McGill Tribune

During my campaign to become SSMU president, I often noted that student groups and student politicians within our community should strive to be a lot “nicer” to one another. Many found this desire to be empty, vague, unattainable, or all of the above. But quality of the argument aside it is most certainly true. Throughout this year, students at McGill have been witness to everything that is wrong with student politics at McGill.

In September, following the closure of the Architecture Café, a student Senator publicly defamed our Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) by calling him “Voldemort” in the McGill Daily. And we expect the administration to consult with and respect our student representatives? Immaturity and name-calling: this is what’s wrong with student politics at McGill.

In October, members of SSMU Council attempted to bring to referendum a resolution that would annul QPIRG McGill’s opt-outable fee, part of a year-long campaign to dismantle the group’s finances. The QPIRG Opt-Out campaign has led to students not only opting out of QPIRG, but also wonderful services and funds like Nightline and the Ambassador Fee. Group-on-group attack-rhetoric: this is what’s wrong with student politics at McGill.

In December, student representatives walked out of a meeting with provincial government ministers and university administrators due to our refusal to accept proposed hikes in tuition. Five months later, undergraduate tuition is still going up, but we have learned little about increases in financial aid or any real progress that mitigates the problem of inaccessible education. Lack of pragmatism and an inability to compromise: this is what’s wrong with student politics at McGill.

In February, three SSMU Executives and at least five councillors met in a closed-door meeting to discuss the removal of the SSMU president, based on his personal involvement with the website Jobbook. Subsequent to this we saw public and private defamation, circulation of confidential information, circulation of false information, and unwavering attitudes of pettiness and disrespect. The ensuing drama and politics did far more harm to the Students’ Society than the initial lapses of judgment. “Jobbook-gate” is representative of what is wrong with student politics at McGill.

In March, a McGill student publicly released anti-Semitic death threats during a screening of a documentary hosted by two SSMU clubs. Instead of uniting the student body in a condemnation of hate speech and threats of violence, the situation has further perpetuated ideological divides on campus. Those who had their lives threatened have been accused of exaggerating the effect as a means to gain attention for themselves and their respective student groups. A lack of humanity and empathy: this is what’s wrong with student politics at McGill.

This past Thursday at SSMU Council, the VP university affairs questioned the president’s ability to re-draft the Conflict of Interest Policy, despite there being no formal or informal determination that he ever violated it. The VP clubs and services opposed a financial endeavor of the VP finance and operations because it didn’t prioritize her portfolio enough. Bickering, bantering, crying, swearing, disrespecting, yelling, booing, ignoring, head-shaking, time-wasting: they’re at our Council, they’re at our General Assembly, they’re in our Opt-Out campaigns, they’re in our articles, they’re in the online comment threads at the end of our articles, they’re throughout our campus (you even hear these at Gerts): they are what’s wrong with student politics at McGill.

Cathal Rooney-Céspedes is the SSMU Speaker of Council, and can be reached at [email protected]