HomeTag Glossary

Tag Glossary

This glossary defines the terms we have used to tag archival material. Each term represents a searchable tag in the archive, so the glossary operates as something of a search guide. Key agents and events in this history often have their own tag, and in many cases, we have used a specific working definition for a term that may or may not match the reader’s first guess (for instance, the tag ‘language’ refers literally to discussion of languages, e.g. French, English). Definitions frequently include a ‘see also’ that lists related terms that the reader might wish to add to their criteria (for instance, if you are interested in the tag ‘gender neutral washrooms,’ you are prompted to also look at the material tagged with ‘transphobia’). They also frequently include external links that provide more detailed information. Due to the large number of student clubs, organizations, and services, we have put these tags in a separate section after the general tag glossary.

General tag glossary:

Ableism

  • Discrimination against, or oppression of, people with disabilities (physical, intellectual, and/or psychiatric). See also: ‘accessibility,’ ‘disability.’ 

Academics

  • Refers to curriculum content as well as people who work in the academic sphere, such as professors and teaching assistants. 

Accessibility

  • Questions of access, including access to space, language, education, etc. See also: ‘ableism,’ ‘disability.’

Active Listening

  • A listening practice in which the listener focuses on the speaker without centering themselves — this is a form of support. See also: ‘disclosure,' 'harm reduction.'

Activism 

  • Commentary “about” activism (or advocacy work), i.e. direct discussion of activism as a phenomenon, activist methods, etc. 

Admin

  • The structures of the university institution, which include groups such as the board of governors and positions such as Dean, Provost, Principal, and Vice-Principal.

Alcohol

  • Used in connection to alcohol consumption, including alcohol permits for events. See also: ‘Gert’s.’

Anti-Black racism

  • “Anti-Black Racism is defined here as policies and practices rooted in Canadian institutions such as, education, health care, and justice that mirror and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination towards people of Black-African descent. The term ‘Anti-Black Racism’ was first expressed by Dr. Akua Benjamin, a Ryerson Social Work Professor. It seeks to highlight the unique nature of systemic racism on Black-Canadians and the history as well as experiences of slavery and colonization of people of Black-African descent in Canada” (https://blackhealthalliance.ca/home/antiblack-racism/). See also: 'race,' 'racism,' 'racial justice.'

Anti-Indigenous racism

  • See also: 'Indigeneity,' 'colonialism,' 'race,' 'racism,' 'racial justice.'

Antisemitism

  • Discrimination against Jewish people. See also: ‘Judaism.’

Assault

  • Refers to instances of non-sexual violence. 

Athletics 

  • Includes events and topics related to McGill’s athletics teams and sporting events. See also: ‘McGill Gym,’ 'hazing.'

Bill 151

Birth control

  • Includes two McGill-specific initiatives, the Birth Control Co-op and the Birth Control Handbook, as well as general discussion of hormonal contraception. See also ‘reproductive health,’ ‘reproductive justice.’

Blood drive

  • Refers to a recurring McGill blood donation program. See also: ‘HIV/AIDS,’ ‘homophobia,’ ‘LGBTQ,’ ‘queer.’ 

Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)

  • “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity” (https://bdsmovement.net/call). See also: 'Israel,' 'Palestine.'

Campus safety

  • Issues of safety on campus and the immediate surrounding neighbourhood known as Milton-Parc (or the McGill Ghetto), including building security, lighting, fire safety, etc. See also: ‘campus safety audit,’ ‘McGill Security.’

Campus safety audit

  • A process by which campus safety measures are evaluated. See also: ‘campus safety.’ 

Campus space

  • Covers issues of access to space on campus, e.g., a need for office space or “safe” space, loss or removal of space. See also: ‘accessibility.’

Canadian Campus Safety Conference

  • National conference held at McGill, October 7-10 1993, organized by the McGill Sexual Assault Centre (now called SACOMSS). See also: ‘campus safety,’ ‘events,’ ‘Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS).’

Canadian Government

  • The federal government. See also: 'Quebec Government.'

