Student groups represent a significant part of the operations and programming of the SSMU. With 230+ Clubs, 15 student-run Services, and 12 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 230+ student groups set up tables in the SSMU Building (University Centre – Shatner Building) and students 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.
Register for the VP Student Life’s listserv to get more information.
The SSMU’s 230+ 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 15 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!
The McGill Student Emergency Response Team (M-SERT) is a student-run volunteer service, supported by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). Our mission is to provide a free and accessible first aid service to McGill University and the greater Montreal community.
Our team is made up of 60+ dedicated volunteers that are certified First Responders under the Canadian Red Cross. We carry a wide range of first aid equipment, including automated external defibrillators, oxygen tanks, cervical collars, and Epi-Pens, and we operate under nationally-recognized protocols. We respond to all McGill residences, with the exception of Solin Hall, between the hours of 18h00 and 6h00.
As an official training partner of the Canadian Red Cross, we aim to disseminate first aid knowledge and skills to the public, by offering first aid courses and certifications.
The Flat is a collective that encourages cycling through the sharing of knowledge and tools. We have everything you need to learn how to fix your bike. The space and tools are free to use, and everyone is welcome to attend workshops, volunteer during shifts, and come to collective meetings. All persons and bikes welcome - no experience necessary! We seek to make bicycling more accessible, promote sustainability, and develop a greater sense of community. We are always looking for volunteers to teach bike repair to others.
The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) is a volunteer-run organization committed to supporting survivors of sexual assault and their allies through direct support, advocacy, and outreach. SACOMSS is a volunteer-run organization committed to supporting survivors of sexual assault and their allies through direct support, advocacy, and outreach. We are a pro-survivor, pro-feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-classist, queer-positive, trans-positive and anti-oppressive organization. We provide a safe, accessible and non-judgmental space for members of many different communities and identifications. All our services are open to the public and are provided free of charge.
McGill Students’ Nightline is a confidential, anonymous and non-judgmental listening service, run by McGill students. Our volunteers provide various forms of support including anything from talking about your day, to information, to crisis management, to referrals etc!. We are an English service in operation since 1984 open every night of the fall and winter semesters from 6pm to 3am.
Our services are offered over the phone at 514-398-6246 OR you can instant message us at nightline.ssmu.mcgill.ca
The Union for Gender Empowerment is a trans-positive feminist service of the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU). Everyone is welcome to use our services! We coordinate an alternative lending library (with over a thousand titles!); a co-op stocking pay-what-you-can ecologically responsible menstrual products, DIY sex toys, safer sex supplies, and gender empowerment items; and a zine library. The UGE also runs trans 101/allyship and anti-oppression workshops for other organizations and projects, and has a resource binder with information about abortion services, counseling, and queer/trans-friendly health services in Montreal.
The Plate Club is a service that offers free dishware rentals to student, faculty, and community groups in order to reduce the waste generated from disposable alternatives. We have a variety of items in our inventory, such as plates, cups, mugs, wine glasses, cutlery, and more! Everything is viewable on our website and items can be reserved in advance by sending us an email. We are also completely run by volunteers, so if you are interested in helping out, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 4-5 pm.
Temporary location during University Centre closure: 3471 Peel Street, lower level.
SSMU DriveSafe is a service run by the Student Society of McGill University. Our volunteers drive students safely home on the Island of Montreal.
Our service runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 11:00 pm to 3:00 am. To get a ride, call our dispatch at 514-398-8040 or if you see our van please flag it down and tell them where you want to go.
NEW! This year, we are commencing rides to Macdonald Campus every Fridays. Call before 11pm to reserve your spot!
Walksafe is a volunteer SSMU service that provides free and confidential accompaniment for those who are walking at night. Our nightly patrol service seeks to create a visible culture of safety in the Mcgill community. Our service exists to create a more comfortable and supportive environment for all individuals who want an alternative to walking alone at night. Walksafe is available to any person or group of persons who want to use it. Walks can be requested by phoning the Walksafe office at 514-398-2498. Walksafe operates on a first come, first serve basis. We will go anywhere on the island of Montreal to provide our service and can take the metro, bus, and taxi. Our operating hours are 9pm to 12am on Sunday thru Thursday nights, and 9pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.
TVM: Student Television at McGill is the University’s outlet for student television and film media with a reputation for in-depth news coverage and innovative, exciting new programming.
At TVM we work to create an environment for McGill’s filmmakers to produce and ingest homegrown student made projects. Our work includes short films, documentaries, hype films for clubs and teams, after-movies for those looking to reminisce about past events, live streaming, and so much more!
Winner of the 2003, 2006 and 2011 Service of the Year Award, as well as the 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2011 Website of the Year Award, TVM has garnered numerous accolades for its work.
TVM regularly publishes videos relevant to the McGill community, focusing on Arts & Culture, Comedy, Drama, Music, News, Campus & City Life, and more. TVM also organizes an annual Fokus Film Festival to promote and showcase student's films to the student community.
Winners of the 2014-2015 SSMU Political/Academic Event of The Year Award, for our vigil in solidarity with Ferguson & Black Lives Matter protests.
We are a service of the McGill Students Society, available to the entire McGill and Montreal Community. While we are dedicated to addressing the needs and interests of Black students at McGill, all interested students, irrespective of race, culture or creed, are encouraged to participate in our numerous events and activities.
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.