Talk:McGill University/Archive 1

message: I say,
any facts to substantiate that an Ontario student had actually to pay more tuition than an American student at any time in history?
In 1997 there was a lawsuit on this very issue where Ontario McGill studetns sued the government and lost.  International studetns from ~50 countries can pay Quebec fees at McGill, which are much lower than the fees paid by other Canadians. See an article on the subject at http://www.unb.ca/bruns/9899/Issue6/News/differentials.html
SimonP 12:11 26 Jun 2003 (UTC)
But does this apply to American students? The article does not mention that. I attended McGill and I know for a fact that Americans pay international student fees. As for the students who get to pay Quebec tuition (not mention get Quebec medicare), yes, it's true... they exist. They're from countries like France, Norway etc. who have special reciprocal agreements with Quebec. I understand the agreement was something about encouraging  investment in Quebec's hydropower or some such.
- former McGill student.
My mistake... your submission does not mention American students specifically but international students. However, I don't think I can accept the statement that McGill encourages international students over students from other provinces. McGill tuition, even with the out of province differential, is still lower than the local tuition at Ontario universities! (e.g. 4k/yr at McGill for out of province compared to 5k/yr local tuition at Queen's. I'm guessing it's higher at the U of T) The students who get to pay Quebec fees are from a select list of countries under special agreements; the rest of the international students pay international fees.
--
Actually, tuition at U of T/Queen's and McGill are comparable.  McGill's tuition for non-Quebec Canadians is $4,012.50, while U of T's tuition for Canadians (including Ontarians) is $4,185.00 and Queen's tuition is $4,193.00.  (Of course, tuition for specialized programs--e.g., commerce/management, engineering--is higher.)
* U of T link: http://www.fees.utoronto.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_2_434_1.html
* McGill link: http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/fees/
* Queen's link: http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/fees/ug-dom.html
Also, international students who pay Quebec rates at McGill are generally from countries that were former French colonies (i.e., Ivory Coast, Vietnam), as the Quebec government has a reciprocal agreement with these countries.  Though, a friend of mine was American but had a French passport (and thus, paid Quebec rates), and another friend of mine was also American, but was born in Quebec, and was also able to pay Quebec rates despite his citizenship.
:Most of the time, tuition is based on how long you have lived somewhere, because of the taxes. Tuition in Canada is subsidized by taxes, so although you're a Canadian citizen, if you've lived in say the USA, you pay international rates. You have to live somewhere in Canada generally 3 years or more to get the "home rate". Spinboy 05:37, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: This is patently false, at least with respect to McGill, and probably other Quebec universities. When I was there, I had at least two friends who were Canadian citizens but spent most of their lives in the States, and paid Canadian tuition rates to attend. Not to mention, Quebec universities do have bilateral agreements with many countries, including France and Vietnam, to allow citizens of those countries to pay Quebec tuition rates (which are half of what "Canadians" pay and less than a quarter of what international students typically pay). Darkcore 06:10, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: I was more refering to Universities outside Quebec, from what I have seen. I do remember a big case in Quebec where students sued the government claiming that their paying more was unconstitutional. I believe they lost. Spinboy 06:14, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The rules on Quebec tuition include some exceptions. Even if you hold the passport of a country with a reciprocal agreement, you are not eligible to pay Quebec tuition if, for example, you have done high school in a Canadian province other than Quebec. Kalanga 20:38, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tuition fees 

message: Someone says on the Page that McGill is the 3rd oldest university in Canada after Dalhousie and Laval.  Dalhousie is certainly older (1818 compared to 1821) but Laval was founded in 1852 (when the Seminaire du Quebec was granted a University Charter by Queen Victoria).  I am not absolutely sure how McGill's age stacks up in Canada (and doubt it really matters!) but it is certainly older than Laval. However,  the University of Kings College is older than both (founded in Windsor Nova Scotia in 1789 as the first university in Canada.) so McGill may actually be the third oldest!   Someone who knows more than I do needs to fix this page!
:   -Actually, University of New Brunswick is the oldest English University in Canada, having been founded in 1785.Mcgill is certainly the oldest of the most presitigious Canadian ones.
:  70.50.159.126 09:35, 9 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  3rd oldest university in Canada 

