My experience is one of many; whether you’re currently struggling, have a friend that’s struggling, or just need a safe space to vent, hopefully you’ll find something below that works for you. All of these services are free of charge for McGill students unless otherwise stated. The list is not exhaustive, and not all of them will be a right fit for you, but do not procrastinate your wellness. Keep looking for something that is.

Peer support

The Peer Support Centre (psc.ssmu.ca), founded in 2013, provides confidential, face-to-face, one-on-one support with a McGill student volunteer. You can drop in during their hours, or make an appointment online to speak with a peer who has “[undergone] more than forty hours of training on topics such as active listening, ethical conduct, confidentiality, and a range of common student issues. While the SSMU building is under construction, they are located on the second floor of 3471 Peel St.

Nightline (nightline.ssmu.ca) is a student-run call centre at 514-398-6246, open 6 PM to 3 AM during the school year. They provide anonymous, judgement-free active listening crisis management, and referral services, free of charge. They also have an online instant messaging support called Chatline.

The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) (sacomss.org) provides support to survivors of sexual assault throughout the entire year. They have a hotline, drop-in appointments, and hold support groups. They consult or train many of the other McGill groups listed below, and can advocate on the behalf of McGill students and staff for conflicts related to sexual assault.

Other peer support services include Vent Over Tea (ventovertea.com), an active listening service which pairs you with a student volunteer in a local café. If you’re living in rez, another source of support can be floor fellows, who are trained to respond to mental health issues.

Off-Campus services

Living in downtown Montreal means that you are not limited to services within McGill. Along with several helplines, Montreal also has a variety of free health centres and non-profits that can offer help.

Centre local de services communautaires (CLSCs), or local community centres often offer several mental health and referral services. Some require Quebec medicare or out-of-province health cards, and some (but not all) offer services in English. You can check the Quebec Wellness Centre site (sante.gouv.qc.ca) to find one close to you that suits your needs, or the off-campus list on the McGill Student Health Service website.

The same page lists a few private clinics, but most of these require a fee upfront, especially for non-Quebec residents.

Face à Face Listening and Intervention Centre (faceafacemontreal.org) opened in 1982 as a listening service for those in need. It has now expanded to include free 8-week counselling sessions, support groups, and listening and referral services all focused on empowering people experiencing tough situations. It is located a 14-minute bus ride or a 26-minute walk from the McGill area.

Head & Hands (headandhands.ca) provides free drop-in medical clinics to 12-25 year-olds, regardless of their access to health insurance. They are open Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 4:45 PM and are able to see 10 people by random draw, rather than on a first come, first served basis. You’ll meet with a friendly health educator followed by a physician. They are a 33-minute bus trip from the McGill area.

Some 24/7 phone services you can try include the bilingual Tel-Aide, a listening service at (514) -935-1101. If you’re struggling with addiction, Drugs: Help and Referral (DAR) (reachable at (514) 527-2626) provides bilingual information, support, and referral services that connect you with a certified counsellor. Info-Social puts you in contact with a psychosocial intervention worker. They can be reached via the number 811. Interligne offers 24/7 phone, text, email, and online chat services for the LGBTQ+ community. They can be reached at 1 (888) 505-1010 through text or (514) 866-0103 on the phone.

Find your Community

Your mental health and healing process will intersect with many facets of your identity. Though the following groups are not all mental-health related, connecting with like-minded people and staying informed in a safe space can make all the difference.

The Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE) (www.facebook.com/equity.diversity/) was “founded in 2005 in response to issues surrounding harassment and discrimination at McGill.” They work closely with many other groups listed above. They host workshops, events, consultations, and provides grants to support research and knowledge exchange, all to incorporate equity as a fundamental part of a McGill education.

Queer McGill (www.facebook.com/QueerMcGill) is “a social, political, and informational support service for queer students, by queer students.” Part of SSMU, they hold workshops, meetings, “gayme” nights, among other activities, and host an active Facebook forum. They also provide staffer training sessions every semester for anyone who wants to get involved.

