University Affairs

Students' Society of McGill University

Blog

  • Late Semester Slowdown: November 14th Council Report

    It’s that time of term: days are getting shorter, policies still aren’t writing themselves, and it’s hard to find energy to keep pushing projects forward. But the work continues, and you can check out the details in my November 17th Council Report. Also, don’t forget to vote for the SSMU Fall Referenda and General Assembly Ratification, ballots for which can be found at www.ssmu.simplyvoting.com!

    Recent UA highlights:

    • The final draft of the McGill Policy Against Sexual Violence, including many of our recommended changes, will be presented for approval at the November 23rd Senate meeting
    • We met with Student Services & the Dean of Students to voice our concerns with new medical note policies (documentation will only be provided to students already followed by a clinician or who qualify for restrictive “safety appointments”)
    • The VP University Affairs participated in a 3-day cyclical review of Enrolment Services (Service Point, Exams Office, Registrar, Admissions, & more), during which they provided detailed input based on student consultation
    • Senators submitted Senate questions regarding campus accessibility during construction & university regulation of unpaid internships
    • We continue to update the Student Rights website & develop Faculty association partnerships in preparation for the January “Know Your Rights” campaign (volunteer recruitment launching soon)
    • Mid-term performance evaluations are in-progress for portfolio student staff

    Fall goals completed to-date (italics = since last report):

  • 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.

  • Over the Hump? Strikes, Medical Notes, & Service Point (November 3rd Council Report)

    Another month gone! I hope it feels like you’re over the hump of midterms, although there’s still a ways to go. If you haven’t heard, the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) is on strike through Wednesday, November 2nd. This means a full work stoppage is in force for all AMUSE members by law. Casual employees should check their pay stubs if they are unsure of their union status, and visit the AMUSE website to learn more (including about essential services and strike pay).

    You should also watch for a new University Affairs listserv hitting your inbox soon. Otherwise, please check out my November 3rd Council Report for all the latest updates.

    Recent highlights:

    • Student Services has unilaterally determined that medical notes will only be provided to students already followed by a clinician or who qualify for restrictive “safety appointments”
    • The VP University Affairs participated in a cyclical review of McGill Human Resources
    • Enrolment Services (Service Point, Exams Office, Registrar, Admissions, & more) is undergoing a cyclical review November 9th-11th; students can submit feedback here
    • Senators submitted Senate questions regarding campus accessibility during construction & university regulation of unpaid internships
    • Meetings are ongoing regarding revisions to the draft Policy Against Sexual Violence (Dean of Students, Associate Provost, Provost, external consultants, McGill Association of University Teachers, labour unions & more)

    Fall goals completed to-date (italics = since last report):

  • 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.

  • Mid-Term(s) Updates: October 20th Council Report

    Can you believe that we’re almost halfway through the semester? We hope that midterms are going well and that you’re still making time for self-care!

    This past weekend at the Student Academic Summit, we officially launched our SSMU University Affairs website! The site is your centralized resource for information on student representation, research, and advocacy at McGill. Check out my October 20th report for other updates from the UA portfolio.

    Recent highlights:

    • Proposed revisions to draft Policy Against Sexual Violence include centralized prevention & response office, recognition of professor-student relationships, & more
    • Submitted Senate question regarding relocation of McGill Bookstore
    • McGill Enrolment Services undergoing cyclical review this November; will be collecting student feedback on Service Point, Exams Office, Registrar, Admissions, & more
    • New Senior Director of Student Services announced: Martine Gauthier will begin in January
    • Town Hall on proposed smoke-free campus next Tuesday, October 25th from 2:30-4:30pm (Redpath Museum Auditorium)
    • Organizing cultural appropriation workshop for next week

    Fall goals completed to-date (italics = since last report):

  • 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.