There is a passage in Plato’s //Meno// that goes something like this: The well-born Meno asks for proof of Socrates’ claim that no one is ever taught anything, and instead they recollect things they already know. Socrates calls over one of Meno’s enslaved attendants and asks the boy, who has[Read More…]
Tag: equity
How McGill fails Palestinian students
Growing up, introducing myself was a persistent gamble. When I, inevitably, would say that I was Palestinian, the words would taste heavy with reluctance. They were never just accepted as a crucial part of my identity, but instead as a political statement, an invitation for debate, and in some unfortunate[Read More…]
Valuing equality over equity stunts science
On Nov. 24, The //National Post//’s Michael Higgins wrote an exclusive article titled “Minority professor denied grants because he hires on merit: ‘People are afraid to think.’” The article documents McGill chemistry professor Patanjali Kambhampati’s refusal to take part in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) hiring practices. Instead, Kambhampati wrote[Read More…]
McGill to discuss reports on anti-Black racism and equity plans at upcoming Senate meeting
In the spring and fall of 2020 respectively, McGill released updated versions of their Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Strategic Plan (2020-2025) and their Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism (ABR) (2020-2025). Reports assessing the plans’ first years in action were presented to McGill’s Board of Governors on Sept. 7[Read More…]
McGill Board of Governors member resigns in protest of the board’s refusal to table a motion on equity
Former McGill University Board of Governors (BoG) member Ehab Lotayef has resigned from his position as governor over the BoG’s refusal to table a motion that would mandate McGill to create and display an equity statement on campus. Lotayef wrote about his resignation and his experience sitting on the board[Read More…]
McGill Senate discusses Action Plan to address anti-Black racism
The McGill Senate discussed McGill’s Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism in their second Senate meeting of the academic year on Oct. 21. Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi and Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell released the 44-page plan on Sept. 30. Composed in consultation with the[Read More…]
McGill needs to address its colonial legacy
McGill’s Vice-Principal Academic Christopher Manfredi is very proud of his efforts to advance McGill’s academic commitment to equity and inclusion. Manfredi says so in the McGill Reporter’s recent feature interview “Confronting Colonialism”, where he introduced McGill’s new Provostial Research Scholars in Institutional Histories, Slavery, and Colonialism program. The program will[Read More…]
SSMU Legislative Council discusses mental health policies
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council reconvened on Jan. 30 to debate new motions regarding communication between SSMU and the community, as well as new proposed health policies. The second council meeting of the year saw the passing of the Motion Regarding Amendments to the Effective Committees[Read More…]
Updates made to ‘Our Shared Spaces’ to help promote equity on campus
McGill’s Rez Project workshop series, designed to educate students on issues of social justice and equity, was rebranded this fall to better reflect the message of the program. Created 16 years ago by a group of floor fellows, ‘Our Shared Spaces,’ formerly known as Rez Project, aims to promote a[Read More…]
McGill launches ninth annual Indigenous Awareness Weeks
McGill’s ninth annual Indigenous Awareness Weeks (IAW) launched on Sept. 16. The theme this year is “matriarchy and Indigenous languages,” inspired partly by the United Nations proclamation of 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Indigenous Education Advisor Janelle Kaperski spearheaded the organization of 12 of the 16 IAW[Read More…]