Change the Name

  • A campaign during the 2018-19 school year to change the name of the McGill men’s varsity athletics teams away from an anti-Indigenous slur. See also: 'anti-Indigenous racism,' 'colonialism,' 'Indigeneity.''

Christianity

  • Refers broadly to the Christian religion.

Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures

Colonialism

  • Any material pertaining to the historic and ongoing practices of Canadian settler-colonialism on/near campus or with relevance to students. See also: ‘Indigeneity,’ ‘Indigenous People’s Solidarity Movement (IPSM),’ ‘First People’s House.’

Concordia

  • An Anglophone university near McGill. See also: ‘non-McGill.’

Conflict of Interest Policy

  • McGill policy formally titled ‘Regulation on Conflict of Interest,’ approved in 2009 and revised in 2011. This policy governs teacher-student relationships so is often tagged in relation to them. The policy can be found here. See also: ‘sexual harassment,’ ‘Sexual Violence Policy,’ ‘policy,’ ‘student-professor relationships.’

Consensual sex

  • Implying sexual interactions that are consensual and do not involve assault or other forms of violence. See also: ‘consent.’

Consent

  • Refers to material about the meaning of consent, including and especially consensual sex. See also: ‘sex education.’

COVID-19

  • Refers to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daycare

  • Specifically refers to McGill daycare/childcare services.

Disability

  • Any material about disability or people with disabilities. See also: ‘ableism,’ ‘accessibility.’

Disclosure 

  • Used when articles themselves are disclosures about experiences of sexual violence or harassment, and/or where the process of disclosing such an experience (or lodging a complaint about it) at McGill is discussed. See also: 'sexual assault,' 'sexual harassment.'

Divestment

  • Specifically used to refer to students’ environmental activism around McGill’s investment structures. See also: ‘environmental sustainability.’

Domestic violence

  • Violence or abuse that occurs within homes, typically within families and/or between intimate partners (related to ‘intimate partner violence’). 

Drug use

  • Commentary on drug use, excluding alcohol use, on campus.

École Polytechnique massacre

  • Commentary on the École Polytechnique massacre, also known as the Montreal Massacre, which occurred December 6, 1989. Specifically targeting female engineering students, the shooting left 14 women dead and was an anti-feminist attack. École Polytechnique is an engineering school affiliated with the Université de Montréal.

Editorial

  • Used for newspaper editorials. See also: 'letter to the editor,' 'Op-ed.'

Environmental sustainability

  • Commentary on issues related to environmental sustainability on campus. See also: ‘divestment.’

Equity Week

  • A week-long series of events that focus on equity and inclusion-related issues ranging from disability to anti-Black racism to gender diversity in the contexts of academia and wider social life. See also: 'events.'

Events

  • Visiting speakers or other events on campus.

Feminism 

  • Refers to material explicitly about feminism, e.g. discussions of different types of feminism.

First Peoples’ House

  • McGill's First Peoples' House attempts to provide a sense of community and a voice to Indigenous students who have left their home communities in order to pursue higher education” (https://www.mcgill.ca/fph/). See also: ‘colonialism,’ ‘Indigeneity,’ ‘Indigenous People’s Solidarity Movement (IPSM).’

Food politics

  • Refers to commentary or protest about the production, distribution, and accessibility of food (as well as places to eat) on and around campus. See also: ‘environmental sustainability.’

Fraternity 

  • Commentary on McGill fraternities. See also: 'hazing,' 'sorority.'

Fundraiser

  • Commentary on fundraisers, including by student organizations.

Gender neutral washrooms

  • Commentary on gender neutral washrooms on campus.

General Assembly

  • Large student meetings held by SSMU, the undergraduate student union at McGill, at least once per semester. See also: 'SSMU,' 'student government.'

