gMFGILL TRIBUNE
Students' Society of McGill University Vol. 1 N o. 3 October 1, 1981
McGill joins fight against cuts No, the crucified student is not the symbol of a cult. It is the rallying symbol for the “Fight the Cutbacks campaign. Developed by the Con cordia Student Association, it has been adopted by the Students' Society (your association — us) for McGill's cam paign against the government's cuts in education funding. Hopefully, the simple yet dramatic image will become a province-wide symbol for the bot tom-line victims — us. The cutbacks are large. The Québec government has already reduced education funding by $147 million dollars. Further, the federal govern ment is threatening this year to withhold $1.5 billion in transfer payments to the provinces' education budgets. That move would be dramatically opposed to the recom mendations of the government's own public task force which held that the transfers should.not be cut.
The cutbacks have hit you. If you tried to register for summer courses this year, you know what that means. If you are a foreign student paying "differential fees", you know- If you have tried studying in MacLennan Library at last year's hours — you know. Documentation distributed at the Board of Governors' last meeting shows that the cutbacks are responsible for a reduction in academic staff personnel of 42, including 15 professors. That means fewer courses being offered and less TA's to back up the courses. There is reason to believe that the worst is yet to come — tuition fees. The Québec government, having already forced universities "to cut to the bone", may well be waiting for an excuse to substantially (200 - 300%) raise tuition fees. An announcement by Ottawa that no transfer payments will (continued on page 2)
McCord Museum quietly re-opens by Marie-Christine Colban It has been 10 years since the Mc Cord Museum, founded in 1919 by David Ross McCord, Q.C., re-opened in the former McGill Students Union Building on Sherbrooke street. There was no fanfare, no celebration, no publicity. The name is familiar, though. You've heard about it, perhaps read a review of a show in the Gazette, Montreal Calendar Magazine, La Presse, Le Devoir, Virus. But strangely enough, McGill students seem apathetic about one of the oldest and most esteemed institutions of their University. "Because of the slender budget and lack of any paid advertising, the McCord Museum relies on newspaper reviews, posters on campus and word of mouth" says David Bourke, Interim Director of the museum. "The sign on the building is so discreet that no oone can see it. We are presently trying to change this". But what in fact is the McCord Museum? "We call ourselves a museum of social history" explains Mr. Bourke. "Everything we have collected is primarily because of the part it plays in
the history of Canada' . This concise definition points out the importance of the museum's archives and library to history and anthropology students from across the country. There are books and materials concerning all aspects of social, political and economic life of the past 200 years, as well as the McCord family papers, documenting life in Montreal. While many students come to the museum for specific information, an interest in Canada and things Canadian is all one needs. There is a greater emphasis placed on the social and historical significance of the artifacts and documents than on their aesthetic aspects. What is particularly exciting about the McCord's schedule is that there are so many things going on at once special shows are given particular prominence, but there are always other displays. One can easily see five or six miniature exhibitions in a single visit. This is due to the fact that there are six distinct collections belonging to the museum, all of which are constantly (continued on page 2)
loulinetting Timber by Stream, Q u e b e c 1872, fro m th e N o tm a n A rc h iv e s o f th e M c C o rd M u s e u m .