Please visit our Lockers, Departments, and Opt-Outs pages for answers on those topics.
General
- What is the AUS and what does it do for me?
- How is the AUS different from the SSMU?
- Where are you and how can I reach you?
- I have issues with the AUS. How can I air out my grievances?
Listserv
Volunteer
What If…
- …an exam or midterm conflicts with a religious holiday?
- …I have a conflict during the exam period?
- …I think I deserve a better mark on a paper or exam?
- …I feel sexually harassed or have otherwise had my rights breached by a professor or a TA?
- …I am accused of an offence?
Leacock
- How can I book a table in the Leacock lobby?
- How can I book a room?
- When is Leacock open?
- Who operates AUS SNAX?
Money
- How much money does this cost me?
- What other sources of revenue do you have?
- Why don’t you organise a book exchange?
- How are you held accountable?
School Policy
AUS Council
- How is the AUS governed?
- Who sits on AUS Council?
- How can I get a seat on AUS Council?
- What does “accredited” mean?
General
1. What is the AUS and what does it do for me?
The Arts Undergraduate Society represents all Arts undergraduate students, and every Arts undergraduate student is automatically a member. We are independent of McGill University. We:
- Represent student interests to the university, the government, and other organisations
- Throw parties, like Arts Taverns, throughout the year, including our famous Arts Frosh in August
- Publish a monthly magazine, Steps
- Host a Grad Fair, Career Fair and Charity Fair
- Maintain a student lounge in Leacock basement
- Manage the Arts SNAX tabagie in Leacock
- Oversee departmental associations and allocate money for events and student journals
- Collect fees supporting a student work program and a capital improvement fund
2. How is the AUS different from the SSMU?
The Students’ Society of McGill University represents all undergraduate students at McGill’s downtown campus, and every undergraduate student is automatically a member. The SSMU is larger and has much more money than the AUS. It represents general undergraduate student interests to the university and to the government. It provides services and facilities to students across all faculties, such as clubs, a student bar, and a daycare. As the largest faculty association, the AUS has a significant say in SSMU policy. It sends three representatives to sit on SSMU Council: the VP External and the two Arts Representatives to SSMU Council.
3. Where are you and how can I reach you?
The AUS office is in Leacock basement, room B-12, opposite Leacock 26’s lower exit. You can also reach it through the AUS Lounge, in Leacock basement, to the left of the elevators. If you’re an Arts student, wave your McGill student card in front of the card reader to the right of the door to get in.
You can call us at 398-1993. It’s easy-to-remember: “398″ is the first three numbers of all McGill numbers, and “1993″ is the year Tag Team released the hit song “Whoop (There It Is)”. You can also email the appropriate executive.
4. I have issues with the AUS. How can I air out my grievances?
Please contact us so we can resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Otherwise, show up to AUS Council and raise your concern during announcements or during questions to the Executive Committee members.
Listserv
How do I unsubscribe?
Send an e-mail with a blank subject to listserv@lists.mcgill.ca with the following body:
signoff aus
The e-mail request to signoff a list must be the same address as the subscription. Find more information on how to manage your subscriptions at NCS.
How do I subscribe?
Send an e-mail with a blank subject to listserv@lists.mcgill.ca with the following body:
subscribe aus
Find more information on how to manage your subscriptions at NCS.
How do I Get somethine put on the listserv?
Volunteer
1. How can I get involved?
We’re looking for people to volunteer to staff parties and events, write stories for our magazine, form department associations, and sit on AUS and University committees. Visit or email us, and we’ll find something for you to do!
2. How much time is it going to take?
Your commitment to the AUS can be as big or as small as you want it to be. You can help staff at an event for a few hours one night, or you can develop your own project that takes up a lot more time. Any contribution is always appreciated, so let us know if you want to help out!
What If…
1. …an exam or midterm conflicts with a religious holiday?
You are guaranteed freedom from discrimination based on your religion. For a midterm, tell the professor at least two weeks before the date of the exam to make alternative arrangements. If the professor fails to do so, consult the Office of the Dean for assistance. For an exam, notify the Student Affairs Office in Dawson Hall before the deadline for scheduling conflicts.
2. …I have a conflict during the exam period?
A conflict exists if you are scheduled to write two exams at the same time or if you have three exams on the same day. If you have a conflict, consult the Student Affairs Office in Dawson Hall before the scheduling conflicts deadline.