The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) (www.facebook.com/UGEMcGill/) is an “anti-racist, trans-positive, feminist organization” with a variety of resources that help to advocate and educate the McGill community about gender-based oppression. They have a library of gender-related reading material, a zine, drop-in appointments, and a co-op that sells menstrual products, safer sex products, sex toys, and other gender-empowerment items on a pay-what-you-can basis.

You should also look into cultural, identity and advocacy groups and resources like the Black Students’ Network (BSN), the First Peoples’ House, Arab Student Network, McGill Students in Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), as well as local groups outside of McGill such as the South Asian Women’s Community Centre.

Some groups and events at McGill, like the following, focus on mental health more specifically, and are a great way to stay informed and practice self-care.

Students in Mind Mental Health Conference is an annual conference organized by students that includes panels, workshops, activities and speakers. The next conference is set to be held in January 2019. McGill’s chapter of jack.org holds self-help workshops and self-care activities, a speaker series, and local “summits” where students gather to discuss mental health. The parent organization of jack.org also holds regional and national summits.

McGill Student Association for Collaborative Mental Healthcare (CMH) holds multidisciplinary discussions about Quebec’s mental healthcare system, with a focus on engaging future mental health workers and researchers. They have an annual conference and hold networking opportunities for graduate and medical school students. Healthy McGill (www.facebook.com/healthymcgill/) is a more general health group part of Student Services. They have several helpful resources on their website and have a portion of their peer health educators involved in their Mental Health and Wellbeing team.

McGill Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (MORSL) (www.facebook.com/morsl/) is another helpful resource. It offers a cozy lounge located on the second floor of the Presbyterian college in front of the Milton Gates, places of worship, workshops, and their own spirituality magazine, Radix.

McGill Counselling and Psychiatric Services

Both services fall under the broader group of Student Services, so any full-time or part-time student, who has paid the Student Services fees, has access to them. They are open the entire year, including the summer months.

To get a counselling appointment, you have to make an appointment on the phone at (514) 398-3601, or go in-person to Suite 4200 of the Brown Building. Bring your McGill Student ID card and a copy of your insurance to your first appointment. Your first session will be an hour-long assessment, where the clinician establishes a personal plan for you, which might consist of individual therapy, group therapy, self-directed online therapy, and/or workshops. This fall, they’ll be re-introducing drop-in counselling appointments.

If you access individual therapy, you have the right to ask for a clinician of a specific gender, a French-speaking clinician, or one that is part of the PRIDE Counselling Team members with experience in helping LGBTQ+ students.

McGill’s Psychiatric Services are located in the same building, in Suite 5500. To make an appointment, you’ll need a referral from either a family doctor or from a clinician from Counselling. You’ll need your McGill ID Card along with your McGill Insurance or Health Card (provincial or Blue Cross). Usually, if you’re struggling, the first stop will be McGill Counselling.

Most criticisms of the McGill counselling and psychiatric services are of their long wait times and their failure to meet the demand of students. For example, last Winter, more than 1,000 McGill students signed a petition expressing concerns about the medical note system, Student Service’s diversion of funds away from mental health services, the lack of mental health integration into other services, and the lack of input from the larger McGill community in their decision-making process.

In the past, wait times have ranged from three weeks to over a month for initial counselling appointments, though the wait is generally shorter for psychiatric services. The earlier you book, the better; don’t wait until it gets worse.

In the works is the Rossy Student Wellness Hub, which will be located on the third floor of the Brown Building. In an interview with The Daily, Martine Gauthier, Executive of Student Services, stated that “the main goal of the [The Hub] is to simplify access to McGill’s health and wellness services,” and represent a collaboration between physical and mental health services. They’ll have a new drop-in clinic, a common room, and a website that lists their services. They will house faculty-specific wellness advisors and the campus Shag Shop.

Academic Support and Other McGill Services

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) (mcgill.ca/osd) can provide resources and accommodations for students with mental health issues, disabilities, and chronic health conditions. They provide workshops, exam accommodations, note-taking services, and tutoring.

The McGill Student Health Centre (mcgill.ca/studenthealth) is available to students who have paid the Student Services fee as part of their tuition and allows you to see a doctor or a nurse. Make an appointment at (514) 398-6017.

