University Affairs

Students' Society of McGill University

Author: Rene Iwo

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Nov 21-Dec 5, 2016

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    Now that we’ve reached the end of the term, the Senators are wrapping up their work as well. Here is the last biweekly report of the term! You can also find our previous biweekly reports here.

    A few highlights:

    • At the November 21 Senate, the McGill Policy Against Sexual Violence was passed!
    • We discussed governance reform at McGill, in light of the analysis done by SSMU that was recently released about McGill University’s Board of Governors. Read the full report here
    • We discussed the construction around campus and how it was hindering accessibility for some students. After asking a Senate Question on this topic, we discussed some improvements that were immediately acted upon or promised in the future (e.g. fixing gaps between the street level and the sidewalk in crossings on McTavish).

    Minutes of each Senate Caucus meeting is available upon request via email.

    If you’re interested in attending a Senate Caucus meeting to learn more about what the Senators do, feel free to email me (the UA Secretary) to get more information. Senate Caucus meetings are held every Monday at 6:30 PM in the SSMU Office.

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Nov 7-21, 2016

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    Presenting the SSMU Senators’ fifth biweekly report! You can also find our previous biweekly reports here.

    A few highlights:

    • The Senators attended the annual Joint Board-Senate Meeting, with the topic of “McGill’s Sustainability Plans and Initiatives” on Thursday, November 10. The discussions have been compiled into a report presented to the November Senate here.
    • We discussed the recent changes to access for urgent care at McGill’s Counselling and Mental Health Service (CAMH). The recent changes left a gap in which students who do not fall into the category of “Safety Appointments” are left without any options for urgent mental health service at McGill. We are working together with CAMH to address this issue.
    • We discussed the policy for preferred first names. From now on, all issues related to preferred first names can be addressed to Heidi Emami (the Associate Registrar in charge of the preferred first name policy).

    Minutes of each Senate Caucus meeting is available upon request via email.

    If you’re interested in attending a Senate Caucus meeting to learn more about what the Senators do, feel free to email me (the UA Secretary) to get more information. Senate Caucus meetings are held every Monday at 6:30 PM in the SSMU Office.

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Oct 24-Nov 7, 2016

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    It’s already November, and the SSMU Senators’ fourth biweekly report is here! You can also find our previous biweekly reports here.

    A few highlights:

    • Welcoming the recently-elected VP University Affairs of MacDonald Campus Students’ Society (MCSS), Jade Corriveau, to SSMU Senate Caucus. Here’s to a stronger connection between Mac and the Downtown Campuses in important student issues! Her reports are included in the PDF.
    • Angela Campbell (Associate Provost, Policies, Procedures, and Equity) and Christopher Manfredi (Provost) came in to Caucus for a Q&A about the Policy Against Sexual Violence. We asked questions loosely based on the consultation report recently published by SSMU and PGSS. The Provost also claimed that the Office of Sexual Violence Response, Support, and Education will most likely start operating by the Winter term, if the policy were to pass in Senate this November as planned.
    • We discussed the Non-Smoking Policy at McGill, and responses from different parties on campus.

    Minutes of each Senate Caucus meeting is available upon request via email.

    If you’re interested in attending a Senate Caucus meeting to learn more about what the Senators do, feel free to email me (the UA Secretary) to get more information. Senate Caucus meetings are held every Monday at 6:30 PM in the SSMU Office.

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Oct 10-24, 2016

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    Mid-terms are definitely picking up, but the Senators are not slowing down. Here is the third biweekly report of the SSMU Senate Caucus. You can also find our previous biweekly reports here.

    A few highlights:

    • The Senators attended the October Senate meeting, where the Policy Against Sexual Violence draft was discussed for the first time at the Senate level.
    • We had Chris Buddle, the new Dean of Students, come in to Caucus to chat with us about his vision and goals of the Office of the Dean of Students, how he sees his role, as well as the Policy against Sexual Violence.
    • We discussed the ongoing Cyclical Unit Review McGill Enrolment Services. The review committee is looking for student input, so if you have thoughts about Service Point, exam scheduling, or student records, please fill out the short survey here.
    • We discussed the deferred exam policy pilot and the communication of this pilot project to the students.

    Minutes of each Senate Caucus meeting is available upon request via email.

    If you’re interested in attending a Senate Caucus meeting to learn more about what the Senators do, feel free to email me (the UA Secretary) to get more information. Senate Caucus meetings are held every Monday at 6:30 PM in the SSMU Office.

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Sept 26-Oct 10, 2016

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    Add-drop is over, and as we students get more serious, so do the Senators! Here is the biweekly report of the SSMU Senate Caucus for September 26-October 10. You can also find our previous biweekly reports here.

    A few highlights:

    • The Senators discussed in length the draft Policy Against Sexual Violence that was recently circulated. Some Senators also worked with their Faculty Associations to gather faculty-specific feedback.
    • One of the Senators, Casarina, have started doing research under the McGill Library regarding students’ experience with textbooks and open-access educational resources. Fill out her survey here.
    • The North Wing of the Stewart Biology Building is planned to undergo renovations starting the Winter 2018 term.

    Minutes of each Senate Caucus meeting is available upon request via email.

    If you’re interested in attending a Senate Caucus meeting to learn more about what the Senators do, feel free to email me (the UA Secretary) to get more information. Senate Caucus meetings are held every Monday at 6:30 PM in the SSMU Office.

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Sept 2-26, 2016

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    This is an exciting time for the Senators, as they get a their first taste of their role for the year ahead. We present to you the first biweekly report of the SSMU Senate Caucus.

    A few highlights:

    • The Senators attended various kinds of training over the past two weeks, including during the SSMU Councillors and Senators retreat two weekends ago.
    • They also attended their first Senate meeting, in which they asked a Senate Question regarding for-cost course assessment software
    • We completed allocations of students to fill in more than 110 undergraduate representative seats in 47 University-level committees. The Senators themselves sit on many of these spots, and will work on many of their projects from this front. The list of committees (including the description of each committee) and the representatives are available here. Thank you to those who applied!
    • Students in many faculties now are allowed to have their first final exam deferral granted, without having to submit any supporting documentation (only for the first ever deferral during the student’s degree). Read about it in the report!
    • Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) have just launched a new Steering Committee to plan an Undergraduate Skills Program, which is created to enrich students’ undergraduate education experience by giving them skills they will need in the workforce and beyond.

    Minutes of each Senate Caucus meeting is available upon request via email.

    If you’re interested in attending a Senate Caucus meeting to learn more about what the Senators do, feel free to email me (the UA Secretary) to get more information. Senate Caucus meetings are held every Monday at 6:30 PM in the SSMU Office. We also sent out our first University Affairs Listserv! Click here to join the mailing list.