message: Factoid deleted from article with comment Wikipedia isn't a directory that might conceivably be useful:
:McGill is also home to Canada's largest and oldest Fraternity. As soon as Zeta Psi came to Toronto, as the pioneer of Greek letter fraternities in Canada, her zealous brothers immediately conceived the idea of starting a sister chapter at their rival university. In those days, there was but a slender thread of communication between the two institutions, and the hopes of the Theta Xi might have thus been thwarted for many years had it not been for Robert Fulford Ruttan from Toronto, who decided in 1881 to pursue his medical studies at McGill. Ruttan, though not a Zete, numbered many of the active chapter at Varsity among his intimate friends, and they commissioned him to lay the groundwork for the foundation of a chapter in Montreal. He painstakingly collected a small group of enthusiastic fellow medical students and petitioned Grand Chapter to grant a charter to the fledgling group. The petition was successful, and on the morning of January 3, 1883, Bros. A.L. Cameron (then Phi of Theta Xi) and Henry Brook (Theta Xi, '81) arrived in Montreal to install the new chapter. It was to be called Alpha Psi.  This chapter has produced Conrad Harrington, Former Chancellor of McGill University, Eric Molson Chairman, Molson Beer Companies and in 1915, more than half the workers at the McGill Base Hospital were Zetes from Alpha Psi.
::Please sign your posts with four tides (~~~~). Now, that being said, this isn't the place for that. Put it in the article about Zeta Psi. --Spinboy 03:54, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fraternity info 

message: I was surprised to find that a good portion of the "History" section of this article was lifted directly from a McGill University Web page (http://www.archives.mcgill.ca/public/hist_mcgill/rvc/rvc.htm) The lifted text was not quoted, nor referenced, nor was there even a link to the site as an "External link." It seems to me that we need to do something to improve the history section and not just repeat another Web page verbatim (even if we quote and reference it). 
--Vitamin D 04:11, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Plagiarism in this article 

message: (If this is an encyclopedia judgement should not be included, simply presentation of facts from reliable sources is all that should be included...this does not include Jiao Tong University). User:163.1.217.91 (moved from main page brenneman(t)(c) 16:26, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Moved comments 

message: Greetings. I've reverted your edits twice now because in both instances your content seemed fairly biased. You may be interested to read Wikipedia's policy on maintaining a  Neutral Point Of View. Also, nearly all of the facts in your edits are redundant. For example, all of the famous people you mention are already covered under the 'Noted Alumni' section. I found the fact that "there has been a McGill competitor at every Olympic Games since 1900" interesting though, so I added that under the 'Trivia/Facts' section where I think it fits. You should also be aware of the  3-Revert-Rule on Wikipedia. If there is a disagreement over content, it should be discussed instead of letting things devolve into an  edit war. Cheers. --PeruvianLlama(spit) 21:53, 30 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  October 2005 edits by 65.92.247.12 

message: How is this relevant to McGill University?  I think this should be removed.
They are relevant because they are McGill alumni. Didn't you notice that they're under the alumni section?
24.141.162.244 08:46, 29 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Current presidents of other Canadian universities 

message: I replaced the reference to La Cite in the section on the McGill Ghetto. The person who deleted may not have been around or even born in the 70s, but I can assure you that it had an unprecendented impact on the area. Shawn, Montreal 06/2006
*That maybe true, however the passage is not clear. One might assume La Cite was the Hotel McGill acquired but in fact it was Hotel Rennaissance. A reword perhaps? YCCHAN 05:13, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: For the current day McGill Ghetto, there are many pictures on Commons, if one is interested. Most of them are on :fr:Ghetto McGill. Gene.arboit 04:33, 8 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  McGill Ghetto 

