University Affairs

Students' Society of McGill University

Category: Blog

  • Striving to Place: The First Generation Student Experience at McGill University

    SSMU University Affairs has released a new research report, entitled Striving to Place: The First Generation Student Experience at McGill University. This document examines current issues faced by first generation students at McGill as well as targeted recruitment, retention, and support strategies in place at other institutions. A survey of student experiences and existing programming indicates that McGill University provides no dedicated support resources for this population, nor do they currently collect relevant demographic data beyond financial aid applications.

    The report makes clear that much more can be done to promote educational access and success for first generation students at McGill. Proposed recommendations include developing dedicated financial aid opportunities; conducting targeted outreach and recruitment; creating specific student mentorship and psychoeducational initiatives; and collecting comprehensive data on student admissions and experiences. Any questions regarding the report can be directed to the VP University Affairs.

  • Senate Caucus Biweekly Report for Jan 4-23, 2016

    report

    The Winter term has started and the Senators have also begun with Round 2! Here is the first biweekly report of the term! You can also find our previous biweekly reports here.

    A few highlights:

    • We discussed progress the Senators have made in advocating for a Fall Reading Break. The Faculty of Engineering, however, has raised a valid concern regarding their accreditation mandating a specific number of teaching days that might be compromised with the implementation of a Reading Break in the Fall term.
    • We again discussed governance reform at McGill, in relation to the Senate Question on University Governance Best Practices that was submitted to the January 2017 Senate meeting.
    • We discussed final exam deferrals. It seems that the pilot project for exam deferrals did not create a spike in deferrals compared to previous semesters.

    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.

  • What did McGill Committees do in Fall 2016? Read the report!

    There are as many as 47 University-level committees, to which there are 118 undergraduate student representatives. McGill University is huge, and most of the groundwork for new initiatives on campus begins in such committees.

    Starting in Fall 2015, SSMU University Affairs started mandating student reps in these committees to submit reports for dissemination. In Fall 2016, the committees worked on many issues that are pertinent to the campus community, and their report can be seen here

  • Do my Job! Exec Info Session, Shadowing Program, & January 26th Council Report

    Think you could be the next VP University Affairs? This is your chance! Executive nominations open on Monday, January 30th, and we’re hosting a SSMU Executive Info Session for you to learn more about the role. In addition, you can now sign up for our “A Day in the Life” shadowing program in order to spend a day (or an afternoon) with any Executive and see what their job really entails. Finally, as always, you can check out my bi-weekly Report to the Legislative Council for the latest updates on UA projects & responsibilities.

    Recent UA highlights:

    • Asked Senate question regarding Board of Governors reform at the January 18th meeting
    • Met with Deputy Provost & university committees to advocate for faculty mental health literacy training
    • Meeting with VP Student Life & Student Services to discuss issues with transition to stepped care & student consultation going forward
    • Working with McGill Communities Council (MCC) to address concerns with Board of Governors & advocate for recommendations from SSMU research report
    • Met with Social Equity & Diversity Education (SEDE) Office, Campus Life & Engagement (CL&E), Scholarships & Student Aid Office (SSAO), & Enrolment Services regarding student diversity in enrolment
    • Attended AVEQ Members’ Assembly in Chicoutimi & provided student feedback on government consultations for university sexual violence legislation

     

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

    • Organized Student Senator Info Session
    • Hosted Add-Drop “Know Your Student Rights” campaign
    • Completed research report on first generation students at McGill

  • Winter is Here: Term Goals & January 12th Council Report

    Happy New Year and welcome to the Winter term! I hope that you enjoyed your holiday break and are feeling refreshed. This week, we’re running our semesterly “Know Your Rights” campaign to inform students of their academic rights at McGill. You can check out our website and Facebook event to learn more.

    In addition, if you’re interested in learning more about the role of a student senator and/or SSMU Executive, we’ll be hosting info sessions on both topics later this month! The Student Senator Info Session will be on Monday, January 23rd from 5:30-6:30pm and will feature a presentation on university governance, the senator role, and perspectives from your 2016-2017 senators.

    Start-of-year highlights:

    • Submitted Senate question regarding McGill governance best practices;
    • Launched Winter Add-Drop “Know Your Rights” campaign;
    • Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) holding a Ratification General Assembly for their new collective agreement on January 9th;
    • Providing feedback on terms of reference for Sexual Violence Policy advisory committee (implementation plan) & campus study panel (review of existing policies e.g. Code of Conduct);
    • Preparing research report on support for students coming from foster care;
    • Library Improvement Fund made first round of allocations in early December;
    • Met with staff from Office of Innovation in December regarding adopting a humanitarian licensing framework for health innovations (as per our Global Access to Medicines Policy);
    • Met with project manager for Promenade Urbaine construction to discuss accessibility issues;
    • Hired Harmful Military Technology Researcher to begin work this term.

    Check out our January 12th Council report to learn more about plans for the Winter term.

     

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

    report

    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.