Disclaimer: Please note that SSMU has not altered the content of any of these testimonials. They were sent to us by students and members of the McGill Community and we are including them here as they were sent. As such, we cannot confirm the veracity of the statements below.
If you want to submit your own testimonial, please go to this link.
***
I am a floor fellow and I have had so many sick first year kids who are really sick and have woken up and been to the Health Center there at 8am to be turned away from being seen.
-U3 Student
***
I don’t know which department is affected by this, but I have had 2 exams where the Professor was short of papers for the class and our tests were jeopardized because we couldn’t start until half way through the class in one of the exams and we had to move places, and the other exam we simply were not given back time for the mistake. And the mistake was made because the Professor didn’t know how to operate the copier well themselves, as they are not used to doing this. This strike is ridiculous and these people are going to be picketing in the cold soon, which is just not right. Please end this soon. These people don’t deserve this; they deserve to be treated with respect.
-U3 STUDENT
***
Il y a un manque criant de personnel à bibliothèque McLennan. En tant qu’étudiante en littérature et en assistante à la recherche, j’ai eu besoin, à plusieurs reprises, de sources particulières, notamment des logiciels de corpus de textes. Bien que ces derniers soient disponibles à la bibliothèque, il faut suivre une démarche particulière pour lire les CD-ROM, chose qui me fut impossible par manque de personnel. Ces textes rarissimes datant du Moyen Âge m’étaient absolument nécessaires, mais, comme on me l’a dit, «nous sommes en grève, c’est illégal pour nous de vous aider». Après plusieurs jours et grâce à des âmes charitables, qui portent une double charge de travail sur leurs épaules depuis des mois, j’ai réussi à trouver une solution et le travail fut dûment accompli. Aussi, un très beau service qui est le prêt entre bibliothèque CREPUQ ou Colombo, est présentement interrompu. Il est très décevant d’arriver en fin dans une des meilleures universités du Canada et de se buter constamment à des impasses du système. McGill et son éducation supérieure est présentement altérée durant vos études pour une durée indéterminée, veuillez nous excusez…
Mais il est inexcusable de faire travailler les professeurs comme des bêtes de sommes, les T.A.s comme des esclaves et d’handicaper les étudiants de ressources précieuses et nécessaires, à la hauteur de la renommée de notre université.
D’ailleurs, une professeure extraordinaire, Adrienne Hurley, se trouve présentement en arrêt de travail pour cause de maladie (plutôt de surmenage) et se voit dans l’impossibilité de conclure son cours EAST212. À mon avis, cette maladie est directement liée à la grève de Munaca. Depuis le premier jour de cours, nous avons manqué de ressources. Des étudiants ne pouvaient pas s’inscrire au cours, nous n’avions pas un local adéquat à la discussion, nous étions un groupe trop nombreux… Pourquoi une telle situation est inacceptable? Car tous ses maux ne tiennent seulement qu’à un paramètre : l’argent.
L’argent qui est mal distribué à travers les sphères de l’université. C’est la communauté mcgillois, travailleurs, professeurs, assistants et élèves qui, lorsque nous travaillons ensemble, constituons le vrai prestige de McGill, non pas ses administrateurs ou ses salles de marbre rénovées. Rendez-nous la cohésion, rendez-nous la paix et nous brillerons d’autant plus.
–U1 Language Student
***
As a President of a club at McGill (Change for Change), the strike is increasingly hampering our ability to fundraise on campus. More and more Change for Change has found there to be an increasing ‘implementation gap’ – a discrepancy between what we would like to fundraise on campus and what actually can happen – this is mostly because applications for things like tables and on campus fundraisers (campus planning) take so so very long due to the strike.
This is very frustrating – as a student group registered under SSMU we feel like SSMU and McGill should be there to provide opportunities for us. Instead, the strike has meant we are unable to fundraise as much as we would like to.
-U3 Arts Student
***
A few months back my landlord was going to throw us out. I needed EXTREME emergency funds (speed, not size), but because of the strike NO ONE ANSWERS THE PHONE! I had to beg my parents for money.
Second, a half-hour wait for someone to answer the phone at service point for registration issues.
Third, in my Lab courses, limited supplies and teaching staff due to strike.
Lastly, the general stressful climate of having to pass any picket lines, listen to inane shouting, and the demonstrations by ‘sympathetic’ students on campus disrupting my day.
-U2 Education
***
I can’t get a flu shot at the McGill health clinic because the nurses are on strike.
