Syria Sanction Statement

Syria Sanctions Statement

 

Whereas:

· Over 50,000 people in Syria and Türkiye were killed and 100,000 injured by devastating
earthquakes;
· Syria was already ravaged by 12 years of war;
· UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the
enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, condemned sanctions on Syria as
“suffocating” in 2022 and called for their “immediate lifting”. She stated: “No reference
to good objectives of unilateral sanctions justifies the violation of fundamental human
rights. The international community has an obligation of solidarity and assistance to the
Syrian people”;
· The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (2023), which has been entrusted by the Government of
Canada to distribute its aid in Syria, also “appeal[ed] for the lifting of the economic
embargo”.
· The United States has suspended some of its sanctions on Syria, in response to the
earthquake. “However, [UN experts] wish to recall that such systems of humanitarian
carve-outs may not be sufficient to address the long term negative effects of sanctions, as
well as business over-compliance with sanctions and financial de-risking” (UN, 2023).
· Clare Daly (2023), Member of the European Parliament, cautions “thousands more may
die” if the embargo against Syria does not end.

The McMaster University Graduate Students Association calls upon the Government of
Canada to immediately end sanctions against Syria, urge other sanctioning states to
follow suit, and amplify its aid and rescue efforts to all in the region.

GSA INTRODUCTION SERIES: VP-INTERNAL

GSA INTRODUCTION SERIES: VP-INTERNAL

Hi everyone! My name is Caroline Seiler and I am the GSA Vice-President Internal 2020-2021. I represent the GSA for academic matters and plan academic & social events, especially Welcome Week! In my role, I organize the Academic Affairs Committee which meets monthly to talk about issues that affect the academic life of grad students, including departmental & faculty issues, career planning, and administration. We’re always looking for members, so email me if you want to join!

On campus, you can find me at McMaster University Medical Centre in the Department of Medical Sciences, researching the effects of different dietary components on individuals with irritable bowel syndrome, under Drs. Premysl Bercik and M. Ines Pinto-Sanchez. I’m excited to represent you all and I plan to organize events and services to help keep grad students connected and supported. 

If you have any questions, contact me at gsavpint@mcmaster.ca and I’d be happy to chat! 

Informal AGM Recap

If you attended our virtual AGM on Friday via WebEx, thank you! We were unable to reach quorum at the meeting but we gave an update to those in attendance about our year in review and our plans for the next academic year! Please find all documents below that were discussed. The meeting was recorded and a copy of the video can also be found below. 

Watch a recording of our informal AGM here:

EGS Logo

EGS Provides Services

Engineering Graduate Society continues to provide services to Graduate Students during Shutdown

Despite the COVID-19 related shutdown of McMaster University, the Engineering Graduate Society has continued to provide important services to its members. Recently, two out of three seats on the EGS Council dedicated to SEPT students were filled in a School wide election, and those members are acclimating to their new positions well.

More internally, the Executive has been hard at work updating Elections bylaws after feedback from this years Council. With these new changes, which have been approved by the Council, the EGS may elevate any department representative-elect to a voting seat before their official term begins. This will allow for more discussion and accountability of incoming Executive Officers, who are elected by the outgoing Council.

Travel Awards for the summer semester have been thrown in a bit of a tizzy, with most conferences worldwide being cancelled as research institutes implement working for home procedures and governments close borders. Our Travel Awards Chairs and Committee have opened up the fund to anyone who has purchased tickets, travel, or accommodations and is unable to obtain a refund. Please be in contact with the committee for more information.

Events and Academics have been reacting to the change in expected schedules with grace and agility. While nothing can be publicly confirmed, we are in negotiations to bring a world class expert on thesis writing techniques to lead an online workshop! Keep an eye on this space for more details.

Finally, our External Directorate has been maintaining connections between engineering students and our partners in the Faculty, the University, the GSA, and CUPE. Every day we are advocating for student interests, and making sure that important information is disseminated as quickly as possible.

Virtual AGM 2020

The GSA invites all members to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 17th at 11:00AM. At our AGM we will present what the GSA has done for you over the past academic year and our plans moving forward into the 2020-2021 academic year. Due to physical distancing measures, we will be hosting our AGM virtually via WebEx! Please enter the meeting via this link and and click here to view the agenda for the AGM.

Additionally, please find other important documents attached below which will be discussed at the AGM on April 17th:

Watch a recording of our informal AGM below:

FREE Legal Consultation

If you have not received an email already from our Health and Dental provider Studentcare, we would like to share some important information about your Health & Dental Plan and a new legal service now available to members.

Due to COVID-19, you may find yourself in a difficult or complicated situation with your employer, landlord, or academic institution, which may leave you wondering about your rights. To support you during the crisis, you now have free access to a legal consultation helpline for 1 month.

To consult with a lawyer on issues arising from the pandemic, contact the Appointment Booking Centre at 1-833-288-4620.