Gert’s

Harm reduction

  • Used where material refers to the idea or practice of harm reduction, defined by Harm Reduction International as the “policies, programmes and practices that aim to minimise negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use, drug policies and drug laws” (https://www.hri.global/what-is-harm-reduction). In many of our materials, harm reduction has been broadened to reference approaches to sexual violence activism and support that seek to reduce forms of harm frequently resulting from reporting procedures, investigations, and other processes related to sexual violence response. Harm reduction is often a core tenant of survivor-centered approaches to responding to sexual violence. See also: 'active listening.'

Hazing

  • Initiation rituals usually undertaken by first year undergraduates during orientation, especially those in Residence and/or involved with athletics. See also: 'student orientation,' 'athletics,' 'fraternity.'

Hiring

  • Used for commentary about or events pertaining to McGill’s practices as an employer. See also: 'academics,' ‘labour rights,’ ‘union.’

HIV/AIDS

  • Commentary on HIV/AIDS, including activism, advocacy, and awareness. See also: ‘blood drive,’ 'LGBTQ,' 'queer,' 'homophobia.'

Homophobia

  • Discrimination against, or oppression of, LGBTQ people on the basis of sexuality. See also: 'LGBTQ,' 'queer.'

Housing precarity

  • Refers to material relating to the condition and availability of housing for students and around campus.

Indigeneity

  • Refers to material either directly about Indigenous peoples, about issues related to Indigenous peoples, and/or about the conditions of settler-colonialism. See also: ‘colonialism,’ ‘Indigenous People’s Solidarity Movement (IPSM),’ ‘First People’s House.’

Indigenous People’s Solidarity Movement (IPSM)

  • “The Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement (IPSM) is a collective whose primary goal is to ally ourselves with indigenous peoples in the active fight for mutual self-determination. We employ a diversity of initiatives and tactics, ranging from popular education to mobilisation to direct action” (http://ipsm.nativeweb.org/en/mandate.html). See also: ‘colonialism,’ ‘First Peoples’ House,’ ‘Indigeneity.’

Intersectionality

  • Used whenever student materials explicitly use the term ‘intersectional’ and its variants. See also: ‘feminism,’ ‘anti-racism.'

Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP)

  • The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Inter-faculty Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP) is a contract and policy that processes, investigates, and acts on complaints of discrimination, violence, harassment, improper conduct, or gendered violence. The policy aims to minimize harm and ensure the safety and wellbeing of the individual filing the complaint, the plaintiff, by investigating the complaints and implementing varying restrictions to events specific to each charge” (https://www.mcgilltribune.com/news/tribune-explains-the-involvement-restriction-policy/).

Islam

  • The religion of Islam. See also: ‘Islamophobia.’

Islamophobia

  • Anti-Muslim discrimination and oppression. Includes issues related to the veil. See also: ‘Islam.’

Israel

  • The state of Israel and its international politics. See also: ‘Palestine.’

It Takes All of Us

  • An online sexual violence education program launched in fall 2019. Developed at least partially in response to Quebec’s Bill 151, the program is mandatory for all students, faculty, staff, and administrators at McGill and contains four modules: Sexual Violence, Consent, Bystander Intervention, and Supporting Survivors. More information can be found here. See also: ‘Bill 151.’

Joint Senate-Board Committee on Equity (JSBCE)

  • A standing committee that promotes full access and inclusion in the McGill community and in academic and employment opportunities for groups that have historically and currently encountered systemic barriers in higher education and society at large. The committee assesses how marginalized groups are supported on campus and recommends changes to policy and regulations to Senate and the Board of Governors to further support these groups. More information can be found here.

Judaism

  • The religion of Judaism. See also: ‘Antisemitism,’ ‘Israel.’

Labour rights

  • Work about or commentary on issues of labour rights. See also: ‘hiring,’ ‘union.’

Language

  • Used to refer to an actual language: English, French, etc., as well as language differences. See also: ‘Francophone.’

Legal system

  • Used when a survivor of sexual assault decides to bring their case to the court system or when laws regarding the prosecution of sexual assault are discussed. See also: 'sexual assault,' 'disclosure.'

Letter to the editor

  • Refers to letters to the editor published in newspapers. See also: 'editorial,' 'op-ed.'

