The McGill Tribune Vol. 28 Issue 11

Page 1

STANSTEAD: A BORDER RUNS THROUGH IT, PAGES 10 & 11

REMEMBRANCE DAY:THE ROAD TO REDRESS, PAGES 8 & 9

jb lis h e d by th e S tud e nts'S o cie ty o f McGill U niversity

w w w .m c g illtrib u n e .c o m

V olum e 28 Issue 11 • N ovem ber 11,2008

Ruqby triple crown VP Silverstein resigns Finance portfolio will be difficult to fill B ern a rd R u d n y

Students' Society Vice President Finance and O perations Tobias Silverstein tendered his resig­ nation yesterday, the Tribune has learned from a confidential source. Silverstein has held the posi­ tion since May 1, after b e in g elected this spring. W hen reached by the Tribune, Silverstein refused to com m ent. SSM U President Kay Turner was not available for com m ent at press time. It's been a tu m u ltu ou s year for the VP Finance and O perations portfolio. Silverstein w as elected in a special by-election this April, fillin g a vacancy left by Peter N ew hook. N ew hook had been ac­ claim ed in the regular SSMU elections in March, but resigned before assu m in g the post for per­ sonal reasons. In the 2007-08 academ ic year, the finance portfolio was held by Im ad Barake. In an interview w ith the Tribune, Barake described the VP Finance and O perations portfolio as an extrem ely highstress position. "You're the m oney man," Barake said. "You can't please e veryb od y and you have lim ited re­ sources." U nder the SSM U constitution, w hen a vice president resigns, C o u n cil m ust elect one of its m em bers to serve in their stead for the rem ainder of their term. Selectin g a replacem ent m ay be dif­ ficult, given the dem an d s of the Finance and O p ­

erations portfolio. "You need to have som e sort of ability to look at a budget, know w hat a bud get m eans, know how to put a b u d g et together," Barake said. However, Barake said that having the ability to plan in the long-term is m ore im portant than having detailed financial know ledge. "The councillor [assum ing the VP Finance and O perations portfolio] w ould have to know ev­ e rything about the society, w ould have to know about every sin g le budget, w ould have to know about how decisions are m ade in the society." The tw o com m ittees that w ork m ost closely w ith the VP Finance and O perations are the Fi­ nancial Com m ittee and the O perations C o m m it­ tee. The Financial Com m ittee is chaired by the VP Finance and O perations, and counts three co u n ­ cillors, the SSM U Com ptroller, and VP Clubs and Services Sam antha C o o k as m em bers. However the Financial Com m ittee had their first, and so far only, m eeting o f the sem ester last week. The O perations Com m ittee has m et tw ice this semester. Its m em bers include Arts U ndergradu­ ate Society Vice President External Hanchu Chen, Arts Representative Stas Moros, and Arts Senator Will John ston, am o ng others. The Tribune will continue to report on the resignation and replacem ent as the story devel­ ops. ■

he McGill men's rugby team cruised to their third consecutive QURL hampionship with a 21 -0 victory over the Bishop's Gaiters. See page 18.

cGill admin reinstates travel directive

*\fter two-day Senate suspension, controversial policy is back in force T

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On Friday, the McGill adm inistration unilaterally overurned a Senate m otion to suspend the adm inistration's re­ lent directive banning som e international student travel. "The travel directive, in its current form, still stands," D ep ­ ity Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton M endelson aid. The travel directive, introduced in Septem ber, no longer illow s "students to participate in any university related acivities, be they curricular or co-curricular, in countries with a

level-three (avoid non-essential travel) or level-four (avoid all travel) warning." Students are prohibited from stu d yin g in 20 foreign countries, in clu d in g Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka. In addition, certain regions of 39 other countries such as China, Colom bia, India, Israel, Peru, Russia, and Th ai­ land are banned. On W ednesday, Senate voted 42 to 18 to suspend the d i­ rective. At the m eeting, faculty and student representatives expressed outrage that they had not been consulted before the policy w as im plem ented. A ccord in g to Students' Society Vice-President U niversity Affairs Nadya W ilkinson, the univer­ sity m aintained that the travel directive was an adm inistrative

PINK RIBBON GAME - HOME OPENER

McGill ATHLETICS & RECREATION

responsibility, not an academ ic issue. "This [m otion] was clearly within the purview of Senate," W ilkinson said. "The [university] statutes say that Senate shall exercise general control and supervision over the academ ic activities of the university. The travel directive affects curricu­ lar and co-curricular activities— these are academ ic issues." The Senate m otion, put forth by Faculty of M edicine Sen­ ator Bernard Robaire, suspended the travel directive pending student and faculty consultation. "The governance stood up — and it was a great triumph,"

See REGULATIONS on Page 2

VOLLEYBALL SUNDAY SET

Bishop’s vs McGill Friday November 14th

Montreal vs Martlet Volleyball, 13h00 Montreal vs Redmen Volleyball, 15h00 Sunday Nov. 16th, Love Competition Hall

Martlet B aske tb all 18h00

M A R TLET H O C K EY

R e d m e n B a ske tb a ll 2 0 h 0 0 R E D & W H IT E G A M E

Concordia vs McGill Saturday Nov. 15th, 14h30 $1 hot dog, $1 pop!

redbîrd SP«R TS S H «P Special of th e week:

Redmen Basketball T-shirts: $15


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