Several weeks ago, SSMU released a survey to the McGill student body asking their thoughts on the effectiveness of the General Assembly (GA). The results were posted on the SSMU website February 3.
Only 84 students responded to the survey, the majority of whom were from the Faculty of Arts. Dallas Bentley, SSMU communications and publications manager, said SSMU has yet to formally organize the data.
“I haven’t received any indication that a summary is the in works, but I’d imagine some type of synthesis would be created at some point,” said Bentley.
The survey asked students if they had ever attended a GA and, if yes, to give a description of their experience. The survey also asked students about the strengths and weaknesses of the GA, how well the GA fulfills its purpose, and the necessity of GA reform.
Responses varied. One student replied that the purpose of the GA was to “waste my time” and that they “[didn’t] even care enough to fill out the rest” of the survey. Another student wrote that, “although chaotic, I felt that it was an important place to hear my fellow students’ perspectives and become directly involved in student politics.”
Of the 84 respondents, only 35 had ever attended a GA.