Macdonald Campus student president Alexandra zum Felde

New students' council at Macdonald

DANIEL McCABE | The new members of the Macdonald Campus Students' Society's Students' Council recently took office and according to MCSS president Alexandra zum Felde, there's no shortage of work to be done. Zum Felde, an environmental biology student who helped spur the creation of Macdonald's EcoResidence, says the first item on the MCSS to-do list involves overseeing the renovations to Macdonald's student-run bar. "We're going for an Irish pub look," says zum Felde. The MCSS will also lobby for a new express bus line from Macdonald to Lionel Groulx metro station, to make it easier for students to move back and forth between McGill's two campuses. "Right now, it can take between an hour and a half and two hours to take the bus from the metro station to Mac. That's just crazy," says zum Felde. Although an express bus route was set up earlier this year, zum Felde says it didn't work very well because it made almost as many stops as the regular bus that connects Macdonald to Lionel Groulx. "It was maybe five minutes faster." With the McGill School of Environment -- a collaboration between the Macdonald-based Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the downtown-based Faculties of Arts and Science -- set to open its doors in September, the MCSS is anxious to help promote links between Macdonald and the rest of McGill. "We want to have a closer relationship with the rest of McGill," says MCSS vice-president (external) Tristan Brand. Brand has already had discussions with MCSS's downtown counterparts at the Students' Society of McGill University, centring on Welcome Week activities in the autumn. "Maybe we can have events here at Macdonald and arrange for transportation for downtown students. It would give McGill students an opportunity to see the sorts of things this campus has to offer." Says Brand, "I'm not sure that a lot of people even know this campus exists. We'd like to change that." Brand confirms that the MCSS will continue to be a member of FEUQ, the lobbying group that represents most Quebec university student associations. The MCSS is the only students' society from an English university to belong to FEUQ. FEUQ's pro-sovereignty stance has been a stumbling block to closer links with other anglophone student groups. "Sovereignty and separation are not the major issues for FEUQ," says Brand. "Tuition fees, university funding, the quality of education -- these are the things that FEUQ really focuses on." Brand adds, "If there weren't any anglos in FEUQ at all, that wouldn't be very healthy for the student movement." Closer to home, zum Felde says the MCSS is looking for ways to stir up Macdonald students so that they'll take a greater interest in campus life outside of their classes. "We're hoping we can revitalize school spirit around here," says zum Felde. "Macdonald students used to be known for their campus spirit -- we'd like to make that happen again." Other members of the MCSS's Students' Council include vice-president (internal) Nina Chin, vice-president (finance) Véronique Leblanc, vice-president (business operations committee) Esther Bérubé, vice-president (academic) Marc Laflamme, Board of Governors representative Kimberley Cameron, Senate representative Darlene Dessureault, Macdonald Campus Graduate Students' Society representative Harish Krishnamurty, farm management and technology representative Robin Judd, environmental adviser Shawn Yakimovich and speaker Younes Bounhar.