Ontario government releases Student Choice Initiative guidelines Next year, students will be able to opt-out of paying for MSU clubs and services
Photo by Kyle West On March 29, the Ontario government unveiled guidelines for universities to follow in order to comply with the “Student Choice Initiative” policy, which allows students to opt out of paying ancillary fees. According to the document, students will be allowed to opt out of fees that are allocated towards clubs, student organizations and programs that do not fall into the government’s criteria for essential fees....
Students hold vigil to mourn Christchurch victims Fifteen speakers addressed the large crowd, remembering the victims and calling for a united response against white supremacy and Islamophobia
Photo by Kyle West CW: Islamophobia, violence On March 19, hundreds of students, faculty and staff filled the McMaster University Student Centre courtyard to mourn the victims of the Christchurch massacre. The terrorist attack was committed on March 15 by a white supremacist who opened fire in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing a total of 50 people and injuring 50 others. The attack was considered the worst mass...
SRA passes four policy papers this term The MSU is advocating for mandatory faculty AOP training, accessible pedagogy and investigation into racial profiling
Graphics C/O Sukaina Imam By: Neda Pirouzmand Health and Wellness One of the key issues that the MSU points out in the “Health and Wellness” policy paper is that referrals from the Student Wellness Centre are not tailored to the needs of students. The MSU suggests that the SWC neglects to account for how students will reach community referrals or how much it will cost them. The policy paper brings forward a number of recommendations...
Stories from March 18-22: sexual assault at McMaster, white supremacy, mental health, climate change, student protest From concerning survey results to the most recent student protest, here are some of last week’s top stories
Photo C/O Kyle West Here’s a look at five major provincial, Hamilton and McMaster stories that hit the newscycle last week. 1. Provincial government releases sexual assault survey results After falling under scrutiny this winter for not releasing the results of the Ontario-wide Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey, the Ontario government finally published the report in full. The survey, which was sent out last year, asked...
Hamilton startup helps customers redeem unused gift cards Kaya Harrod and McMaster alumnus Colin Moffat have transformed GiftCash from a two-person operation into a thriving company with seven Mac employees
Photo by Kyle West Four McMaster students are helping a local gift-card cash-exchange company grow unexpectedly quickly in a relatively untapped Canadian market. GiftCash is an online service startup based in Dundas that buys unredeemed or partially redeemed gift cards from customers in exchange for a percentage of the remaining value. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Colin Moffat, a McMaster actuarial mathematics graduate, and...
DJNO speaking out against state violence against people with disabilities Next week, the DJNO will be hosting a rally with the Justice for Soli movement
Photo C/O @djnontario By: Donna Nadeem The Disability Justice Network of Ontario is a Hamilton-based organization launched in September by McMaster alumni Sarah Jama and Eminet Dagnachew and McMaster student Shanthiya Baheerathan. The co-founders initially got together because of their aligning interests. For instance, Jama was working with the McMaster Students Union Diversity Services as an access coordinator, trying to push the...
