of the best ways to strengthen the memory and prevent it from easily degrading.

Learning and memory is made possible by synaptic plasticity, the brain’s malleable ability to form, alter, or lose physical connections, known as synapses, in response to environmental input.

In the past, scientists believed that synapses were only able to undergo structural changes in the developing brains of children and infants, but they now know that the adult brain is also capable of similarly flexible changes. Researchers are still investigating the mechanisms underlying these changes. A recent study from McGill researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute suggests that netrin proteins may be the key.

“We’ve identified a key molecular mechanism of the synapse that underlies [the memory’s] ‘use it or lose’ it phenomenon,” Timothy Kennedy, associate professor in McGill’s Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, said in an interview with //The McGill Tribune//. “If you use the synapse, that then makes it stronger. It is like you’re enhancing a pathway. And if you believe changes in neural circuits are what underlie memories, which there is pretty good evidence for, then what we’re doing is we’re changing the function of that neural circuit, and we’re changing the memory.”

When our brains learn new information, it is relayed across synapses using chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. This process can be improved by releasing more neurotransmitters or by increasing the number of receptors in receiving synapses. Kennedy identified netrins, a class of proteins, as aiding the latter.

Although netrin’s role in neuron cell guidance and brain circuitry in infants is well documented, studies show that netrin plays an important role in the adult brain as well. When a signal is ready for transmission, the synapse releases netrin, increasing the number of receptors on the receiving neuron and allowing for a greater intake of the relayed chemical signal.

“The relatively subtle changes that happen in your brain when you’re learning things and […] having everyday experiences […] are changing how netrin is presented to neurons,” Kennedy said.“Neurons are secreting netrin and changing the strength of connections between cells and neural networks.”

Many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s, have been linked to impairments in the synaptic plasticity mechanism. Specifically, an understanding of netrin shows that dysfunctional synapses can result from reduced levels of netrin, similarly to the way in which muscles would atrophy if the mechanisms involved in muscle formation are damaged. The Kennedy Lab is examining aging as one such factor, since most neurodegenerative diseases have onsets in later life. Determining the details of the netrin mechanism may open new doors for treatment.

“You can flip [reduced levels of netrin] on its head,” Kennedy said. “If you promote the netrin mechanism, you might actually rescue some of those deficits [in neurodegenerative disease]. We’re trying to understand that.”

McGill, News

Senate divided over ban on student-staff relationships

by Kyle Dewsnap on

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Having missed the Jan. 1 deadline set by the Quebec government to revise its sexual violence policy, McGill’s revisions, which are scheduled to be introduced to the Senate on Feb. 20, have become a point of contention between students and staff since last month’s meeting. When the Ad-Hoc Senate Committee on Teaching Staff-Student Intimate Relationships presented their findings at the Dec. 5 Senate meeting, around 25 students attended to protest the report for not suggesting that the Senate enact a full ban on consensual sexual relationships between students and their instructors. After the report’s presentation and a heated question period between student senators and Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell, students began chanting “We want a ban!” The Senate’s chairwoman, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier, asked the students to stop.

“I think we’ve all heard you,” Fortier said. “You don’t have to repeat that twenty times. At this time, I will ask you to respect our work and the need for us to continue in our proceedings.

Teaching staff-student relationships constitute any consensual romantic or sexual relationship between a student and a staff member with teaching, supervisory, or grading authority over any student. Convened last semester, the committee was made up of three students and three academic staff members, or two alternate student members if others were not present. The committee’s report recommends that staff-student relationships be prohibited between members of the same academic unit. However, staff may ask for an exemption if they would have no supervisory authority over the student, and the student is not perceived as having any advantage over their peers.

The three student members of the committee wrote a commentary in The McGill Tribune in December 2018, stating that the report ignored student demands for a ban on all staff-student relationships. Bee Khaleeli, a committee member who also contributed to SSMU’s Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy, said that the report is yet another example of McGill ignoring its students.

“In the conversations [the committee] had, both in private and during public forums, it was clear that students wanted a ban,” Khaleeli said. “I personally don’t feel that this was something that was addressed in good faith. I think that [the proceedings] pointed not only to McGill’s failure to [address] this specific issue, but also to a wider pattern of students’ needs not being taken seriously.”

The committee was tasked with holding its meetings on a consensus basis, meaning that the recommendations within the report had to be agreed upon by all committee members. After the report was presented to the Senate, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) senators questioned why students’ request for a ban was omitted. Arts Senator Madeline Wilson denied the existence of a consensus, sparking a debate between herself and Campbell.

