McGill social work students plan to strike from in-person classes, stay online
Dissatisfaction brewing for weeks at McGill's School of Social Work has led to a rebellion, as undergraduates voted on Monday to refuse to return to in-person classes for at least a month after the scheduled date of Jan. 24.
Details about the strike vote are still unclear. A student association for undergraduate social work students will officially announce the news on Tuesday, according to a brief statement by one of the student leaders.
A general assembly held for the student association had high turnout, said that student, Jo Roy, and the vote passed with 95 per cent support.
Roy told CTV that the student society believes there are 140 students in the bachelor's program, and that just over half, 73, attended the meeting. Of those, 70 voted to strike.
That's a margin "I am sure would be consistent with the rest of our program," Roy wrote.
McGill's administration hasn't yet responded to the student association or indicated whether it plans to accept their decision, said another social work student who helped advocate for the vote, Codey Martin.
McGill hasn't yet responded to a request for comment from CTV News.
Roy said it seems doubtful McGill would decide to fail or otherwise punish the entire cohort for refusing to attend in person, if the vote does have that level of support.
"We are going into a workforce that is desperate for social workers," Roy wrote, saying McGill would risk a black eye not just in its public image but with the Canadian Association of Social Work Education.
"McGill would have a lot to lose if they tried to force us back now."
Under the terms of the strike vote, students would keep doing online learning until Feb. 25, a month past the school's planned return-to-class date, and then they'd re-evaluate in a new general assembly on Feb. 25.
The students say they're worried not just about their own infection risk, but about their clients. Third- and fourth-year students spend much of their time in practicum-type settings, working in the community.
"Telling students that they need to come to class in poorly ventilated and maintained buildings, only for McGill to send those students to work with vulnerable people on other days of the week, is a risk and threat to the communities we serve," the student society wrote in its strike resolution.
The vote also came as a response to McGill overruling the School of Social Work administration earlier this month, the student society wrote.
Social work students were told by their school director on Jan. 4 that the school "had independently decided to continue online learning for courses until February 25th," they wrote.
Two days later, the director emailed them again to explain that he'd learned he was "not authorized" to make that decision and that the social work faculty had to abide by the rest of the university's schedule.
"The [School of Social Work] and faculty are more than capable of making sound decisions regarding pedagogy in the midst of this public health crisis," the students wrote.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6944829.1719591965!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
TREND LINE Trudeau Liberals 'under siege' across the country, with Conservatives cracking red 'fortresses' like Toronto and Vancouver: Nanos
Hot on the heels of the Conservatives’ stunning byelection victory in the riding of Toronto—St. Paul’s, new seat projection data from Nanos Research show ridings considered previously safe for the Liberals are increasingly up for grabs.
Is homemade sunscreen safe to use? Here's why it's 'a horrible idea,' according to experts
If you could make sunscreen with items found in your kitchen pantry, should you do it? Posts from social media influencers and bloggers including recipes to make your own sunscreen have been wildly circulated online, but the dermatologists who spoke to CTVNews.ca call it a 'horrible idea.'
New charges against Frank Stronach involve 7 additional complainants: court documents
Court documents show billionaire businessman Frank Stronach stands accused of sexually assaulting seven additional complainants from 1977 to as recently as February.
Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Need multiple alarms to wake up in the morning? Here's what could be happening, according to experts
If you are clogging your clock app with multiple morning alarms, you’re setting yourself up for a groggy morning, experts say.
Biden concedes debate fumbles but declares he will defend democracy. Dems stick by him -- for now.
U.S. President Joe Biden forcefully tried on Friday to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with former President Donald Trump, as elected members of his party closed ranks around him in an effort to shut down talk of replacing him atop the ticket.
Russia to prepare a 'response' to U.S. drones over Black Sea
Russia's defence minister ordered officials to prepare a 'response' to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.
The U.S. Supreme Court weakens federal regulators, overturning decades-old Chevron decision
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upended a 40-year-old decision that made it easier for the federal government to regulate the environment, public health, workplace safety and consumer protections, delivering a far-reaching and potentially lucrative victory to business interests.
A harmless asteroid will whiz past Earth Saturday. Here's how to spot it
Called 2024 MK, the space rock will make its closest approach to Earth Saturday morning, passing by at about three-quarters the distance from Earth to the moon. It was first spotted two weeks ago by a South African observatory and is about 393 feet to 853 feet (120 metres to 260 metres) wide.