LGBTQ

  • Common acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (or similar). See also: ‘queer,’ ‘homophobia,’ ‘transphobia.’

McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT)

McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women (MCRTW)

  • The former name of McGill University’s Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF). The IGSF supports research, teaching, and outreach broadly related to gender, sexuality, and feminist studies and activism. It also houses the undergraduate teaching program in Gender, Sexuality, Feminist, and Social Justice Studies and the graduate program option in Gender and Women’s Studies. More information can be found here. See also: 'academics.'

McGill Gym

  • The gym at McGill’s downtown campus. See also: ‘athletics.’ 

McGill Health Services

  • Includes counselling and physical health services. See also: ‘student health,’ ‘mental health.’

McGill Security

  • Security on McGill’s campuses. See also: ‘campus safety,’ ‘campus safety audit.’ 

Mental health

  • Includes issues of mental health and McGill’s mental health services. See also: ‘student health,’ ‘McGill Health Services,’ ‘accessibility.’ 

MeToo

  • The MeToo movement was founded by Tarana Burke in 2006 to support survivors of sexual violence. In Fall of 2017, #MeToo went viral on social media, indicating the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment across industries. The Francophone equivalent is MoiAussi, a social movement mentioned in some articles published by Le Delit, McGill's french language newspaper. See also: 'feminism,' 'sexual violence.'

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)

  • Terminology used to describe systemic commission of violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada. In some contexts, this term has been expanded to include Two Spirit and trans Indigenous people. See also: ‘colonialism,’ ‘Indigeneity.’

Non-McGill

  • Pertaining to a university that isn’t McGill (including Francophone Montreal universities), also including CEGEPs. See also: ‘Concordia,’ ‘UQAM.’

Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)

Op-ed

  • Refers to newspaper op-eds. See also: 'editorial,' 'letter to the editor.'

Open letter

  • refers to open letters, which are letters published or distributed widely and are usually written by students to administrative officials. See also: 'op-ed,' 'editorial,' 'letter to the editor.'

Our Shared Spaces

  • An equity education project offered in student residence, focusing on gender, sexuality, consent, race, Indigeneity, and colonialism. Growing out of an earlier program titled “Rez Project,” Our Shared Spaces began in 2019. Material related to this program has been tagged as “Rez Project” if the material was published or created before 2019. If the material was published or created after 2019, it has been tagged as “Rez Project” and “Our Shared Spaces” to make it easier to track the progress of the program. More information can be found here. See also: ‘residence,’ ‘Rez Project.’

Palestine

  • The nation of Palestine. See also: ‘Israel.’

Petition

  • Refers to students’ use of petitions as actions and/or activism strategy. See also: ‘protest,’ 'activism.'

PGSS

Police

  • Refers to material related to the police and to policing, including the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the current name of Montreal’s police force, and the Montreal Urban Community (MUC) Police, the name of the police force from 1970 to 2001. See also: 'legal system,' 'protest,' 'campus safety.'

Policy

  • Includes a range of university-based and governmental policy. See also: ‘sexual violence policy.’

Policy on Harassment and Discrimination

  • Policy adopted in 2005 and sometimes referred to as ‘Discrimination and Harassment Policy’ or ‘Sexual Harassment Policy.’ This policy replaced “Regulations Concerning Complaints of Sexual Harassment,” a policy implemented in 1986, sometimes also referred to as ‘Sexual Harassment Policy.’ Material related to this policy has been tagged with ‘Policy on Harassment and Discrimination.’ Material related to the previous 1986 policy has also been tagged with ‘Policy on Harassment and Discrimination’ in order to make it easier to track the development of the policy. The policy can be found here. See also: ‘Regulations Concerning Complaints of Sexual Harassment,’ ‘Sexual Violence Policy,’ ‘policy.’

Postfeminism

  • Used when articles make specific mention to the notion that feminism is outmoded or no longer required (particularly popular in the 2000s). See also: 'feminism.'

Protest

  • Refers to any protest action or event, such as a march. See also: 'activism,' 'petition.'

