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A-listers

The who’s who of campus politics.

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President – Maggie Knight

Hailing from the chill ville of Victoria, B.C., Maggie Knight finally got her big break last year, becoming well known as one of the better minds on SSMU Council and earning the title of “Knight in Shining Armour.” Mags is sashaying into the role of SSMU President and effortlessly assuming the coveted title of campus “It Girl” (Tough break, HMB). Mags is taking on the job with vigour. Rumour has it that she’s been shut up in her office working day and night. Is that because she’s simply working ceaselessly for McGill students, prepping for the start of her second undergrad degree, or is something else afoot? Frosh drama perhaps?! Though classy and elegant in her campaign, Mags’ keen and subtle-yet-unfaltering tendency to point out the problematics on SSMU Council last year has McGill students hoping that she’ll get out her claws to defend their interests against the administration.

VP University Affairs – Emily Clare

Self-described rabble-rouser, Emily Yee Clare hails from the Canadian Wild West, the land of country music and oil, Alberta. Yes, like any true cowgirl, she says “y’all.” E-Clare is this year’s VP University Affairs, which essentially means she’s the one handling all forms of student representation throughout the bureaucratic McGill government. She’s sworn to eliminate the red tape between student groups and the administration with a new communication strategy. E-Clare posted on her SSMU bio that she can “rock a boat like no other.” We’re hoping this wild child will lure students out of the classroom and get them around the McGill government!

VP Finance and Operations – Shyam Patel

Shyam Patel. He’s not just like us. He wears a suit 24/7. Word to the wise: a rumpled suit is not a good look. Watch out for that $lam Bam Patel. He’s got the money, literally. He’ll be controlling the SSMU’s cash-money sitch as the VP Finance & Operations. We hope he’ll be investing in some business casual if he’s serious about his desire to be called the best-dressed SSMU exec. He’s got big plans for our dollars this year: including funding student events and groups, a new marketing strategy for SSMU’s Mini Courses and getting his committees spending (and auditing). But he’s not all about the money . $lam Bam’s got ethics and integrity and promises to cash in on this quality throughout his term on Finance & Operations portfolio. He will be working on ethical and socially responsible investment strategies. $lam Bam, you look like a smooth operator.

VP Clubs and Services – Carol Fraser

Describing herself as the “go-to person for all things clubs and services”, Fraser can help get you where you need to be if you plan on climbing the ranks of McGill Society. Because let’s face it, folks – to be anyone at McGill, you’ve gotta find your niche in a group or club. This enviro-chic exec certainly has found her thang, keeping track of all the comings and goings in the Shatner building while maintaining her duties as the point person for all internal relations between SSMU and its clubs and services. Keeping it cool as she bikes around campus, Fraser can often be spotted dishing out delicacies at Midnight Kitchen (12:30 p.m. on 3rd floor of SSMU for all you enviro lovers). You can be sure she will greet you with a friendly smile; don’t be afraid to approach this green gal and find out how to get involved around campus.

VP External Affairs – Joel Pedneault

Student politics is a passon for this SSMU Icon. With cool composure and style, Joel lobbies municipal, provincial, and federal governments regarding student issues. This suave SSMU politician plans to spend the year advocating for accessible education at all levels and fighting rising tuition fees with a steel fist. Studying sociology and translation, we hope this VP can use his panache to keep student issues on the table, and on the minds of those outside McGill campus.

VP Internal Affairs – Todd Plummer

The main man when it comes to events on campus, this sun-streaked SSMU VP comes to us from south of the border with plenty of enthusiasm and spunk. But Plumm Sauce, really? A little cheesy one might say saucy, too. In charge of bonding SSMU’s admin and its members through activities and events, this social planner knows how to have a good time. Keeping up communication is his main goal, in order to smooth out any wrinkles between faculty, school and other associations. Keep him close, folks – if Plummer’s there, you’ve probably found the right place to party.

The Administration

Principal – Heather Munroe-Blum

The university’s long-term It Girl – boasting the titles of Principal and Vice-Chancellor – HMB calls the shots from her fab luxury suite in James Admin. The media-savvy HMBoss manages to shake off the paparazzi by retreating to her Westmount pad, but spotted meeting the masses for speech-making, hand-shaking, and occasional Town Halls, Her Majesty Blum can also be found wining and dining with impressive types at the swanky Faculty Club for Board of Governors meetings, or jetting off to board meetings for the Royal Bank of Canada and Trudeau Foundation.

Senate

The guiding light for McGill governing drama, Senate features a cast of SSMU hotshots (including VP University Affairs E-Clare and Pres Mags) as well as reps from each faculty, post-grad students, continuing ed and Macdonald College. Members of the Board of Govs, faculty deans, and support staff representatives round out the posse.

Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) – Morton “Eminem” Mendelson

This McGill pro is responsible for going the extra (8) mile to ensure that students’ interests are repped in admin decisions – though he treated last year’s student protests against the closure of the Architecture Café like last year’s fashions. He tossed ‘em, and skipped out on a student-organized forum on student consultation. His run at McGill dates back to Trudeau’s PM years, and it seems that this real slim shady will be around for a while yet to pal around with BFF HMB.

Provost – Anthony Masi

HMB’s trusted No. 2, this brovost has been in office since 2005 after a long career as a professor in Canada as well as Italy (molto bello!). He’s written extensively about workforce and labor issues, a good thing given all the labor disputes he’s gotten into with McGill unions this summer. He spearheads key fact-finding missions for McGill, including the University budget every year and a ton of White Papers. He will also be leading the school’s Strategic Reframing Initiative – which will radically reinvent our approach to research, student and faculty support and services, enrolment mix and philanthropy, among other things – starting this year. Not known for his public appearances, make sure you check him out when he stops by SSMU Council and other events, because this year he should have plenty to talk about.

Chair of the Board – Stuart Cobbett

As chair of the Board of Governors, Cobb Salad is King of Kings at McGill. Bringing together all the CEOs, administrators and other high-rollers on the 25-person BoG, this high-status crew is in charge of all the major governance and financial decisions the school makes. Intensifying the intrigue is the fact that ALL these decisions are crammed into six top-secret meetings every year. Cobb Salad, a McGill grad as well as a managing partner of local corporate and commercial law firm Stikeman Elliot LLP, director of the board of Citibank Canada, and governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation, manages to keep to himself cool as a bowl of lettuce. And corn? What’s in a cob salad anyways?

Chancellor – H. Arnold Steinberg

The Chancellator was at the centre of one of the biggest McGill gaffes of the millennium back in 2000, when the school gave him an honorary degree without realizing he already had a REAL one from back when he was an undergrad. Despite this embarrassing public incident, both McGill and the Chancellator were able to overcome the “Secondary Degree-gate” media storm and he was named school Chancellor nine years later. While The Daily!’s investigative team has yet to unearth what a Chancellor does, this chancellor, boasting a résumé that includes having a Harvard Business degree, being board member of Provigo, founding chair of the McGill University Health Centre and member of the Order of Canada, is hopefully doing it well. With his term up next June, we’ll find out if it’s good enough to get a second.