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 Media Credit: Jenny George Four-compartment recycling bins encourage environmentally friendly behavior; Bonhomme chilling at Snow AP.
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Effort to Hire More Female Academics
The University's efforts to hire more female academics came under scrutiny at Senate Wednesday.
Senator Anthony Paré asked about the success of regulations instituted in April 2001 to promote the hiring of women as faculty members.
Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Luc Vinet said that, while the deans of all faculties have been asked to report the success of these procedures, the guidelines were "not uniformly followed across the University." However, the data for 2002 showed that 35 per cent of recent hires across all disciplines were female. Female applicants for academic positions numbered under 100, compared to more than 2,000 men who applied.
All faculty deans now must track female applicants for all positions, interview a female in the top 10 per cent of shortlisted candidates, and report to the Vice-Principal the names of unsuccessful female applicants, along with the reasons they were rejected.
Vinet mentioned a Canada Research Council measure to evaluate gender bias, which found that the percentage of Canadian doctoral degrees awarded to females increased from 25 per cent to 35 per cent between 1996 and 1998. The percentage of female academics hired shows that "McGill is in keeping with this increase in doctoral degrees," said Vinet.
Gender imbalance among students at McGill was also discussed at Senate.
Senator Morton Mendelson pointed out that, in this academic year, more than 60 per cent of McGill's undergraduate students are female, a percentage that has been steadily increasing for the past few years. Although this is a significant trend across North America, the Senator noted that the University had a duty to look into and possibly rectify this disproportionate enrolment.
"The University Academic Committee should consider this imbalance and report to Senate by April," he said.
--Divya Watal
Equity policy slow in coming
The Joint Senate-Board Committee on Equity was criticized by senators Wednesday for its inactivity and disorganization.
"The committee has not been very active," and has seldom met, said Luc Vinet, provost and vice-principal (academic), chair of the JSBCE, who was presenting the Committee's report.
JSBCE's mandate is to formulate University policy regarding under-represented groups, including women, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and queer people, with special subcommittees for each.
"It is difficult to find people to serve as chairs of these... Nevertheless, I'm now pleased to say these difficulties are being resolved." said Vinet.
Senator Anthony Paré addressed the complication of getting the many subcommittees together, suggesting that it is "an unworkable structure of governance, with the [one] committee and the many, many subcommittees. They are attending to the critical issues in the University and if they cannot meet, they cannot really address them," he said.
Medicine Senator Faiz Ahmad raised his concerns about the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment proposed in 1996, whose "first seven articles were approved by the Senate... yet never returned to Senate for consideration."
He voiced his confusion about the fact that the Equity Committee's goal was "to evaluate the need for such a policy, but not how to implement or create such a policy," a task that appears unnecessary given that Senate has already approved its first seven articles. Ahmad urged Senate not to postpone implementation of this policy to an undetermined date, but rather to commit to resolve it before the end of the academic year.
"I am hoping..." said Dean of Students Bruce Shore, "[that] if humanly possible, you will hear back about it this semester."
Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Martha Crago mentioned that the University's Code of Conduct contains policies and procedures regarding equity and suggested that these should be examined to determine whether there are already mechanisms to cover instances of racial harassment.
--Ayse Gauthier
Snow AP attracts 4,000 wassailers
Snow Air Pub, the Students' Society's annual celebration at the start of the winter term, drew around 4,000 visitors this year, according to SSMU Vice-President Communications and Events Naeem Datoo.
Although financial numbers are not in yet, Datoo anticipates that profits for Snow AP, which is held every January in a tent on the lower field of campus, exceeded forecast estimates. Last year, Snow AP made approximately $2,000.
Datoo attributes the success of the weeklong event to effective organization and management, as well as promotions, including the popular mascot Bonhomme, which helped bring in a consistent number of patrons.
"It ran great. [Chair] Elliot Cappell and our ten managers did an amazing job," said Datoo. "The tent was packed daily and the music was really good. We had Bonhomme going around promoting it, and everyone seems to love Bonhomme. The tent was bigger this year and it was even nice and warm. Even our new principal, Heather Munroe-Blum, came by. I thought it was a great week."
--Adam Klevinas
MUS Carnival accident report
Tuesday marked the final day of the Management Undergraduate Society's annual Carnival, which ended without any serious injuries. According to McGill First Aid director Chip Arnaldo, MUS is very safety-conscious and minimal injuries occurred over the course of the seven days.
"Many of the injuries were minor," commented Arnaldo. "We had to call 911 once for an alcohol-related emergency, but 911 is rarely called."
The most common problem that arose was numerous people vomiting. However, some obscure injuries included one person who inadvertently inhaled beer through the nose and coughed up blood as a result.
Of the 10 accident reports that were filed, four were alcohol-related.
Management Carnival includes many alcohol-related activities, among them boat races, funnels and pub-crawls; students also participate in a scavenger hunt and variations on 'Stupid Human Tricks'.
Previous years have seen much more casualty-ridden Carnivals and parties, but undergraduate societies have recently made safety a higher priority.
Arnaldo gave some tips for people out drinking during the winter, stressing that party-goers should watch over their drinks and not leave them unattended, and also never drink on an empty stomach. Arnaldo said that the most important winter drinking tip is to dress warmly while going out; a common misconception is that alcohol makes the body feel warm. In cold climates, drinking alcohol increases the risk of frostbite and hypothermia.
--Adam Klevinas
Recycling bins installed
McGill has installed multi-component recycling bins in most major buildings on campus.
"They have been installed over the course of last week," said Wayne Wood, manager of the Environmental Safety Office. "Most major buildings have them now, and it's not just paper recycling anymore, it's everything the city of Montreal recycles--paper, glass, metal and plastic."
Funding for the new bins comes from $120,000 set aside in this year's budget for environmental improvements. The fund will also cover a new position in the ESO, which Wood believes will allow for a more active environmental policy at McGill.
"[We will be] hiring a full-time environmental officer--once that is done we'll announce her name," said Wood. "Once that news is announced a lot of other projects will roll along much better."
--James Grohsgal
