But McGill University stands firm against protest
Eight student-run organizations at Montreal’s McGill University have demanded that the emeritus status of Professor Philip Carl Salzman be revoked as one part of an effort to overhaul McGill’s policies on academic freedom, which these students say they believe “protect and legitimize racist and Islamophobic dialogues.”
Professor Salzman is a respected member of the anthropology community and holder of a number of positions in the field of Middle Eastern relations, among other distinctions.
But in an open letter, the student groups denounce Salzman’s written criticisms of “multiculturalism, immigration, gender parity, cultural equality, social justice, and the Black Lives Matter movement, along with dismissing the existence of rape culture and systemic racism.”
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council convened on Dec. 4 to pass several motions and discuss recent student activism that has been pressuring the administration into adopting the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) policy for Fall 2020 semester courses. The council also voted to approve a motion which will provide an explicit statement by SSMU on the society’s official stances on a range of political issues.
SSMU Music Senator Addy Parsons briefed the council on the Senate Steering Committee’s arguments against implementing the S/U policy this semester. Parsons highlighted the shortcomings of the administration’s proposed issues with reimplementing the S/U grading option policy, explaining that many students are struggling with their mental health and that this policy may ease some of the stress.