3. …I think I deserve a better mark on a paper or exam?
You have the right to consult any graded paper or exam and to discuss that grade with the evaluator. Simply consult the professor or the TA who graded your paper or exam directly. She will then review the paper or exam again, and will either change or explain your grade.
If you’re still unsatisfied, you are entitled to an impartial and competent review of any grade received. Just take your paper to the appropriate Department Office. Please note that if you do this, your grade may go up or it may go down, and you will not be able to change it again.
4. …I feel sexually harassed or have had my rights breached by a professor or a TA?
You have the right to a safe school environment. If you feel that you have been sexually harassed, you may file a complaint with the Sexual Harassment Assessors. If your rights have otherwise been breached, please visit the Ombudsperson or the Office of the Dean.
If these channels are unsatisfactory, you may have your case heard by the Committee on Student Grievances, by sending a letter to the Chair of the committee explaining your complaint and the steps you’ve taken to settle it. Decisions of the CSG are appealable once, to the Appeal Committee on Student Discipline and Grievances.
5. …I am accused of an offence?
If an instructor suspects you of an offence, and he feels that disciplinary action is appropriate, he must refer the matter to the Office of the Dean. The instructor may not take action against you in any other way, such as giving you a failing grade if he suspects you of plagiarism. If you are penalized by an instructor without a formal hearing, you should see Student Advocacy and file a complaint with the relevant authorities, whcih may include the Department Chair, the Office of the Dean, or the Committee on Student Grievances.
If you are accused of an offence, you will be notified by mail, which will be sent to the mailing address on Minerva. If you have no mailing address entered or the address is out-of-date, the letter will be sent to your permanent mailing address – usually your parents’ house. This is why it’s a good idea to keep that address updated.
The letter will tell you which articles of The Green Book you are accused of violating. The letter will inform you that you must contact the Office of the Dean to schedule a hearing. Before scheduling the meeting, remember that you have the right to consult a student advocate and to have that advocate present at your hearing to advise you.
If after the hearing you feel you received an unfair punishment, you can appeal the decision to the Committee on Student Discipline. Hearings with both the Office of the Dean and the Committee on Student Discipline are confidential.
Leacock
1. How can I book a table in the Leacock lobby?
Just book a table online.
2. How can I book a room?
Arts Lounge conference rooms can be booked to Arts students for study or organizational purposes by requesting a booking in-person at the AUS office. Note that non-Arts students will not be able to enter the AUS Lounge.
All room bookings in Shatner are done through the SSMU Front Desk. Those booking are usually done months in advance, so you have to be flexible to get a date. If you’re throwing a department party, you can book the Shatner Ballroom or the Engineering Lounge in the McConnell basement, among others. Campus room bookings for non-student spaces are handled by McGill Special Events at 398-5433.
3. When is Leacock open?
Leacock’s normal operating hours are Monday to Friday from 7am to 11pm. Between 11pm and 7am, access to most of the building, including the basement, is closed. However, Arts students have access the computer labs on the first floor by swiping their McGill ID cards over the card reader at the south entrance to Leacock, facing the Redpath Library.
4. Who operates AUS SNAX?
The AUS appoints a SNAX manager in the spring, who then hires the other SNAX staff. The SNAX manager is responsible to the AUS VP Finance. Profits from SNAX go to the AUS. If you have a concern about SNAX, you can direct it to the SNAX manager or the VP Finance.
Money
1. How much money does this cost me?
McGill collects three fees on behalf of the AUS. For each of the Fall and Winter semesters, students pay a $5 AUS fee to fund our activities. $2.50 of that is given to the department association of your first major. Much of the other $2.50 eventually trickles down to department associations, through direct subsidies for smaller departments, special projects, and academic journals. Some money goes to publish the AUS’ monthly general interest magazine, Steps, which is free to students. We also give stipends to hired positions, like the AUS Council Speaker and Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, Handbook Editor, Frosh Coordinators, Chief Returning Officer, and Deputy Returning Officers. We also hold a Grad Fair, Career Fair, and Charity Fair. We inevitably have to pay for general office expenses. No money services debts, because our Financial By-Laws forbid the AUS from running a deficit.
We also collect an Arts Student Employment Fund fee of $6.50 and an Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund fee of $24.50. You can opt-out of both fees.
