Following the McGill administration’s decision to change the name of the varsity mens’ teams in April 2019, the Steering Committee assigned to find a new name for the teams by August 2020 has seen their work delayed due to COVID-19. Following Indigenous-led student activism, McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier[Read More…]
Tag: #changethename
Sports are political
McGill Faculty of Medicine alumnus Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (MD ‘18) is, as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, the first Quebecer to win a Super Bowl title. The victory has placed the Chiefs’ offensive linebacker in the spotlight, with McGill administrators sparing no expense in promoting Duvernay-Tardif’s ties to the[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: The Men’s Varsity Teams Naming Process Committee
Following years of activism by Indigenous students, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier announced her decision to rename McGill’s men’s varsity sports teams in an email on April 12. As part of the announcement, Fortier stated that a steering committee would be established to determine a new name that would better[Read More…]
Remembering McGill’s past to progress its future
With the new school year starting, many students prepare to fall back into their routines on McGill’s campus. Among the new classes and experiences to be had, many look forward to a fresh start in the Fall semester. While it may be tempting to leave the issues of last year[Read More…]
I’d rather be a Martlet
On April 12, McGill students received a monumental email: Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier had reached a decision on whether or not to change the controversial Men’s Varsity Team name. Fortier wrote that, with respect to Indigenous students who felt alienated and disrespected by the name, the Mens’ teams names[Read More…]
Looking back on a year of student activism
The 2018–19 academic year has shown the power of student mobilization, through numerous grassroots campaigns, such as #ChangeTheName and the recent Global Climate Strike, among others. At McGill, activism serves an important role in the community, and student activists are behind most of the social progress that has occurred on campus[Read More…]
Letter to the Editor: The value of a ‘yes’ vote to the Athletics Facility Improvement Fee
On March 19, The McGill Tribune ran a commentary titled “Stand with Indigenous students and vote ‘No’ to the Athletics Facility Improvement Fee,” arguing that students should vote ‘no’ to the proposed Athletics Facility Improvement fee renewal scheduled to take place March 26-29. This response is a call to action—to understand[Read More…]
Subject: Guide to #ChangeTheName
Re: Next steps regarding the name / Étapes à venir dans le dossier relatif au nom Dear McGill, I hope this email finds you well, and thanks for the snow day! I got your email, but it left me a little confused. It’s about time you noticed that no one[Read More…]
In solidarity with Unist’ot’en
Since November 2018, indigenous communities and their allies across Canada have mobilized to show solidarity with the Unist’ot’en camp. The community is part of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in British Columbia (BC) and has been trying to prevent a natural gas pipeline, Coastal GasLink, from building on their territory. On[Read More…]
Endless working groups with weak mandates delay progress
For the McGill Redmen, a new year might mean a new name. The Working Group on Commemoration and Renaming released its final report on Dec. 7, closing out a year-long series of consultations with campus stakeholders including students, alumni, community leaders, and indigenous groups. Created in Dec. 2017 at the[Read More…]