Quebec Government

  • Refers to the provincial government in Quebec, Canada. See also: ‘Bill 151,' 'Canadian Government.'

Quebec Human Rights Commission

Queer

  • Primarily refers to work about or commentary on queer identity. See also: ‘LGBTQ,' 'homophobia.'

Race

  • Includes commentary on race and/or ethnicity. See also: ‘racial justice,’ ‘racism.’

Racial justice

  • Anti-racist commentary, protests, or other work. See also: ‘race,’ ‘racism.’

Racism

  • Refers to material that includes or discusses oppression on the basis of race. Racism specifically targeting Black people and communities has been tagged 'anti-Black racism.' See also: ‘race,’ ‘racial justice,’ 'anti-Black racism.'

Radio 

  • Primarily refers to local college radio. See also: ‘CKUT,’ 'student media.'

Rape culture

  • Refers to commentary on the cultural normalization of rape/sexual assault, misconduct, harassment, and violence, often explicitly using this term. See also: ‘sexual violence,’ 'sexual assault,' ‘sexual harassment.’

Regulations Concerning Complaints of Sexual Harassment

  • A policy adopted in 1986 that outlined university procedures for handling complaints of sexual harassment. Material related to this policy has been tagged with ‘Regulations Concerning Complaints of Sexual Harassment,’ as well as ‘Policy on Harassment and Discrimination’ in order to make it easier to track the development of the current policy. See also: ‘Policy on Harassment and Discrimination,’ ‘Sexual Violence Policy,’ ‘policy.’

Reproductive health

  • Refers to matters of reproductive health, such as access to contraception. See also: ‘birth control,’ ‘reproductive justice,' 'sexual health.'

Reproductive justice

  • [T]he human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities” (https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice). See also: ‘birth control,’ ‘reproductive health,’ ‘sexual health.’

Residence

  • University-provided student housing. See also: ‘Rez Project.’

Rez Project

  • An equity education project offered in student residence, focusing on gender, sexuality, and consent. Beginning in 2016, the program was expanded to include information on race, Indigeneity, and colonialism. While maintaining a similar curriculum, the name of the program was changed to “Our Shared Spaces” in 2019. Material related to this program has been tagged as “Rez Project” if the material was published or created before 2019. If the material was published or created after 2019, it has been tagged as “Rez Project” and “Our Shared Spaces” to make it easier to track the progress of the program. More information can be found here. See also: ‘residence,' ‘Our Shared Spaces.’

Self-defense

  • Refers to examples of how to practice self-defense or to self-defense workshops. See also: ‘campus safety.’

Sex education

  • Refers to sex education programs and curricula, typically in schools. See also: ‘consent.’

Sexism

  • Used only when newspaper materials themselves use the term. See also: 'hiring.'

Sexual assault

  • Used to describe an event of physical assault. Note: in earlier materials, events of sexual assault are often referred to as rape. See also: 'sexual harassment,' 'sexual violence.'

Sexual Assault Awareness Week

  • A week of events and workshops hosted by the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS) and SSMU focused on educating participants on issues of sexual violence and providing participants with tools to better support survivors. See also: ‘Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS).’

Sexual harassment

  • Used to describe an event of harassment, both verbal and physical. See also: 'sexual assault,' 'sexual violence.'

Sexual health

  • Referring to matters of sexual health among students. See also: ‘birth control,’ ‘reproductive health,’ ‘reproductive justice.’

Sexual violence

  • Pertains to wider conditions of sexual violence, rather than specific events. Includes misconduct and harassment. See also: ‘disclosure,’ ‘sexual assault.’

Sexual Violence Policy

  • Includes matters related to the development of sexual violence policy at McGill. This includes the University’s Policy Against Sexual Violence, adopted in 2016, as well as SSMU’s Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy. The University policy can be found here. The SSMU policy can be found here. See also: 'policy,' 'Regulations Concerning Complaints of Sexual Harassment,' ‘Discrimination and Harassment Policy.’