“The three students on that committee clearly stated that they were in favour of a ban on staff-student relationships, and that wasn’t represented anywhere in the report,” Wilson said. “[The claim] that the goal of consensus-based decision making is compromise is not [realistic]. [Compromise] is not something that should be considered with regards to an issue of this sensitivity or with an issue that relates to student safety.”

Campbell cited the findings of Concordia’s Sexual Assault Policy Review Working Group, which found that banning any relationship between consenting adults would be illegal. Campbell also adamantly stated that McGill’s administration is trying its best to incorporate student opinions into the discussion about sexual violence at McGill.

“Having the outcome that you would like to see not appear in the result of a report doesn’t mean that you weren’t heard,” Campbell said. “I think there’s a difference between being consulted and having your opinion carry the day […], otherwise, [the report] would be a single-person show [….] I think there’s a disconnect between the perception of how much interest the university has taken toward this issue versus how many resources are actually being poured into both addressing these issues as well as preventing them.”

Hockey, Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill men’s hockey falls to Concordia in overtime

by Ender McDuff on

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On Jan. 11, an overtime thriller ended in dismay for the McGill faithful and their men’s hockey team (12-5-4). The Carnival hockey showcase against the cross-town rival Concordia Stingers (12-7-1) ended in a 5-4 loss after a wrap-around shot cemented the Stingers’ three-goal comeback.

This year’s Carnival game was the first in McGill history to sell out before the opening face-off. With 1,029 people in attendance, there was only standing room available for many of the boisterous fans.

Concordia struck first just one minute and 20 seconds into the game, but McGill was quick to respond: Second-year forward Keanu Yamamoto sniped a slap shot just 20 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1. McGill excelled in transition all night, as their next goal also came on a two-on-one. Fourth-year centre Jerome Verrier’s attempted cross found the back of the net when the Concordia goalie accidentally redirected the puck on goal.

McGill ended the period up 3-1 after third-year left wing Guillaume Gauthier came off the bench and immediately collected the puck to snipe a goal over the outstretched body of a Concordia defender.

McGill started the second period well; they controlled the puck and managed to limit much of the play to Concordia’s end of the rink. A sudden lapse in defence, however, allowed Concordia to tip in a goal off of a rebound to bring the game within one goal, 3-2.

Concordia seized the momentum, forcing third-year goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon to make a consecutive series of spectacular saves—38 in total—to maintain McGill’s narrow lead.

With four minutes left in the period, fourth-year centre Frederic Gamelin scored McGill’s final goal of the night despite being short-handed. However, a second penalty left McGill playing three-on-five, and Concordia took advantage to end the second period down 4-3.

The third period started with several shots on net for both teams, but neither goaltender would give way. With six minutes left to play, a skirmish at the Concordia net left the Stingers goalie winded and helmetless and the puck across the goal line—but the referees waved off the would-be McGill score. Only 10 seconds later, a rebounded slapshot by Concordia tied the game 4-4 and sent the match to a 3-on-3 overtime.

McGill started sudden-death play with two electrifying, breakaway opportunities, but neither shot succeeded. Controlling the puck, Concordia finished the game in heartbreaking fashion with a wrap-around effort, winning 5-4.

“I thought we played a pretty good game, but just a couple bad bounces and they got us at the end,” fourth-year defender Redgie Bois said. “It’s really painful to lose that one, especially in front of that crowd.”

Bois was very appreciative of the raucous fans, noting the encouragement that they provided.

“I was really fortunate to play that game,” he said.

Looking ahead, second-year forward Alex Renaud spoke to what it will take for McGill to win close matches.

“It’s hard to say what we need to do differently, but we just have to stick to our game [… because] we know what it takes to win,” Renaud said. “Every game is different and we’ve just got to put it all out there.”

McGill travelled to Ottawa on Jan. 12 to play the Carleton Ravens (12-5-4) and returned home with a decisive 6-2 victory. The team’s next home game is on Jan. 18, when they will host the Laurentian Voyageurs.

Moment of the Game:

With McGill holding onto a one-goal lead, fourth-year centre Frederic Gamelin managed to break past all five of Concordia’s skaters and beat the goalkeeper to put McGill on top 4-2 despite being short-handed by a player.

Quotable:

“You know, a couple bounces go differently and we are the ones cheering and having a parade at the end of the game.” – Alex Renaud on McGill’s narrow loss

Stat Corner:

Third-year goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon played the entire 62 minutes and 30 seconds of action without rest, tallying a game-high 38 saves.

