Liam Murphy is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Social Work. He has experience as the Social Events representative of the Social Work Association of Graduate Students and as Vice-President Academic of the Acadia Student Union at Acadia University, where he completed his undergraduate degree. Additionally, Murphy has worked with provincial and federal organizations, including Students Nova Scotia and the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations.

His platform focuses on increasing PGSS’s advocacy efforts, particularly to condemn controversial legislation such as Bill 62. Murphy hopes for PGSS to improve postgraduates’ access to affordable housing and childcare services. He also hopes to lobby the Société de Transport de Montréal to extend its reduced fare for full-time students to their part-time counterparts. If elected, Murphy intends to bring more of graduate students’ interests to the McGill Board of Governors and hold the Board accountable to the student body. Murphy is committed to learning more about aspects of the Secretary-General portfolio that are less familiar to him. In doing so, he hopes to bring about meaningful change for postgraduates.

Maria Tippler, PhD candidate in Neuroscience, has been a student at McGill since 2011, when she began her undergraduate degree in psychology. She has been working as PGSS Student Support Commissioner since June 2017. In this position, she provides one-on-one support, information, and referrals for external support to PGSS members while also advocating for them at PGSS Council meetings. Additionally, she has worked with the Graduate Students’ Association for Neuroscience as a fundraising officer.

As Secretary-General, Tippler would advocate for mental health support and aims to communicate the associated needs of graduate students to the McGill Board of Governors. She also hopes to aid graduate students with supervisor relations and their transition into the job market after graduation.

Tippler’s platform is centred around her experience with student governance. Though she comes equipped with her own ideas and aspirations, she is also focused on creating a strong collaborative relationship with the current executive team, and ultimately on laying a sturdy foundation for future PGSS executives.

Mohammed Amini is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science. He has travelled to over 30 countries and has lived in India, South Korea, Italy, France, Iran, and Canada. He feels this global experience has prepared him to navigate McGill’s diverse and international graduate student body, as well as to facilitate PGSS negotiations.

A key component of Amini’s platform is his plan to secure corporate sponsorships through PGSS. These sponsorships would fund PGSS events and provide networking opportunities for students. He also hopes to utilize corporate sponsorship for graduate research, connecting students with professionals and alleviating research costs. He cites long Student Health Service wait times, low Teaching Assistant stipends, and inefficiencies in Counselling and Mental Health Services as other issues he hopes to address.

As Secretary-General, Amini hopes to increase PGSS’s transparency and communication with its students by improving McGill’s existing app and website, and through a PGSS subreddit. He considers unifying PGSS a priority, and would like to liaise between different Post-Graduate Student Associations (PGSAs).

Nooria Puri is pursuing a Master’s in History and Classical Studies with a background in student governance. She worked as a bookkeeper for the Student Government Association at Mount Holyoke College, where she completed her undergraduate degree. She has also worked in the Human Resources department at Mastercard Incorporated. She believes her experience in government and HR are assets to her candidacy for Secretary General.

Puri intends to develop stronger mental health programming to support graduate students. Her platform includes expanding existing programs such as Nightline and PGSS mental health workshops to reach out to more students year-round. She plans to work with the McGill Board of Governors to find solutions that can benefit all university students—not just PGSS members.

As Secretary-General, Puri hopes to mobilize a stronger sense of community and social engagement within the PGSS network. Her focus is on creating events that are inclusive and appealing to women and minority students, expanding graduate student space, and developing collaborative learning; these all revolve around a desire to render PGSS enterprises more collaborative.

The McGill Tribune endorses Maria Tippler for PGSS Secretary-General. Tippler expresses an inclusive and forward-thinking vision for her role and the executive as a whole. Her team spirit will bode well when working with fellow executives on important initiatives such as mental health support.

Tippler has extensive experience that makes her well-equipped for this position. She has served as the PGSS Student Support Commissioner since June, where she has shown her devout commitment to the wellbeing and mental health of all members of the society. Moreover, Tippler demonstrates clear, functional leadership skills that will serve her well as Secretary-General. She possesses a strong knowledge of the institution and the people currently in it, and is well prepared to take on a larger role within the PGSS. This previous experience is particularly vital to her picking up the position halfway through the Fall semester.

Maria’s goals are ambitious but realistic, and demonstrate a strong understanding of the timeline for change within her position. She has a clear plan for improving student access to mental health resources; in particular, she hopes to reach out to off-campus students through the program EmpowerMe, which is a platform for students to access mental health support online. She is an approachable leader who evidently cares for PGSS members, and will make a positive impact on both her constituents and other executives.