Sex work

  • Refers to examples or instances of sex work, including working conditions for sex workers. Note: in earlier materials, sex work may be referred to as prostitution. 

Sorority

  • Involves material related to McGill Sororities. See also: 'fraternity.'

SSMU

  • Refers to the Students’ Society of McGill University. The French translation is l'AÉUM, or Association Étudiante de l’Université McGill. Material related to l'AÉUM has been tagged with ‘SSMU.’ SSMU's website can be found here. See also: 'student government,' 'General Assembly.'

SSMU Equity Committee

  • Committee for student equity started by SSMU in early 2003. In student press articles, the committee is sometimes referred to as the “Student Equity Committee (SECom),” particularly in the 2000s, but is more frequently referred to as the “SSMU Equity Committee” so we have tagged all articles that mention the committee as “SSMU Equity Committee.” See also: 'SSMU.'

Strike

  • Refers to all actions related to striking or strike organizing. See also: ‘protest,’ ‘union.’ 

Student fees and funding

  • Includes material related to student organization funding and fee levies. See also: 'SSMU.'

Student government

  • Used for material that discusses student government bodies and how they run, including the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) and its Board of Directors, Legislative Council, Executive Council, and Senate Caucus, as well as representative bodies of various faculties at McGill (for example, the Arts Undergraduate Society and the Engineering Undergraduate Society). The tag also includes discussion of the passage of General Assembly motions. This tag is used for material that specifically refers to bureaucracy and student governance processes. For more information, see our page on the structures of student governance at McGill here. See also: ‘SSMU,' 'PGSS,' ‘general assembly.’

Student health

  • Refers to all matters of student health, including physical and mental wellbeing. See also: ‘mental health,’ ‘McGill Health Services.’  

Student media

  • Includes explicit mentions of student press, radio, and other forms of media. See also: 'radio.'

Student orientation

  • Includes what is referred to at McGill as frosh, as well as other orientation events such as Discover McGill. These events typically happen during the first week of the Fall semester but may also occur later in the school year. See also: 'Rez Project,' 'Our Shared Spaces.'

Student-professor relationships

  • Refers to intimate relationships between students and professors, which is a primary concern within student activism against campus sexual violence. See also: ‘Conflict of Interest Policy,’ 'McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT).'

Students for Consent Culture (SFCC)

  • An organization supporting anti-sexual violence advocacy and activism on campuses across Canada. Members from the group published the OurTurn National Action Plan in October 2017 with the intention to give student unions across Canada tools to end campus sexual violence through evidence-based programs and effective action. More information can be found here.

Survivor

  • A person who has survived an experience of sexual violence and identifies as such. See also: 'disclosure,' 'sexual assault,' 'sexual violence.'

Take Back the Ghetto

  • McGill-specific event, referring to the Milton-Parc area adjacent to its downtown campus. This event was inspired by Take Back the Night. See also: 'Take Back the Night,' 'sexual violence,' 'campus safety,' 'protest.'

Take Back the Night

  • A particular series of protests, events, and marches against sexual violence, especially calling for freedom from sexual violence in public spaces. See also: 'sexual violence,' 'protest.'

Terminology

  • Referring to explicit discussion of vocabulary.

Transphobia

  • A system of oppression, includes acts of violence against trans people. See also: 'gender neutral washrooms,' 'LGBTQ,' 'queer,' 'homophobia.'

Tuition

  • Refers to student fees due every semester. See also: 'admin.'

Union

  • Pertaining to a number of unions, including, but not limited to: Rassemblement des Associations Étudiantes Universitaires (RAEU), Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), L'Association Nationale des Etudiants du Quebec (ANEQ), Féderation étudiante universitaire du Quebec (FEUQ), Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSE), Service Employees’ Union (SEU), and Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ). See also: 'labour rights,' 'student government.'

L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

  • A Francophone university in Montreal. See also: ‘non-McGill.’

Student services and organizations:

The below tags all refer to student clubs, services, and organizations at McGill. They have been tagged with the names of clubs at time of publication, as well as currently used names.