Commentary, Opinion

Prioritizing culture and colour in mental health services

by Amrita Sandhu on

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On Jan. 30, many McGill students’ social media feeds will overflow with posts tagged with #BellLetsTalk. An initiative started by the telecommunications company to increase awareness about mental health, Bell’s “Let’s Talk” event is a day when people can use their social media platforms to raise money for mental health awareness by using the designated hashtag. This campaign may resonate—positively or not—with the increasing number of McGillians turning to counselling services for support with mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Accessing care can be even more difficult for students of colour at McGill, who encounter unique obstacles when seeking care. Language barriers, therapist-patient disconnects, and lack of access to ethnically-diverse counsellors all hinder students’ access to necessary care.

Students of colour living in predominately-white cities often experience difficulties finding counsellors who understand their experiences, and seeking help outside of the university’s healthcare system is not always a viable option. International students, for example, may have to pay out-of-pocket for a counsellor of the same demographic, even incurring travel costs if the counsellor is located beyond the downtown Montreal area. It is imperative that McGill offers students the option to be counselled by someone of the same background, as the patient may find it easier to discuss cultural issues if they feel that their therapist can relate to them or at least understand them.

As a South Asian woman, depression and anxiety were not words I heard often while growing up. The negative stigma surrounding mental health issues in many Asian cultures stands in stark contrast with the emphasis that the Western world places on mental well-being. Cross-cultural counselling skills are crucial considering the growing diversity not only of McGill, but of Canada as a whole. The importance of therapists’ cross-cultural knowledge for the quality of patients’ care is increasingly well-recognized: For example, the Canadian Psychological Association has established a list of resources for therapists treating recently-arrived Syrian refugees.

Language barriers may also arise between patients of colour and therapists. Canada is a diverse country, with over 200 languages spoken nationwide. Students whose first language is not English or French may struggle to communicate their precise feelings to their therapist, affecting the counselling and treatment they receive as a result. The option to receive psychotherapy in one’s native language can encourage students to actively seek mental health care, allowing for greater and more effective communication between a counsellor and their patient.  

Ensuring that every student is properly accommodated and cared for requires looking beyond treatment methods alone. Making sure that students of colour on campus feel comfortable seeking assistance in a way that also adheres to their cultural perspective can improve mental health care at McGill. Altering the approach to mental health care is at McGill’s discretion. The equitable solution to the relative inaccessibility of mental health services is to incorporate cross-culture counselling methods and a higher diversity of counsellors to abolish the unique barriers students of colour can face when seeking mental health care.

Science & Technology

Eyes on the skies: Upcoming innovations in 2019

by Ronny Litvack-Katzman on

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2018 proved to be breakthrough year for the scientific community. From finding the first traces of liquid water on Mars to unearthing the largest land animal to have ever lived, humanity continued on its quest to better understand the universe around us. Now, as scientists turn their attention to 2019, their plans are only becoming more awe-inspiring. Here are some of the many upcoming events and projects of the next year.

SCoPEx

In a new approach to solving Earth’s increasingly dire climate dilemma, a Harvard University geoengineering team led by scientists Frank Keutsch and David Keith will begin the first of their experiments to curb the effects of Earth’s polluted atmosphere. The Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) is a weather balloon-like apparatus that will rise approximately 20 km over the Arizona desert and disperse aerosols—chiefly calcium carbonate—in an attempt to predict the large-scale effects of chemical particles releasing into the atmosphere. The technology will capture the initial interactions between the particles and surrounding atmospheric gases such as ozone. Pending the results, the team plans to look further into solar geoengineering, large-scale projects which attempt to reflect solar rays and offset global warming. SCoPEx estimates an initial launch date sometime early in 2019.

MOSAiC

This coming September, a team of over 600 researchers will board the Polarstern, a massive icebreaker ship that will take them to the Arctic Circle. The expedition, led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, is called MOSAiC: Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. Seeing how recent increases in global temperature have greatly affected the Arctic climate system, the climate scientists, hailing from 17 nations, hope to improve climate models worldwide by finding a better way to simulate the changing environment. To do so, they plan to set up a large network of research stations with the Polarstern acting as a hub for compiling data over the long Arctic winter, a period of time in the Arctic when study has rarely taken place. Over the course of a year, MOSAiC plans to amass a significant amount of information pertaining to climate change and changes in sea ice distribution which will serve to enhance climate models for years to come.  