The McGill Mental Health Hub (mcgillmentalhealthhub.ca) provides a variety of online resources and referrals to other services, within and outside of McGill.

Empower Me is a service open to students who are under the SSMU Health & Dental Plan. They have a 24/7 hotline which you can reach anywhere in North America at 1- (844) 741-6389. A trained counsellor can provide you with a confidential, short-term online counselling via video, or phone.

Know your student rights. Formed under SSMU’s University Affairs Committee, the “Know Your Rights” website (studentrights.ssmu.ca) and campaign give a breakdown of your rights as a student. These include exam deferrals, exam conflicts, accommodations, and links to official McGill policies and charters.

Emergencies

If you or someone you know is in danger, call 911. McGill Security can be reached at (514) 398-3000 for the downtown campus. However, when calling the police, be mindful of Montreal and Canada’s history of police brutality and racism, and consider the safety of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) around you in the presence of the police.

Suicide Action Montreal: 24/7 hotline at (514) 723-4000.

TRACOM Centre for Crisis Intervention can be reached at (514) 483-3033, and provides both phone support and short-term crisis housing.

McGill offers Urgent Care Safety Appointments, where you can immediately meet with a psychiatrist at Psychiatric Services, Brown Student Services Building, Suite 5500, West Wing, Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The student testimonies were edited for clarity

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The McGill administration’s anti-semitic practices

During the early 20th century, the United States and Canada saw an influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who were fleeing religious persecution. Many of these immigrants settled in Montreal, where Jewish people thrived despite anti-Semitic hostility from the local population. Jewish immigrants often saw university as a means of upward socioeconomic mobility, functioning as a gateway into the elite of society. First generation Jews, encouraged by immigrant parents who wanted to see their children thrive in their new home, performed exceedingly well academically and soon made up a significant portion of university students at McGill.

In 1913, 6.8% of McGill students were Jewish; by 1924, this number had risen to 25%. Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies at Concordia University and the author of Anti-Semitism in Canada, Dr. Ira Robinson explains that Jewish students were perceived as being too “academically concentrated.” Supposedly, this warranted their reduction in academia in favour of students who were more “well rounded”: all codewords used to legitimize the reduction of the number of Jewish students admitted to McGill.

In 1926, McGill University adopted an informal ban on “Hebrew” students from outside Quebec.

In 1929, the Faculty of Arts increased the admission grade average requirement to 70% for Jewish students, then further increased it to 75% in the 1930s, while the grade requirement for non-Jews remained at 60% throughout that period. Additionally, the faculties of Medicine and Law instituted admission quotas that capped the number of Jewish students at 10% of the faculty’s student population. These policies achieved their desired results; by 1935 McGill’s the proportion of McGill students who were Jewish had dropped to 12%.

Although these policies were “purely administrative” and were never officialised, it was an open secret that McGill wanted to restrict the number of Jewish students at the university. In fact, many thought it normal that Jewish students would have to achieve better grades than their non-Jewish counterparts. It would not be until shortly after the second world war that these racist policies would be phased out.

A broader context of generalised anti-semitism

Anti-Semitic sentiments in Montreal and Canadian society at the time of the quotas were not limited to the academic sphere. Canadian Jewish historian Irving Abella describes Canada during the 1920’s-1930’s as “a benighted, xenophobic, anti-Semitic country” in which “Jews were excluded from almost every sector of Canadian society.” In Montreal, Jews were generally not hired as engineers, bankers or lawyers (except at Jewish firms). Virtually every Canadian university that had a sizable Jewish population implemented discriminatory measures similar to McGill’s. Furthermore, anti-Semitic sentiment was wide-spread on Canadian university campuses; in a 1933 survey, 80 percent of the University of Toronto’s non-Jewish students did not want to admit Jews into their clubs. Discriminatory policies against Jewish students were deemed justifiable as Jewish students were regarded as a threat to a ruling elite of Anglo-Saxon Protestant in Quebec.

In many ways, the quotas and higher admission standards were part of a larger effort by the ruling Anglo-Saxon Protestant elite to maintain the social status quo.