-U0 Science
***
I work in residence, and I frequently need to refer my students to various services on campus. It has been extremely frustrating to try and refer my students to counseling and the health clinic, because the reduced office hours and reduced intake times means that many of my students aren’t available during the time allotted for new appointments. This makes their quality of life at McGill much worse, and it also puts added stress on me, because I am left in the position of supporting them more than I normally would need to. Also, the backup times at the health clinic have always been ridiculous, but they are now impossible. It’s really difficult to get an appointment with a nurse, and even harder to talk with a doctor. I no longer go to the clinic when I’m feeling sick, because I know I won’t be able to see anyone unless I’m there before it opens and already waiting in line.
-U2 Arts
***
I registered for a theatre course (ENGL368 – Stage Scenery & Lighting) in my last year as a McGill student in hopes of gaining some important knowledge in the field now that I’ve decided to switch career paths. At first I didn’t realize that I had been affected by the strike, other than our regular professor and technical director being replaced by the production manager. It didn’t seem like a big deal since the production manager knew what she was doing and had taught the course before. However, as the semester progressed, we learned that there were a lot of things we could not do (such as use the shop to build sets) because we didn’t have a technical director and there were serious legal consequences for anyone who broke the Quebec labor laws. This became a bigger issue as the semester progressed. I had signed up to be a part of the set team/crew since it interested me the most, only to have my responsibility be reduced to just about nothing since we can’t use the shop or control the flies (ex. backdrops, curtains). Moreover, the production we were doing, All’s Well that Ends Well, was reduced to a workshop from a full scale production and has no budget. As a result, I feel that my education in this course has been compromised. I don’t blame the professor, she has taught us everything she can given the limitations of set designing, sound system, lighting, etc but it was a huge disappointment. Fortunately, there is a second class that I can take next semester and I really hope that the strike will end so that I can get a full education. As it stands now, I don’t know what it’s like to spend 12 hours setting up, or have a week of tech nights and rehearsals – all of which are vital to the theatre world. In some ways I feel that I have learned very little since most of this is learned through hands on experience and have been greatly affected by the strike.
-U3 Arts
***
I am a U0 international student. One of the biggest ways the MUNACA strike affects me is in advising– restricting the hours that I can go to service point or see an advisor is a big problem when I have classes and extracurricular commitments to balance during this first year. Planning my schedules and course load shouldn’t have to be such a struggle. Another way the MUNACA strike affects me is in terms of the health clinic. I need to get a flu shot, but because the nurses are on strike, I am unable to get one that is covered by my health care plan free of charge. I need to go to an outside clinic and pay up front, then deal with the health care provider to receive a refund. The inability for me to receive basic immunizations which I am covered for under the health plan I have purchased is an important issue for me, because I do not want to get sick.
-Arts U0
I purchased a non-mandatory meal plan during Streetfest in September. Due to the strike, my meal plan was not activated until early October. This left me with the need to spend a lot more money in a shorter amount of time, or else I would lose it. A staff member has discussed the possibility of extending the meal plan for a month for me, but I suppose that would have to occur while all meal facilities are open (i.e. not over winter break). It was not convenient for me, and I still have a lot of money to spend.
-Danielle, U1 Science
***
This is my fourth year and I really needed help getting approval to write my thesis and also talking about my degree. The only person working in the Anthropology Department office is an administrative person who could not find me the right form, did not have access to my file (neither did service point) , and had ZERO information about the Anthropology program! I may have to stay another semester if I don’t pick my courses right.
Also: I need to write a very long research paper for one of my 400-level seminars. I was hoping to submit this paper to journals and graduate school applications because the topic was tailored to my exact academic interests. However, due to the fact the Inter-Loan Library system is inaccessible (to students and professors, although the library website says otherwise), I could not do the topic I wanted so had to completely rework my proposal and will basically have to change my entire graduate school application because the resources I need (and pay for) are not available to me.
– U3 Arts
***
At the beginning of the strike I was forced onto the road several times by large crowds in front of the Roddick gates campus entrance only to be nearly hit by speeding vehicles on Sherbrooke. Between the 6 to 10 times that I cross onto campus daily I had drums clashed in my face and fog horns blasted in my ears while I was courteous and smiled at strikers while walking by. Once the strikers were faced with the injunction there have only been a few times that I have been slowed on sidewalks from getting to where I need to go. I continue to smile at the strikers, not scowl, and hope that this will be resolved soon.
-U1 Political Science & History
***
Student Aid: I wanted to get my OSAP from the Student Aid office, but their hours were reduced to 10AM ~ 12PM and 2PM ~ 4PM. I have class-conflicts with the times, so it was very difficult for me to come within those short hours. When I did make it at around 3:30PM one time, they had put up a sign to prevent more people from lining up.
Service Point: I had my wallet stolen, so I had to remake my student card. Students were in long line-ups and it did not help that the MUNACA strike people were gathered right next to the line up. McTavish was very crowded that day.