An agent will take note of your request and forward it to a lawyer who will promptly contact you.

•  WHAT?
A free legal consultation service for any matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic
•  WHEN?
Effective immediately, for the month of April
•  HOW?
Call the toll-free number: 1-833-288-4620

COVID-19 GSA Update- Apr 3rd

Hello grad students, 

Just a brief update of how our discussions have been with the University over the past week!

With respect to advocating for tuition waivers and financial constraints for graduate students soon to defend, there are still a few factors for the university to consider before releasing any final statements. But we are actively advocating for all of us throughout this time and ensuring that this issue is constantly on their minds.

Please find a few notes below that they were able to have final messaging about:

  • Students are encouraged to communicate regularly with their supervisors about goals to be achieved while working from home and their research progress.
  • Students who have unusual challenges in terms of access to internet and hardware required to work from home should communicate this to us at the GSA (macgsa@mcmaster.ca), Andrea Cole (coleand@mcmaster.ca) in the School of Graduate Studies with a cc to their Faculty’s Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
  • Students who have accepted an offer for a May 1, 2020 start but who are reconsidering their start date may defer to September 1, 2020 or January 1, 2021 after consultation with their supervisor.
  • No graduate student should be in the lab on-campus at this time unless the lab has been permitted an exception by the Vice-President Research’s office.
  • Emergency financial assistance is available to graduate students. Please consult https://registrar.mcmaster.ca/covid-19/#tab-5 for details.
  • Graduate instructors have been informed of the degree of flexibility allowed in determining numerical grades for courses concluding at the end of the Winter 2020 term. Further clarification of options is expected subsequent to the April 8, 2020 meeting of Senate. 

In addition to these points, we are asking you to please fill out this very brief survey no later than April 8th @ 5PM outlining your specific concerns that we will compile and present to the University on April 10th. Also, we are partnering with SGS to have a weekly café drop in where you can voice specific concerns throughout this time and also have a chat with fellow graduate students about how we are all getting through this time. Updates to follow shortly.

We are in communication with upper administration every day and have recurring meetings set up with Leadership at the University on a weekly basis. For many of our questions, they have tried their best to be accommodating to find solutions for us and the student body in general; however, we too are still waiting for clarification. That’s not to suggest we are dormant. We continue to voice our concerns to McMaster.

And please continue to check our website and the McMaster University Website for current information and developments with respect to COVID-19.

If there are any other concerns that you’d want further follow-up with, please feel free to shoot me an email personally (gsapres@mcmaster.ca) and I’ll try my best to get back to you as soon as possible!

Regards,
Your GSA

COVID-19 GSA Update

Dear fellow grad students,

Firstly, we at the GSA hope you are doing as well as you can throughout these very uncertain and unsettling times. 

As the world collectively responds to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the well-being and success of our students is at the top of our minds. Undoubtedly, our work and home lives have been significantly impacted. We also realize that many of us as students have concerns about our projects, courses, theses, and dissertation studies. We want to assure you though, that your GSA continues to meet with Leadership at McMaster University and various other stakeholders across the country to discuss our needs as graduate students in order to bring tangible solutions. We have discussed with them the financial, emotional and mental implications that we are faced with as graduate students at this time and we are actively working with them on finding solutions for all of us.

During this time it is of the utmost importance that you connect with your supervisors as mush as possible, as they will be a key contact during this time especially as it relates to research expectations throughout this time. For those students who are enrolled in course-based studies and require course/project extensions please connect with your respective program co-ordinator(s). 

We also wanted to remind you of some of the additional mental help resources that are available during this difficult time:

– The Student Wellness Centre (all appointments must be booked via telephone)
– EmpowerMe: 1 (844) 741-6389 (for Graduate Students, online or phone life coaching)
– Good2Talk: 1-866-925-5454 (free professional and confidential support for all students in Ontario)
– The GSA Health plan also includes a $100.00 mental health benefit (full details available here). 

Keep yourselves and your love ones safe! 

And please continue to check our website and the McMaster University Website for current information and developments with respect to COVID-19.

Please feel free to reach out to us at macgsa@mcmaster.ca if you want to discuss these matters further.

Sincerely,
Your GSA

Elections 2020 Results

Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2020-202 GSA Election, the results are as follows:
841 (20.0%) of 4213 electors voted in this ballot.

GSA Executive Positions

President: Shawn Hercules 

Vice President External: Sydney Valentino
Vice President Services: Wei Zhao
Vice President Administration: Anthony Quarshie

GSA Faculty Representatives to the Council

Faculty Representative Council – Health Sciences: Shuwen Qian

The results are unofficial at this time as any GSA member may challenge the validity of the election in a written submission to the Chief Returning Officer (gsacro@mcmaster.ca) within two (2) business days after posting on our website. Such submission shall contain the appellant’s name, student 
number, telephone number and address, as well as a detailed account of the alleged reasons for invalidating the election.