Drones for Climate Change

Tropical rainforests are essential to the world’s carbon cycle stability. Acting as ‘carbon sinks,’ rainforests across the globe account for 40 per cent of trees, working as a final natural barrier between humanity and a carbon disaster by accumulating and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Unexpectedly, a significant threat to the carbon-sequestering ability of rainforests are plants, in particular liana vines, which are abundant in rainforest canopies but whose populations have doubled in recent decades. These vines tend to shade and choke larger trees, threatening the forest productivity by limiting intake of carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, the process of studying liana infestations is tedious, labour-intensive work. Liana are difficult to spot from below the tree canopy and it is impossible to  manually catalogue the distribution of the plant due to the sheer number of trees. To overcome these obstacles, drones present an unparalleled opportunity in this area of forestry research. The unmanned aerial vehicles can snap pictures of the forest high above the canopy, allowing researchers to see the extent of the liana cover in a reasonable amount of time. Not only is the number of drones used in scientific research increasing, so is the variety of methods in which they are employed.

NASA’s TESS

Just last week NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovered three new exoplanets, adding to a growing list of newly-discovered planets that is estimated to reach a peak of 20,000. An exoplanet is any planet that, similarly to Earth, orbits around a central star. At the time of launch in April 2018, only 3,800 identified exoplanets had been catalogued. As of 2019, TESS has already identified more than 250 exoplanets as it hurtles through space in the last year of its two-year journey. The novelty of the satellite comes from its many field cameras, which are able to study the mass, size, density, and orbit of a large cohort of small planets. TESS’s most interesting discoveries to date are planets which lie within the habitable zone of sun-like stars. These have surface conditions similar to that of Earth and are likely to possess liquid water and have oxygen-rich atmospheres. The identification and exploration of exoplanets could provide humanity with a first glimpse into extraterrestrial life. NASA keeps a running tally of all of TESS’s discoveries, which are sure to increase in 2019.

The Eta Aquariids and The Orionids

1986 was the last time Halley’s Comet came close enough to Earth to be seen with the naked eye, and, while it will be another 42 years before the comet itself lights up the night’s sky, two of its annual meteor showers will continue to amaze onlookers worldwide. Meteor showers come about in a multitude of ways, but The Eta Aquariids and The Orionids showers are a direct result of Halley’s Comet’s passage by Earth over 30 years ago. As a comet passes through space, the sun slowly breaks down it’s thick outer layers of ice, releasing the rock trapped underneath. The resulting meteors can be seen on Earth today, rushing toward our planet at 238,000 kph in a spectacle of light and colour. The Eta Aquariids begin on Apr. 19 and last until May 28, followed by their successor, The Orionids, which will occur from Oct. 2 to early November.

CAESAR vs. Dragonfly

This July, NASA will expand its New Frontiers program by picking a winning project to send into space. In 2017, NASA announced two finalists from a group of 12 proposals: CAESAR, a sample-return mission to search the comet 67P for organic life, and Dragonfly, which proposes sending robotic landing crafts to Saturn’s largest moon Titan. In the months following their selection, both projects received $4 million dollars to expand their proposal to NASA. If chosen, CAESAR will follow two earlier spacecrafts which have visited the comet for data collection. Meanwhile, Dragonfly seeks to uncover the origin of life in the galaxy, further exploring Titan after another spacecraft, NASA’s Cassini, initially discovered liquid hydrocarbons, the building blocks of life, on the planet’s surface in 2016. Whichever project is chosen this year will be funded in full by NASA, providing researchers with $150 million to get their spacecraft ready for take-off in 2025.

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McGill, News, The Tribune Explains

The Tribune Explains: The McGill Budget

by Nina Russell on

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As McGill continues to cut important services, such as the Eating Disorder Program, while financing seemingly-endless construction projects, it is easy for students to wonder how the university prioritizes funding for its projects. With a total revenue amounting to around $1.33 billion, creating the budget is a year-long process and usually begins immediately after the previous budget has been passed.

The process by which McGill drafts its annual budget involves a careful analysis of previous financial statements, three budget presentations, and ratification by the McGill Senate and Board of Governors (BoG). McGill’s budget is comprised of  four funds: A restricted fund, an unrestricted fund, an endowment fund, and a plant fund. The first two are dedicated to helping the university fulfill its academic mandate. The endowment fund is composed of donations and is thus spent according to the donors’ wishes. Finally, the plant fund consists of government grants and is mostly dedicated to maintenance and renovations.

Where does McGill get its funding?