2. What other sources of revenue do you have?
Events such as Arts Frosh and Arts Taverns generate revenue, although the revenue is often offset by expenses. AUS also manages and receives money from the rental of lockers in Leacock basement and the second floor of the Arts Building. AUS manages and receives the profits from the AUS SNAX tabagie in Leacock.
3. Why don’t you organise a book exchange?
Unfortunately, our Letter of Agreement with McGill specifically forbids us from organizing a book exchange. Instead, consider buying and selling used text books through the McGill Classifieds. If you don’t like the hassle of classifieds, check out Haven Books at 2074 Aylmer (514-844-8881) and The Word at 469 Milton (514-845-5640). Haven Books will sell your books for you on consignment, while The Word will buy your books at a fair price – figure out what’s best for you. You can also try finding your books on Amazon.com, which often has very cheap text books. The McGill Bookstore also offers a Cash for Books program and sells some used text books, too.
4. How are you held accountable?
The AUS makes every effort to hold itself accountable to its members. We publish our annual budget in Steps and on our web site. All financial decisions must be made in accordance with our Financial By-Laws and the AUS Constitution. All financial decisions must be made public before AUS Council, who must approve all spending.
School Policy
1. What rights do I have as a student?
Your rights and responsibilities are outlined in The Green Book, which is mailed to every first-year. If you need another copy, you can get one in the James Administration Building, in the SSMU Office or in Dawson Hall.
In brief, you have the right to:
- Consult any submission for which you have received a grade;
- Have a student advocate present at any disciplinary hearing;
- Be dealt with directly by the University, i.e. not through your parents;
- Access information that the University has on file about you unless the University obtained it in confidence;
- And, you enjoy the freedoms in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and may not be discriminated against on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, sexual orientation, or any other ground of discrimination prohibited under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
And you have the obligation to:
- Not cheat, plagiarise, use confidential materials, misrepresent facts or evidence, or disrupt teaching activities;
- Not injure or disrupt the peaceable functioning of university life, through vandalism, harassment, theft, ….
2. What power does the AUS have to change school policy?
The AUS sends student representatives to faculty bodies responsible for school policy, including the Faculty of Arts Committee, the highest decision-making body in the Faculty. Here’s the general decision-making process at McGill:
- Policy created at the committee level (significant representation)
- Policy approved by the Faculty of Arts Committee (significant representation)
- Policy approved by the University Senate (less representation)
- Policy approved by the Board of Governors (little representation)
For decisions that require no money, such as disciplinary or administrative concerns, we are generally effective. For decisions that require money, like creating new programs and constructing buildings, we can drum up support, but if the money isn’t there, there’s little we can do. That said, spirit is an important first step to getting that money.
In any case, policies change at a glacial pace. Creating new policies and programs often takes years and requires the commitment and cooperation of dozens of faculty, administrators, and students.
AUS Council
1. How is the AUS governed?
The AUS is governed by a Constitution. The day-to-day tasks of the AUS are managed by the Executive Committee of the AUS, which is made up of a President and the Vice-Presidents Academic, Finance, Internal, External, and Communications. The Executive Committee reports to the AUS Council, which must approve all AUS spending and policy. Meetings of the AUS Council are public, so you can see what’s going on just by showing up.
The AUS Council also includes various sub-committees, which look into specific matters: the Financial Management Committee discusses all budgetary and spending concerns; the Constitution and By-Law Review Committee discusses proposed changes to the AUS Constitution and By-Laws; …. You can see how the AUS fits in with the other student governments on campus in chart form.
2. Who sits on AUS Council?
AUS Council is composed of the Executive Committee, the Arts Representatives to SSMU Council, the Arts Senators, the Arts Representative to the First-Year Committee of Council (FYCC), and one representative from each departmental association. Some departments do not have representatives to the AUS Council because their departments do not currently have associations. If you are a member of such a department and would like to attend council on its behalf, please contact the President.
3. How can I get a seat on AUS Council?
Elections are held in the winter term for Executive, Senator, and Arts Representative positions. Elections are typically held in October for FYCC. Some departments have elections in the winter term, but many smaller departments give positions to whoever shows up. Try attending your department association’s meetings and volunteering to do stuff.
4. What does “accredited” mean?
The AUS is an accredited student association as of 2003, meaning that it is the legally recognised representative of students in the Faculty of Arts. Through accreditation, the AUS as a right to representation on decision-making bodies within the university. McGill must respect its elected representatives as expressing the desires of its students.