Others: I CAN HEAR THEM FROM MY APARTMENT & IT’S SO LOUD. They picket at the entrances and block the sidewalk forcing students to walk across the street or pass them by walking on the road which is a safety hazard.
-U2 Microbiology Student
***
I am supposed to be receiving my U21 scholarship as I am away on exchange right now. My contact is on strike thus I am not going to receive my funds until she is back! Also, Arts OASIS is not replying to any of my questions concerning my study away and is not recognizing that I sent in my enrollment form. If not acknowledged, this could terminate my Mobility Award and I will have to pay it back even though I demonstrated I was on exchange, such a hassle when you’re not physically there.
-U2 Student
***
I am the coordinator of a working group. I have been trying to get the group running with very few members but the strikes is making it very difficult for me to book rooms and get students involved.
Also, as a member of the research community, I am concerned that the strike is slowing scientific progress. The administration should be wary of this, as it will damage their reputation. I am also very upset that the McGill administration has taken legal action against the strikers and effectively impeded their freedom of speech. This is unacceptable.
I would appreciate a response so that I know you are actually reading these!
-U2 Science Student
***
Firstly, the strike has ultimately put my research to a halt and could strongly affect my graduation date. Since all the technicians that run the analytical equipment are on strike, I am unable to get the analyses that are crucial to my work done. In addition, these analyses are not available at any of the other universities in Montreal.
Secondly, the strike almost prevented me from submitting an application for research funding. Not only was my departmental secretary, the resident expert on the application process, not available to answer my questions and help me, I also had a terrible experience with Service Point that made me lose huge amounts of faith in the McGill administration. I had requested a transcript be sent to my department from Concordia. After two weeks, the transcript had not arrived even though Concordia had confirmation from McGill of its receipt. My departmental administration officer was working very hard to find a way to find out where it had ended up. I tried to help out (even though it is not my responsibility to organize transcript transfers within the university) by going to Service Point to see if they had received it. The person who served me was not only incapable of even answering the simplest of questions in regards to the transcript transfer process, she was blatantly rude and said that I should simply dismiss the funding application since it was too late. Luckily, Concordia’s administration is much more capable of solving such problems and clearly cares more about students’ needs. They managed to fix the situation. I feel that if the proper personnel had been available in Service Point, I wouldn’t have wasted 40 minutes waiting to be served by someone who was not equipped with the facilities to take care of my problem or direct me to someone who could.
-U3+ Science Student
***
Our microprobe is broken and the technician is on strike. We can’t use the printer because the technician is on the strike.
-U3+ Science Student
***
Student Accounts, presumably due to understaffing and the stress put on them thanks to the strike, has been charging me interest and has put a hold on my accounts because it thought my loans were overdue. This is after they approved my loan extensions. It is horribly affecting my ability to use simple services, like UPrint on campus. I would also like to add that many students do not support the strike.
-U3 Arts Student
***
Without lab technicians, I find that the chemistry lab (OM 128) is much more unorganized. Instead of being assigned locked drawers with a confirmed number of supplies, a multiple number of drawers are simply kept open and one must hunt through several drawers before finding the right equipment.
Also, without the watchful eye of lab technicians (TAs can only do so much), I think students can get away with slacking off on cleaning after experiments, as I’ve often found equipment in drawers that is either broken and/or VERY dirty, which is a bit of a safety hazard, and quite frankly, just plain annoying.
-U1 Science Student
***
I put money on my meal plan and it took 2 weeks for the money to get on the card. Some of the workers were kind enough to write my name and number down to charge me for the food later while other staff members were rude and made it seem like it was my fault and didn’t let me eat that day.
-U2 Science Student
***
Initially I didn’t think the service would affect me much, but then I realized that it would. Due to the MUNACA strike, I can’t enter the lab outside of class hours to study because there isn’t a technician, so I can’t really study at all except for during my lab (which is only once/week). I’m worried that because of this I won’t be able to do as well as I know I could and wish to for this course.
-U2 Science Student
***
In early September I successfully placed an interlibrary loan (ILL) order. The following week I received a notice that it would not be processed, that only ILL orders of a “special” nature would be processed. I felt some irritation, but didn’t reflect much. Later on, I’m realizing that I don’t know how I’m going to access books that McGill’s library doesn’t own, several of which are crucial to the history of the field I am surveying. Between the two attempts to place ILL orders, I became more conscious of the rancorous nature of worker-university relations. I’m proud to support MUNACA in their demands for parity and wage increases. I find it regretful indeed that McGill administration is not compromising and shameful that it would violate Quebec labor laws regarding the use of scabs. I wish that McGill administration would bend to the just demands of MUNACA’s negotiators and end this strike! The justification for this stance is my belief that McGill can indeed afford to pay its employees more in wages. Judging from McGill’s reputation, it can and indeed should.
-U3+ Education Student
***