Many administrators felt that Jewish students were limiting the access to education for Anglo-Saxon students. Universities were an environment in which future elites networked. As Dr. Robinson puts it, admitting many Jewish students “clashed with social expectations,” because it fostered the inclusion of Jewish members within elite circles of society.

In May 1934, Dr. Samuel Rabinovitch was appointed as leading intern at Montreal’s Notre-Dame hospital. The other medical interns, predominantly Francophone, saw his appointment as a threat. The other interns called a Jew treating Catholic patients “repugnant.” Soon thereafter, the interns launched the first medical strike in Canada’s history, demanding that Rabinovitch resign. The strike was a widely publicized affair. It received broad support from the population and from French-Canadian nationalists. Under pressure, Dr. Rabinovitch eventually resigned.

The Société Saint Jean-Baptiste, who represented many French nationalists who opposed Rabinovitch, also campaigned against Jewish immigration to Quebec under the leadership of future mayor Jean Drapeau. Their anti-semitic petition received over 150,000 signatures.

Parallels with contemporary anti-Asian discrimination

This type of discrimination is not just limited to the past. Today, Asian students need better grades than their non-Asian counterparts to be admitted into Ivy League Universities such as Harvard. Harvard University is currently being sued for discriminating against Asian American students in their admission processes. The lawsuit has been brought by Students for fair admission which claims that “Asians get the Ivy League’s Jewish treatment” a reference to the racist quota policies against Jews that were also implemented in Ivy League institutions.

Struggles that Jewish students face today

When asked what current challenges Jewish students and academics face, Dr. Robinson cited the politicization of the Jewish identity with regard to the state of Israel. He stated that “Israel is the great fact of life of Jews in the 20th and 21st century”, and that, as a result, it “becomes impossible to differentiate between Jews and Israel.” In other words, many Jewish students may feel compelled to “[enunciate] a certain attitude toward Israel,” particularly one of political support. This conflation of Jewish identity with support for Israeli policies makes for an environment in which students may feel boxed into a set of beliefs due to their religion and/or ethnicity, making constructive political dialogue difficult. This is not to say that instances of anti-Semitism do not occur during or outside of such political debates; they do. Anti-Semitism must be called out and made accountable at every opportunity.

Conclusion

It’s important that we as McGill students are aware of our university’s discriminatory past. If we hope for our university and society to be places of equal opportunity, it is vital we understand where we have gone wrong. We as the McGill student body need to educate ourselves and take some responsibility for the University’s anti-Jewish policies by fighting against present and future anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination on the basis of people’s identities in the McGill community. This is vital if we do not want the politics of hate and racism to return to campus life.

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Between his ownership of slaves and his possession of stolen Indigenous land, McGill epitomized a picture of colonial success in his domination and subordination of Indigenous and Black people.

For many Indigenous and racialized members within the McGill community, colonialism is a daily reality. The name McGill only serves as a further reminder of the cultural genocide of their ancestors and the continued discrimination they face. Still, de-colonization seems not to be a priority for the university’s administration. Not only does their biography of James McGill present a whitewashed narrative, but the university continues to engage in settler colonial behaviour.

Settler colonialism is an international issue. The Israeli occupation and settlement of Palestinian territories like the West Bank is a contemporary example of the aggressive colonialism that McGill engages in. The university invests in companies that profit from the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, such as a $2 million investment in RE/MAX. RE/MAX is known to finance the development of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian land, settlements which have been ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice. By disregarding international law, the university makes a statement on where it stands in the violent dispossession of Palestinian territory and identities. McGill’s financial support for RE/MAX, a company furthering the Zionist settler colonial agenda, sends a powerful and disturbing message. Based on their actions, McGill shows an open disregard for the McGill University Mission Statement and Principles when it comes to profiting off of modern-day colonization.

McGill’s investments have not gone unnoticed by student activists part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. They have been urging the University to divest from companies profiting off Israeli settlements. BDS was formed in 2005 with the aim to end the Israeli government’s oppressive regime in Palestine through non-violent economic boycott. This pacifist tactic is comparable to the one used to take down the apartheid regime in South Africa.