message: The big 4 schools in Canada are all excellent institutions. There is no sense in those trying to improve the manner in which Toronto, McGill, Queens or UWO are portrayed on this page. If there's a reference that is truly a fabrication, then remove it. Otherwise, do not vandalize schools' pages.
:FYI, theres no such thing as the "big four" and no one is trying vandalize the pages. There is already discussion of excessive references in the introduction, it does not belong there. Your reference is a true fabrication.
See University of Toronto and Queen's University Pages. They all include references at the top paragraph. Your edits do not make any sort of contribution or clarification, whereas I have clarified and improved upon the references at the aforementionned (see history, I did not insert them). In addition, other schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale and the like observe a similar formatting. Please be mindful of Wikipedia Etiquette and do not proceed with senseless reversions. 
:Speaking of Wikipedia "etiquette," it is customary to sign your comments with ~~~~ so that we can know who is saying what. I may not be an authoritative source of information about McGill (although I attended McGill, so I'm at least somewhat authoritative) but it's common knowledge that the Princeton Review is not considered a reliable source of information about schools, particularly with respect to Canadian schools (since they don't look at all Canadian universities and their pool of data within universities is often really small). Also, all of the articles you mentioned (Harvard University, Princeton University etc.) don't say anything along the lines of "It is the best known Canadian University and has earned comparisons to Harvard by such authoritative rankings at The Princeton Review for its admissions selectivity, dedication to excellence and the rigour of its programs." First, "best known Canadian University" is highly POV. Best known by whom? Canadians? Americans? In my experience, people in NYC have heard of McGill (and maybe U of T or Queen's) but when I've been to Washington State, a lot of people there have only heard of UBC. Second, where is your citation for McGill's "admissions selectivity, dedication to excellence and the rigour of its programs"? I know, for a fact, that McGill is nowhere near as selective as Harvard in its admissions and I ask you to prove me wrong by providing a referenced statistic. As for "dedication to excellence" and academic rigour, these are highly subjective. What, exactly, is dedication to excellence anyway? And how do you define academic rigour?
:Your addition is full of POV and bias, which is why I (and others) have reverted the change. Don't get me wrong - McGill is a fantastic school and I think it has a lot going for it. But if we want to boast about McGill's achievements, we should provide concrete (and referenced) numbers and statistics, and avoid POV-laden university boosterism. Darkcore 19:57, 17 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: What Toronto references? Darkcore 08:09, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I believe it's pretty much a NPOV fact that McGill is one of, if not the best known Canadian Universities worldwide. Wherever I travel, people recognize the name. I did (among other degrees) an MBA at McGill and I realize that this is only anecdotal evidence, but my international MBA colleagues from around the world repeatedly told me they chose McGill because of its reputation in their home countries. I'm talking about people from Pakistan, China, South America etc...Of course as I've said, this evidence is purely anecdotal, but then again, there is no other way of determining what Universities are best known worldwide. People simply don't travel around the world conducting these types of surveys. If saying McGill is one of the best known Canadian Universities worldwide is not NPOV, then, for example, the article on Harvard claiming that it is one of the world's most prestigious Universities would have to be edited as well. However in doing so we'd be deleting a very important and obvious fact.Loomis51 15:45, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

text: I can attest to the fact that McGill is the most well known Canadian school overseas.When I was doing my research about which schools to apply to in North America for my undergraudate degree,McGill was the only  Canadian school that people in my country knew.It was only after I came to Canada that I heard about UWO.While I agree that every school has its own merits and demerits, you have to hand it to McGill for having the most international reputation of all Canadian  schools .BTW i hail from India.132.216.66.111 00:51, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Interestingly enough, the article on Harvard University makes no mention that it is "one of the world's most prestigious universities." That aside, anecdotal evidence is not factual, and it's hard to make broad-sweeping generalizations with such a small sample of data (e.g., your MBA classmates). And really, it doesn't add much to the article by saying it is "one of the best known universities in Canada, if not the best known." Best known by whom? Academics? Professionals? Soccer moms? Let's stick to facts and avoid generalizations. Darkcore 01:11, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  References and Acclaim 

message: I'd like to merge the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning article into the history section of this article and move the McGill Ghetto information to a separate article. Unless anyone objects, I will do this within the next couple of days. Darkcore 23:15, 20 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Changes 

message: McGill facts of 2004-2005 state an endowment of $760 million CDN. The total operating budget in 2004 to 2005 is $928 million CDN (possibly, a bit higher now). $981 million seems a bit high. Theres a difference between operating budget and endowment.
Just noticed something, did you add the private support (2003-2004) to the total operating budget revenue (2003-2004) 51,676,555 + 928,818,000 = ~981 million CDN.
:You're right, my bad. Please - sign your comments. Darkcore 00:11, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  endowment figures 