Access McGill

  • A long-running SSMU standing committee that provides support to students with disabilities and diverse access needs. 

Anti-Racism Working Group

  • Student organization established in 1992 with a goal to raise awareness of racism on campus. The group is no longer active. See also: 'race,' 'racism,' 'anti-Black racism,' 'racial justice.'

Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS)

Black Students Network (BSN)

  • A SSMU student service providing support, mentorship, and resources to Black students on campus. The service also hosts social and political events broadly focused on issues of Blackness and racial equity. More information can be found here. See also: 'race,' 'racism,' 'anti-Black racism,' 'racial justice.'

Choose Life

  • A pro-life student group registered by SSMU as an official McGill club in 2008 and de-registered in 2009, following much debate. See also: ‘reproductive justice,’ ‘reproductive health.’

CKUT

  • McGill’s campus-community radio station providing alternative music and news to the Montreal community. More information can be found here. See also: 'radio,' 'student media.'

Community Disclosure Network

  • Operating in 2017, the CDN was a student-created anonymous reporting portal for reporting acts of sexual violence committed by a member of the SSMU executive team. The CDN website can still be accessed here. See also: 'SSMU,' 'disclosure,' 'sexual assault,' 'sexual violence.'

Concerned About Residence Environment and Safety (CARES)

  • A group initially founded by first year students in the Molson student residence in 1995, CARES strove to reduce and elimination discrimination and harassment in student residences via the distribution of education and advocacy around establishing a code of residence conduct that would regulated disciplinary action. The group is no longer active.

ConsentMcGill

  • Began in 2014, #ConsentMcGill is a campaign run by McGill’s Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support, and Education and staffed by student volunteers. It addresses questions of consent, healthy relationships, and sexual violence in a two week-long series of on-campus events. For more information, see the ConsentMcGill section on this page. See also: 'consent,' 'sexual violence,' 'events.'

Demilitarize McGill

  • A student group working to eliminate military research and formalize ethical research standards at McGill through popular education and direct action. The group is still active. See also: 'activism,' 'admin.'

Drivesafe

  • A student service run by SSMU that drives students home to and from anywhere on the Island of Montreal for free. More information can be found here. See also: 'Walksafe,' 'campus safety.'

Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS)

  • The representative body of the undergraduate students of the Faculty of Engineering. More information can be found here. See also: 'Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP),' 'SSMU,' 'student government.'

Gorilla Composting

  • Established in 2005, Gorilla Composting runs composting projects on campus and holds informational workshops on composting. See also: 'environmental sustainability.'

Grassroots Representative Association for Student Power (GRASPe)

  • An autonomous, non-hierarchical student group focused on informing students about activist causes that affect them and organizing direct action interventions. The group was active through the 2000’s. See also: 'activism.'

Greening McGill

  • A student-led project run by the Campus Planning and Development Office and the City of Montreal that aims to create pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly campus spaces and to initiate new environmentally-friendly landscaping projects. More information can be found here. See also: 'environmental sustainability.'

Legal Information Clinic

  • A student-run service that provides legal information, referrals, and community services. Open since 1973, it is staffed by law students and is free for students and Montreal community members. More information can be found here. See also: 'legal system.'

McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA)

  • Formed in 1988 partially in response to a sexual assault that occurred at the Zeta Psi fraternity house in September 1988, the McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) was a student-run organization that focused on examining McGill’s policies on sexual harassment and assault and organizing events like the first Sexual Assault Awareness Week. The organization had close ties with a number of other feminist organizations on campus, including the McGill Women’s Union, working together on various initiatives and events and sharing members. During the 1992-93 school year, the organization merged with the McGill Sexual Assualt Centre (MSAC) and grew into the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS). See also: 'McGill Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC),' 'Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS).'

McGill Men Against Sexism

  • A student club in the 1990’s with a men-only membership policy, focused on discussing feminism from a male point of view. See also: 'McGill Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC),' 'McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA).'