In September of 2017, following advice from the Judicial Board, the SSMU board of directors voted that BDS was discriminatory in nature and violated SSMU’s Constitution and Equity Policy by targeting a specific nation, namely, Israel. However, BDS’ qualm with Israel is one founded on a disagreement with its government’s policies, not its identity as a nation. In fact, BDS works specifically to target governments and corporations, not individual citizens, who uphold oppressive colonial policies. They have a set of clear demands that focus exclusively on Palestinian rights and do not hamper on the rights of Israeli citizens, 20% of whom are Palestinian Arabs. The SSMU decision to make BDS unconstitutional at McGill is troubling, especially for Palestinian students, who are attending a university that is profiting off of the continued ethnic cleansing of their country. It is also a reminder that we as students have much work left to do in combatting colonial structures on campus.

A testimony of McGill’s current colonial reality is the underrepresentation of non-Western anti-colonial perspectives in academic teachings. For example, the Indigenous studies program is only offered as a minor, partly because there aren’t enough funds put into the creation of a variety of Indigenous content-related courses to fulfill the requirements for a major program. Outside of the Indigenous Studies program, Indigenous perspectives are even more limited, with most departments at McGill focusing nearly exclusively on eurocentric academic knowledge.

This Eurocentrism is apparent when looking at the syllabi for various courses at McGill. The introductory course to international relations, POLI 244, draws its reading material almost exclusively from Western scholars and textbooks. The same goes for GEOG 210, an introductory geography course on “global places and peoples.” Such courses deal with a subject matter that is international by nature, yet are taught through a purely Western lens. Even though authors sometimes attempt to limit ethnocentric bias, their study of other political systems and cultures is heavily influenced by the Western scientific method. This is based on empirical analysis of observable phenomena through a series of predetermined steps. That is not to say that Western epistemology is by any means weak — empirical analysis is a cornerstone of higher learning — but rather that it dominates the discourse at McGill to the detriment of other forms of knowledge, namely Indigenous epistemological systems. Our highlighting of this fact is not to criticize professors for their choice of subject matter, they are of course more than qualified to do so, but rather to underline that McGill as an institution that promotes a Eurocentric academic culture. Complementing a Eurocentric curricula with scholarly work from non-Western and Indigenous scholars, in addition to rethinking Western academic methodologies, would go a long way toward eroding colonial teaching on campus.

Ending colonialism isn’t something that can happen instantly, but there are concrete steps that we as students can take towards decolonizing McGill. Those who attend talks on campus or SSMU legislative council meetings have heard the sentence “the McGill campus sits on unceded Kanien’keha:ka land.” Reiterating this statement at each event may seem redundant to some, but in doing so we reclaim past and present identity of this place, an identity whose origins are eroded by the name McGill. A land acknowledgement certainly is a respectful gesture that honours the injustice this university has perpetuated; however, it does not heal the ongoing damage of hundreds of years of oppression.

In order to decolonize McGill, everyone needs to commit daily to the anti-colonial effort; the fight for decolonization is one of actions, not just words.

Here are various ways to increase your awareness and get involved on campus:

EDUCATE YOURSELF AND OTHERS:

• Take a course about race and/or colonialism
• Read Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel (read and buy Indigenous work in general)
• Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, learn about residential schools, reconciliation and decolonisation
• Take Indigenous studies courses
• Attend McGill’s Indigenous awareness week events in mid-September
• Attend Black history month events in February
• Learn about microaggressions and educate people around you as to why they are harmful

ORGANIZE, GIVE SUPPORT, RESIST:

• Support/get involved with the Indigenous Student Alliance
• Support/get involved with Black Students’ Network
• Engage with BDS in the fight to divest from companies profiting off of Israeli settlements by liking SPHR’s Facebook page.
• Show solidarity with people struggling against colonialism through protesting, organizing, writing and material support.
• Join the Facebook group “settlement reparations for Indigenous people Montreal and surrounding area” to provide material support to Indigenous people around you.
• Support Black and Indigenous-led initiatives around you: attend events, pay artists, support and share their work
• Organize events and campaigns to counter colonialism on campus and in your community

We hope to see you at a rally soon!

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