Ombudsperson

Hi everyone, 

Here's your Student Right of the Week (Article 26):

21. Every group of students has a right to organize and to promote the interests of its members, provided that the purposes of such group are lawful. Every such group shall also have the right to publicize
    and hold meetings, to debate any matter and to engage in lawful demonstration. 

Noting the current events still taking place at the James Administration Building, this right is particularly pertinent. Though some have called the legality of the students' actions into question, they are still successfully occupying, which means the administration has not found legal precedent to remove them by force. Hopefully this matter is resolved swiftly, legally, and without anyone getting hurt.  

Here is this week's Student Right of the Week (Article 19 of the McGill Charter of Student's Rights)!

11. "Every student has a right to the due and explicit acknowledgement of any indebtedness owed to him or her by a member of the University for research or assistance in the preparation of an academic work."

This right as stated protects students working as TA's or Research Assistants (or other research coordinating roles) from not receiving their "due" recognition should the professor publish an article or make a breakthrough of significance in the given field of study. Whenever such a breakthrough is made, it is easy for those responsible for the work that made breakthrough possible to get lost in the hype and awe of the moment. This should never be the case, and article 19 prevents such practice from becoming standard at McGill and hopefully at many other fine academic research intensive institutions. 

Knowledge is Power! Know your rights.

Hi all,

Here is this week's Student Right of the Week (Article 10.2 of the McGill Charter of Student Rights):

Hi everyone!

This week's right of the week reads as follows:

"Every student has a right to be free from a reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual soli- citation or advance where the reprisal is made or threatened by a person in a position to offer or deny to the student an academic advantage or any opportunity pertaining to the status of student." - McGill Charter of Student Rights

This particular right is pretty straightforward. If a professor or anyone else in a position to advance you, academically or otherwise, threatens to hurt you if you do not acquiest to their requests, you have a right to deny that person and approach the proper authorities for assistance. Though universities are normally places of strict honour and academic integrity, there have been (and probably always will be) the select few cases where such a situation between a student and a university employee has arisen. This is why students need to be vigilant about protecting themselves by avoiding such situations entirely and knowing that if such a situation is forced upon them, they have reprisal. 

Knowledge is power. Know your rights!