McGill Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC)

  • Formed in 1990, the McGill Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC) was one of two initial sexual assault organizations on campus, along with the McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA). The Centre provided various services to survivors, including a legal program, support groups, and referrals and resources. The organization initially adopted an apolitical stance in its constitution, creating tension between itself and the McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA). The organization later declared itself to be a feminist organization and eventually merged with McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) to create the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS) during the 1992-93 school year. See also: 'McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA),' 'Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS).'

McGill Students Against War and Racism

  • A student club formed in the 1990’s that organized educational events and protests focused on criticizing the role of US and Canadian foreign policy in the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq War.

Muslim Students Association (MSA)

Native Awareness Coalition (NAC)

  • A group of students organizing around Indigenous issues on campus. Among other activist work, NAC helped to mobilize the first calls for the renaming of the McGill athletics teams in 1991. As of 2021, the teams have still not been officially renamed. See also: 'Indigeneity,' 'colonialism.'

Nightline

  • Student-run nocturnal phone service that assists McGill students with anything they might need to discuss, ranging from mental health concerns to the best pizza spots around campus. More information can be found here.

Organic Campus

  • A SSMU student group seeking to promote healthy eating and organic farming. See also: 'food politics.'

QPIRG

  • An organization on campus that supports socially-engaged research, popular education, action, advocacy, and a number of working groups involved with different activist causes. More information can be found here. See also: 'SSMU,' 'admin, 'student fees and funding.'

Queer Line

  • A phone service providing information and referrals for any student seeking support with queer-related issues. The service is run by Queer McGill. See also: 'queer,' 'LGBTQ.'

Queer McGill / Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Students of McGill / Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Gays of McGill / Gays and Lesbians of McGill

  • A SSMU student service that hosts social and political events related to queer issues. The service also provides resources and safer sex supplies and gender-affirming products. More information can be found here. Queer McGill is the current name of the student service. Materials have been tagged with the name of the service at the time of publication, as well as Queer McGill. See also: 'queer,' 'LGBTQ.'

Science Undergraduate Society (SUS)

Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS)

  • SACOMSS grew out of two student organizations on campus: the McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA), formed in 1988, and the McGill Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC), formed in 1990. Initially, the politics of MCASA and MSAC significantly differed: MCASA adopted a political mandate and declared itself to be a feminist organization, while MSAC declared itself apolitical. However, during the 1991-1992 school, MSAC adopted a political mandate and the two organizations began to merge. During the 1992-1993 school, MSAC changed its name to the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society, or SACOMSS. Material related to the organization has been tagged using the name of the organization at the time. All material related to the organization has also been tagged with “SACOMSS” in order to make it easier to track the development of the organization. For example, if a student newspaper article from 1988 refers to the “McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault,” then it is tagged as such and as the organization’s current name, “SACOMSS.” More information can be found here. See also: ‘McGill Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC),' ‘McGill Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA).’

Shakti Women of Colour Collective

  • A QPIRG McGill working group operating primarily during the 1990’s that organized around issues affecting women of colour on campus, including employment equity and anti-racist cirricula. See also: 'race,' 'racism,' 'Anti-Racism Working Group.'

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)

  • [A] non-profit, student-based non-hierarchical organization that advocates on a strong social justice platform to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people in the face of human rights violations and all forms of racism, discrimination, misinformation and misrepresentation” (https://ssmu.ca/clubs/political-socialactivism-clubs/solidarity-for-palestinian-human-rights-2/). More information can be found here. See also: ‘Palestine,’ ‘Israel.’

Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) / The Women’s Union

  • A SSMU student service providing resources and education focused on feminist, queer, and trans issues. In addition to running educational workshops, the service offers an alternative lending library and a co-op offering gender expression items, safer sex supplies, and menstrual products. More information can be found here. The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) is the current name of the student service. Materials have been tagged with the name of the service at the time of publication, as well as Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE). See also: 'Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS).'

Walksafe

  • A student-run SSMU service that walks students home or to other destinations on the Island of Montreal for free. More information can be found here. See also: 'Drivesafe,' 'campus safety.'