McGill receives funding from four main sources. The largest funding stream is comprised of grants from the Quebec government. Provincial grants are given in the form of the Quebec Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEES) operating grant and revenues from regulated tuition fees, which are set by the MEES and adjusted annually according to average household income. In 2018, this totalled $431 million, with Quebec wanting to increase funding by an additional $173 million. Quebec has historically lagged behind other provinces when it comes to the proportion of funding per student. For comparison, in 2017, Quebec spent $11,049 per student, while Ontario spent $13,276, and British Columbia spent $11,216. Meanwhile, the federal government provides $205 million in grants per year, most of which fund research.

Another source is McGill fees, which totalled $319 million in 2018. Increases in tuition occur every year and are based on those of other universities of similar sizes and reputation. In the 2018-19 academic year, there was a 2.7 per cent tuition increase for Quebec students and 3.1 per cent increase for out-of-province and international students.

A percentage of the tuition increases for the latter group of students is given to the government, but, in order to offset recruitment costs, McGill is allowed to charge up to 10 per cent more than this increase.  Earlier in 2018, the Quebec government deregulated tuition fees for international students, allowing McGill to set their tuition rates without government intervention.

A significant portion of McGill’s funding comes from revenue generated by the provision of goods and services, amounting to $151.4 million. This includes residences, food services, immunizations, and revenue from Le James Bookstore.

In addition, McGill receives about 10 per cent of its revenue from endowments. This leaves McGill with the third highest endowment fund in Canada, after the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, as of 2017.

How is it allocated?

McGill’s expenses are classified between salary payments, which totalled $894 million in 2018, and non-salary payments, amounting to $454 million. The second category of expenditures includes publications, contract services, energy, maintenance, and travel.

The University Strategic Academic Plan 2017-22 is the set of core principles which guide general direction for the annual budgets. The 2018-19 budget claims to be built around five priorities set by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier based on consultation with students. These include improving McGill’s educational experience, focus on research, enhancing community partnerships, support for administrative staff, and construction.

One objective of this year’s budget is the Student Mental Health Action Plan, which has dedicated $8.7 million over the course of seven years toward the creation of a Student Wellness Hub and a new website to provide more accessible mental health services for students.

Another initiative in the budget is a pledge to allocate at least 30 per cent of new net tuition to student aid and support. Macleans Magazine ranked McGill first for scholarships in the medical doctorate category, as it devotes 14 per cent of its operating budget to student aid.

Other priorities include dedicating $1.4 million annually to the Indigenous Studies department and Education Initiatives and $4.2 million to academic renewal.

Ask Ainsley, Student Life

Ask Ainsley: How can I make friends in my lectures?

by Ainsley on

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Dear Ainsley,

I don’t have any of my friends this semester in my classes, and I am wondering how to go about making friends in class. I am a bit shy and don’t want to sit alone for the entire semester. Do you have any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Scared of Loneliness (SL)

Dear SL,

This is a common concern among both incoming and seasoned McGill students, but there are numerous ways to make friends and connections quickly.

Making friends can be convenient when you are in need of academic support: You can study together, swap notes, and master course material together. Oftentimes, the relationships you develop within your major’s core courses will carry over to your future classes, making it easy to maintain them.

While making friends may seem daunting in big lecture halls, meeting new people doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Being active in group activities and developing a close group of studymates can make your lectures feel smaller. Further, while it might seem negligible, choosing to sit nearby other students who are sitting alone can aid your search for friends. Likely, they also will be in search of people to speak with and might be more open to engaging in small talk.

Once you find your preferred seat, don’t feel pressure to chat with your neighbours on the first day if you feel uncomfortable—many students will continue to sit in the same vicinity as the class progresses. As you become more familiar with your surroundings, feel free to reach out to the people around you with an icebreaker. An easy way to start is to ask your neighbors questions about the lecture material, or how useful they have found the textbook to be. Over time, it will be easier to engage in small talk before the class, and eventually exchange contact information to study course content together.

You can also connect with your classmates via Facebook groups. Most large lectures have pages dedicated to discussing course content and creating study groups. It’s easy and advisable to visit the class page and suggest a gathering to review, especially if you are more comfortable making the first move behind the screen than in-person. As the course continues, study groups will solidify and allow for better opportunities to get to know each other individually. Over time, study buddies can easily become close friends. Chatting about the subject outside of class gives more leeway to detour into personal interest topics and to get to know each other. Plus, you can fill awkward silences by going back to studying the course content.

Once the course ends it can be easy to lose touch with your newfound class friends. Do your best to maintain those friendships by getting together regularly. Perhaps you can try to synchronize your class schedules for the next semester, so that your study group members can stay together.

Undoubtedly, it can be hard to make friends in class, but remember that many students share your worries and are just as nervous as you. Good luck in the new semester and with your new friendships!

With love,

Ainsley

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