message: Can someone do some ingenious formatting to fix the Campus Section The pictures are messing up the section underneath. --Funkmaster 801 19:30, 26 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Formatting for Campus section 

message: Shouldn't it be mentioned somewhere that McGill was the only Canadian university that made the list of "Top Ten Party Schools" in Playboy magazine (and it's going to get a pictorial) ? I dunno, it seems worthy enough to be written in the article... -Voievod 23:53, 21 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Playboy 

message: For those who are interested, I've made a "Current/Former Student" Userbox for McGill, since we didn't seem to have one. It will automatically add you to the "Wikipedians by Alma Matter/McGill" category.
Just put  on your userpage, and the userbox will show up and automatically put you in the category -- pm_shef 00:18, 27 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Userbox 

message: Just a friendly reminder that this is (ideally) a factual encyclopedia article and not a press release.  I suspect the oft-removed paragraph about the football hazing incident is viewed as embarassing but that's just not a good reason for removing the information.  If you believe it should not be here and have good reason(s) (not notable, poorly cited, inaccurate, etc.), discuss it here instead of just removing it with no discussion and no edit summary.  Thanks!  --ElKevbo 02:14, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Not a press release 

message: This section needs to be rewritten and sources cited. It currently uses terminology that is both not supported and/or is "quick speak" to achieve a certain perception. Lionel GM 09:13, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  McGill français movement 

message: I have promoted this article to WP:GOOD in accordance with the criteria listed at WP:WIAGA. I think it is well-written and well-referenced, and covers the subject well. I think it is overall very compliant with WP:NPOV, and the images are well-chosen, well-photographed, and add a lot to the article. It could, perhaps, use some additional references — look for paragraphs without footnotes. —ptk✰fgs 00:43, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  GA review 

message: * I know whoever is editing means well, but please watch your spelling, you may think you're inserting the correct words, but you are not (some of them are things that may be difficult to spot unless you're a native English speaker...).  Also, please actually use PROPER citations, not just the format for citations, and NOT just a link to McGill's website, but both proper format and a relevant link! AccuratEdit (talk) 00:25, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lead Edits and Spelling 

message: I think it might be interesting to note that Mcgill gave honorary degrees at Convocations to Ruyard Kipling, Prince Edward, Lester Pearson, Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  (Source: http://www.archives.mcgill.ca/public/hist_mcgill/conv/convocation.htm )
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.28.105.175 (talk) 05:18, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Convocations 

message: This talk page was getting rather long, I've archived it. -- Chabuk [ T • C ] 00:09, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Archived 

message: The addition of a section outlining McGill's references in fiction and popular culture would be beneficial.  An inclusion in this regard could be:
* Character Gregory House of House (TV series) graduated from McGill.
Also, expanding the Student Life section to include traditions/miscellany would be useful, and an inclusion there might be:
* McGill's student-generated website Overheard At McGill is a compilation of comical quotes from around McGill and Montreal.[Overheard At McGill]Official website.
Additional suggestions would be appreciated.  Also, how do others feel about calling this section 'McGill in fiction and popular culture', similar to Yale University, Harvard University and Dartmouth College (section there titled In popular culture)? AccuratEdit (talk) 23:12, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  McGill in fiction and popular culture/Expanded Student Life section 

message: There should really be mention of the University's anti-Jewish quota system (see Jewish quota) in the 1920-40s. It seems like an important part of the school's history and, in my experience, it is still discussed by minorities in Montreal. See also, for example, Mordecai Richler's "The Street."
I agree. It is definitely still discussed and an important part of the school's history, especially given the large Jewish population of Montreal and the strong Jewish influence on anglophone literature from Montreal (Richler, Layton, Cohen). Here is a quickly found article from McGill's own website: http://www.mcgill.ca/maritimelaw/history/richler/
As for the statements above about underfunding during Shapiro's time, I believe there is something to those claims, but of course they need sources. However, I don't think it was necessarily all about Shapiro himself; one has to take into account the unique situation of education funding in Quebec, i.e. the very low tutition for Quebec residents and the inability of the province to continue adequate funding for universities. Also, Quebec seems to be prone to strikes, and universities are no exception (such as at U of M last year). Timocrates 18:00, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Quota System 

