Often, students at McGill regard the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) as an inefficient, incompetent, and divisive organization. Some of these perceptions are reasonably grounded in SSMU executives’ past mistakes. Last February, campus was rocked by Vice-President (VP) External David Aird’s resignation, following a statement released by the Community Disclosure Network (CDN) alleging that Aird had committed acts of sexual violence against members of the McGill community.

Since then, among other SSMU and faculty counsellor resignations, two more SSMU executives resigned: Last year’s President Ben Ger left his post in March 2017, and VP Operations and Sustainability Anuradha Mallik resigned this past August, leaving the SSMU executive team with a vacancy at the start of the academic year. SSMU executives’ recent history of resigning mid-term is a valid cause for student distrust of their government. Still, as McGill enters a new school year, it is critical that McGill students examine the source of their skepticism toward SSMU, and recognize the value of the work being done by student leaders. Further, students must be cautious not to hold grudges from past institutional and personal failures against the new set of SSMU executives. Unfounded aversion to SSMU threatens the well-being of the organization by creating an atmosphere where overburdened leaders do not feel supported by their constituents.

A properly functioning SSMU is essential to the McGill community. It is an independent body completely separate from the McGill administration that operates as a critical advocate and provider for students’ needs and interests. While the relevant personal dramas of SSMU executives tend to dominate campus dialogues, the day-to-day responsibilities of leaders and the index of services provided by the society are much less discussed, and even taken for granted.

Without SSMU and its elected executives, students would lose many services fundamental to the well-being of their community. SSMU has ownership over students’ health and dental insurance plans, and runs a daycare for students and faculty in need of childcare. SSMU also provides employment for hundreds of students in a variety of positions throughout the organization. Further, it organizes a diverse range of MiniCourses—ranging from yoga, to languages, to creative writing—for students to inexpensively cultivate hobbies and learn skills that aren’t taught at McGill. SSMU also sponsors, supports, and provides space and services for hundreds of clubs and student organizations at McGill. Finally, it fully funds and administers 15 services—such as McGill Students’ Emergency Response Team (MSERT), McGill Nightline, the Peer Support Centre, Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Student’s Society (SACOMSS), Walksafe, and the Black Students’ Network—to name a few.