A Disquieting Trend for Student Input at McGill

The SSMU VP University Affairs  supplies McGill committees with student members. I take this as a serious responsibility. Students have a stake in where our tuition goes, our education, and the services offered to us. Often we can offer personal experience and we can advocate for improvements without having alternative interests. Student participation is even vested in the McGill Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities. It says “all University bodies constituted to make decisions of policy in matters pertaining directly to students must provide for student membership”.

From the Senate website, committee allocation doesn’t seem like too much work. There are 14 committees that have student representation, with a total of 33 seats for students to fill. But many more bodies at McGill solicit students for their committees. When I began recruiting committee members at the start of my term, I referred to a list compiled in 2022. This list had 46 committees. Many of these groups have no public digital footprint. It makes it hard for non-members to bring questions and concerns to the committee. On my end, it’s hard to solicit future members to a committee they’ve never heard of before. Committees with this issue are largely advisory boards:  the Wellness Hub Advisory Board, International Student Services Advisory Board, Scholarship and Student Aid Office (SSAO) Advisory Board, and Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (MORSL) Multi-Faith Network. Because of the Charter, these offices maintain a mechanism for student membership, but they aren’t promoting it.

Then there are the committees that were abolished. When I reached out to the secretary or chair of all 46  committees,  I learned that the Skills 21 Steering Committee, Skills 21 Program Committee, Universal Access Capital Projects Working Group, Course Evaluation Advisory Group, and Sustainable Labs Working Group are not  meeting this fall. It is impossible to contact the EDIC Subcommittee on Persons with Disabilities, the Subcommittee on Family Care, and the Subcommittee on Racialized and Ethnic Persons since their websites are either outdated or don’t exist. The University Teaching Labs Working Group has been absorbed by the Teaching and Learning Spaces Working Group, halving the number of SSMU representatives in the process. The Student Achievement and Accessibility Advisory Board is currently re-evaluating its existence.

For a committee to dissolve isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it’s certainly a trend worth taking note of, especially when it’s not replaced with other ways to garner student input.  It’s disheartening to win a seat at a table only to have the table replaced by employees that are impossible to contact. One day I hope we can achieve a culture of pride in university committees that involve students. I hope that they publish reports for the community to read, that they consult with my office when making governance changes, and that decision-making power rests in part with students even as situations evolve.

Those wishing to talk more about McGill committees – especially those interested in sitting on some – should email ua@ssmu.ca.

Apply to Sit on a McGill Committee: April 6th Council Report

Have you ever wanted to see how McGill works behind the scenes? Are you passionate about campus issues like student services, academic programs, or equity? Do you have a great idea to improve student life? Then apply to sit as a student representative on a university committee! This is your opportunity to get involved on campus and work with the McGill administration and SSMU. Apply by Monday, April 17th at 5:00pm.

This week also marks the final Report of the VP University Affairs to the Legislative Council. However, the current executive term runs until May 31st, so stay tuned for a year-end report! In the meantime, check out some recent UA portfolio highlights:

  • Student working group released open letter regarding issues with campus mental health services
  • McGill’s Provost is holding drop-in hour at Gert’s this Thursday, April 6th from 4-5pm
  • Student senators are submitting April Senate questions on campus Islamophobia & student diversity
  • Library Improvement Fund Committee made final allocations & is reporting to Council
  • Nominations for AVEQ executive elections are open now until Friday, April 7th
  • Open forum on Tuesday, April 11th regarding improved reporting for complaints of sexual violence
  • We are preparing to train the incoming executive team in May!

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

  • Launched 2017-18 university committee recruitment
  • Equity Policy revisions approved
  • Made final Library Improvement Fund allocations
  • Sent monthly UA listservs
  • Submitted charter case on academic accommodations
  • Launched sexual violence policy committees & campus study
  • Formed working group on academic accommodation policies
  • Prepared May executive training schedule
  • Released first generation students research report
  • Create Indigenous course content advocacy plan
  • Developed long-term student staffing plan
  • Organized Student Senator Info Session
  • Hosted Add-Drop “Know Your Student Rights” campaign
  • Released foster care students research report
  • Launched University Affairs staff hiring
  • Policy against Unpaid Internships approved
  • Indigenous Solidarity Policy revisions approved
  • Internal Regulations for Board of Directors approved

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.

Welcome to the Term: September 15th Council Report

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Welcome to a new school year! My name is Erin Sobat and I’m incredibly excited to be serving as your SSMU VP University Affairs for 2016-2017. The UA team is responsible for university representation and academic affairs; research, advocacy, and policy development; equity programming and complaints; and the Library Improvement Fund. You can always get in touch via email or drop by my office hours on Thursdays between 10:00AM-12:00PM. Check out my first report to the SSMU Legislative Council to find out what I’ve been up to!

Some project highlights:

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