for the full duration of their priority pool entitlement (currently four years in the case of PhD students, two years for MAs). It also means supporting teaching as a scholarly activity, one that remains the lifeblood – and critical revenue source – of this university.

However, by definition all of AGSEM’s members are also McGill graduate students, and as such we have a responsibility to address issues that are of broader concern to graduate-level scholars. Chief among these is funding, which in many of McGill’s departments, particularly those housed in the Faculty of Arts, is far from adequate. In some cases, teaching assistantships are the only consistent source of internal funding available to graduate students, a state of affairs that is clearly untenable. Further, poor TA working conditions (e.g. excessive teaching loads, unpaid work hours, lack of training and/or supervision) can negatively impact TAs’ own studies, and necessarily conflict with the increasing pressure faced by graduate students to achieve “timely completion” of their degrees. In this sense, the interests of TAs are no different than the interests of all graduate students, and AGSEM is committed to acting in support of both.

With this in mind, AGSEM looks forward to working closely with our members, with other student organizations, and with the University during the coming year to improve the conditions of graduate students and TAs at McGill and beyond. At a time when Canadian universities are undergoing dramatic institutional change, we need as never before to speak with a strong and unified voice. As their TA union, it is our obligation to do what we can to ensure that this voice is heard.

Lilian Radovac,
President, 05/2004 – 01/2007