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Student groups represent a significant part of the operations and programming of the SSMU. With 250+ Clubs, 17 student-run Services, and 11 Independent Student Groups, students have a wealth of opportunities to get involved and become a part of the campus community. The easiest way to see what the SSMU has to offer is through attending.
Activities Night. Activities Night is a club fair, where all of the SSMU’s 250+ student groups set up tables to have the opportunity to speak to the executives of each group and sign up for the email list of any and all of the groups at the event.
The SSMU’s 250+ clubs fall into ten different categories. Clubs are interest groups, representing a wide variety of hobbies, interests, and causes, all of which are run entirely by other undergraduate students. While the commitment level varies from club to club, the involvement of members in any given club can range from attending weekly meetings and volunteering on a regular basis to attending an event once or twice a semester. Clubs allow you to customize exactly how you want to be involved and how much time you want to devote to student life.
If you have a specific group in mind that you’re interested in joining, reach out to that group directly! After contacting a group and being asked to be added to their mailing list, you’ll receive updates about the events and notice of their general meetings.
Want to hone your skills and show off your athletic prowess? Want to get in shape or learn a new sport? You've come to the right place!
Help fundraise for an international charity or learn how you can make the McGill campus more sustainable!
Get out of the McGill bubble and make meaningful contributions to our community with one of our volunteer programs!
Learn to draw, show off your vocals, or steal the show with your dance moves!
Interested in learning more about global health? Supporting student wellness on campus? Join a Health and Wellness club!
Interested in writing and showing off your editorial skills or learning a new language? Join our clubs.
Learn to tango, play bridge, or share your love of board game? This is the place to be! Pick up a new hobby or skill in a fun and relaxed environment.
Build your skills and your resume by developing your leadership ability and networking along on the way!
Advocate for the causes you believe in and fight for change with a Political and Social Activism Club!
Expand your horizons by learning about a new culture or get a taste of home with one of our many Religion and Culture Clubs!
The SSMU operates 17 student-run Services, which provide a wide range of services and resources to the student body. Unlike clubs, where students sign up to become members of a particular group, Services operate without formal membership lists because any McGill student is able to access the resources provided by all of the Services. Despite not being able to be a general member of a Service, the SSMU Services offer countless opportunities for becoming a volunteer and serving the student body.
Services are financially part of the SSMU, and many of them are funded by their own fee-levy. Others receive funds allocated from the SSMU budget. The budgets for these Services are approved every year by the SSMU Council and are created in collaboration with the members of the services themselves.
Have you ever used a SSMU Service? We want to hear from you! Please fill out this short survey to help us learn more about how SSMU Services can better support you! Fill out the survey here!
SSMU also has a relationship with a number of independent student groups, which are groups existing on campus outside of the SSMU structure. These groups are larger than the average club and have very distinct governance structures, often being incorporated as not-for-profit organizations.
Currently, the SSMU has a formal affiliation with 12 independent student groups, ranging from a radio station to campus publications to sustainability initiatives.
There are countless ways to find out what SSMU has to offer! The easiest way to find a student group you’re interested in joining is perusing the Club Listing, Services Listing, and Independent Student Group Listings on the SSMU website.
The most common way to see all of SSMU’s student groups in one place is by attending Activities Night, a clubs fair that SSMU hosts at the beginning of each semester. Activities Night, hosted in the SSMU building, brings in all of SSMU’s student groups under one roof for students to sign up for membership lists, speak to the student executives running each group, and learn more about how to get involved.
If you have a specific interest or even a very general idea of what you’re looking for in a student group and would like some guidance on where to start looking, you can also contact the Vice-President (Student Life) or the Club Administrative Officer.
All student groups maintain their own membership lists, so there is not one centralized way to sign up for a number of groups at once. To become a member or a volunteer for a student group, the easiest way to sign up is contacting that group directly by email or attending a general meeting.
Many groups also have sign-up lists available for students to add their names to during Activities Night. Signing up for one of these lists will generally put you on the group’s email list, where you’ll be able to get more information about how they define their membership and how to become one!
The answer to this question varies depending on the type of group in question. Among clubs, some have membership fees which vary based on the activities of the club, but the majority have no membership fee.
There are no direct membership fees associated with any of the SSMU Services or the Independent Student Groups, but some of these groups receive funding that is paid directly through your student fees on Minerva, which gives you membership rights.
Because Services and Independent Student Groups provide resources and opportunities to all McGill undergraduate students, they have the option of levying a fee from the student body directly that all undergraduate students pay into on Minerva.
Of SSMU’s twenty services, of those groups (M-SERT, SACOMSS, Nightline, Midnight Kitchen, Queer McGill, the Union for Gender Empowerment, TVM: Student Television at McGill, Organic Campus, the Black Students Network, First Year Council, and the McGill International Students Network) levy fees directly from the student body.
Of SSMU’s ten Independent Student Groups, six of those groups (the Legal Information Clinic at McGill, the McGill Daily, the McGill Tribune, CKUT Radio, QPIRG McGill, and the ECOLE Project) levy fees directly from students. So long as you haven’t opted out of the fee through Minerva (note that the McGill Daily and McGill Tribune fees are not opt-outable), you hold voting rights in those organizations and can participate at their Annual General Meetings.