Congress Weekly – November 2
Written by Jasmine Liu
Edited by Lauren Kim
Hello MSU!
I’m sure the majority of you are still busy with midterms, so I’m glad you’ve found time to relax and enjoy a brief review of this week’s Congress meeting.
This productive meeting started with a discussion on the topic of land acknowledgement. Dr. Chew, a history and humanities teacher at the college, suggested the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation commission to pay our respects to the First Nations communities who formerly occupied Marianopolis’ land. In light of this idea, Congress suggested that teachers should help students recognize the importance of our roots by including a message dedicated to the First Nations at the beginning of their course outlines. Furthermore, Congress decided to incorporate a territorial acknowledgement in their agenda and minutes of their next meeting.
Next, have you ever wondered how amazing it would be to get a discount on food from restaurants near the college? Thankfully, our Coordinator of External Affairs, Jerry Zhu, has been working on an Intercollegiate Discount App called CASA Deals. He contacted the group of McGill alumni who created this app to give students an opportunity to get discounts on fast food and chain restaurants near Sherbrooke Street. Moreover, Congress is likely to collaborate with the Dawson Student Union to produce this convenient app. The exact cost of maintenance/continuity and which restaurants we’ll get deals with, are two issues that remain unresolved but will be addressed shortly.
Furthermore, Congress addressed this week’s reoccurring problem: the STM shuttle bus’ unreliable schedule. They came up with a solution that will hopefully prevent this inconvenience from happening again. To efficiently increase pressure to change the system, they’ll collect numerous student complaints instead of sending one petition. To facilitate the process, Congress will create a draft letter to inspire students writing complaints.
On a more exciting note, some upcoming activities were introduced during this meeting!
First of all, our Coordinator of Social Justice, Elizabeth Hua, announced that this Thursday, November 8th during AP, you can attend Orientation 101 to learn about fair trade. Also, if you are a rapper, poet, or word artist, don’t forget to sign up for the War and Violence poetry night that will take place on Thursday, November 15th at Shaika Café.
Moreover, our Coordinator of Charities and Volunteering, Sophie Cao, is organizing an activity where students will have the chance to make Christmas cards that will be distributed by clubs related to elder and hospital care towards the end of November.
Finally, our Coordinator of Internal Affairs, Aria Khiabani, announced a Coffee House event that will take place this Tuesday, November 13th during AP in the Student Lounge. There will be free coffee, delicious baked goods provided by the MariArt club, acoustic guitar, singing, and a chill, moody autumn vibe. Make sure not to miss out!
That’s it for this week! Enjoy the long weekend and stay tuned for MariNews’ next Congress Weekly!