message: For the article to maintain its GA status, the copyrighted images need detailed fair use rationales. Look to other passed GA/FAs for examples. Let me know on my talk page if you have any questions. --Nehrams2020 06:49, 3 June 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: To which images are you referring? Darkcore 18:40, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: The only image that needs a FUR is the logo in the infobox (:Image:Mcgill-logo.png). --Nehrams2020 05:28, 20 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  GA comment 

message: :Image:1874 Harvard-McGill.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is  other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot 04:36, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fair use rationale for Image:1874 Harvard-McGill.jpg 

message: Do we want to mention anything in the article about McGill's current fundraising goals? Would that be encyclopedic or not? It is the "largest initial goal of any university fundraising campaign in Canadian history". Also, funding is often an issue at McGill, so we could discuss that is well (it is already touched upon briefly in the article). --DFRussia 22:44, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Campaign McGill: History in the Making 

message: An annon added some info about Shatner to the notable people section. Then User:ElKevbo removed it as unsorced. I found the source for it and put it back, but some similar concepts are covered in another section of an article, so I was wondering in which section the combined info belongs (ctrl-f Shatner to see where it is mentioned) --DFRussia 04:56, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Notable alumni and faculty 

message: Guys, please watch the random additions of our new ranking in random sections of the page. It is exciting that McGill is 12th and first publin in NA, but that does not mean you need to sacrifice style. All the ranking information is mentioned properly in the "Academin Ranking" section, and the most notable rankings are also mentioned in the opening. Please leave it at that, or atleast READ the article before editing. --DFRussia 20:15, 10 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: We have a lot of random IP edits moving that back up to the very first item in the lead. I disagree with giving McGill's ranking, however important, before the simple task of identifying McGill University. It seems like unnecessary bragging at that point, as opposed to referencing it later where it appears to be warranted. Snowfire51 (talk) 21:28, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

text: I agree. The lead should only have static info that isn't gona change much from year to year. So far McGill's rankings have been all over the place so I definitely agree that they should be confined to the appropriat academic ranking section. --DFRussia (talk) 18:21, 1 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I've been following this little drama and its a maddening waste of time. Is there a way to get an experienced admin or editor to see where the anon IP is logged on, possibly put a block in place? He's violated 3RR by now, hasn't he? Shawn in Montreal (talk) 06:11, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

text: To begin with, thanks for coming to the talk page to discuss this. Please clarify, there is no Dule University. Snowfire51 (talk) 03:48, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Academic Ranking 

message: It appears that the anonymous IP editors who continually revert the changes to the positioning of McGill's academic ranking are refusing to discuss this on the talk page as requested. I don't usually leave messages on IP editors talk pages, so I'll just leave it here in hopes they read it. Please discuss these proposed changes on the talk page, as there is a consensus established and a standard way of handling things as described above. Wikipedia is based on discussing matters on the talk page and gaining consensus, please be a part of the process rather than just continually reverting edits you disagree with. Thanks! Snowfire51 (talk) 20:00, 1 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Two days later, and still no one is willing to talk about this and gain consensus. Consensus is not gained through continually reverting and edit summaries. there is a discussion above about the academic rankings, feel free to join in. Please be civil. Thanks! Snowfire51 (talk) 23:41, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

text: As per WP:ES, "Avoid using edit summaries to carry on debates or negotiation over the content or to express opinions of the other users involved. Instead, place such comments, if required, on the talk page. This keeps discussions and debates away from the article page itself."   —Preceding unsigned comment added by Snowfire51 (talk • contribs) 00:20, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Plea to IP editors 

message: :Image:Mcgill-logo.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is  other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot (talk) 19:07, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Gonzo fan2007 talk ♦ contribs 01:16, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fair use rationale for Image:Mcgill-logo.png 

message: The editor who forced this impass has been permanently blocked from Wikipedia. I would like to return to the consensus this information belongs at the bottom of the WP:LEAD, and not the top, as per the examples I've given and the relative importance of the ranking.
Thanks to everyone involved for their time and again, apologies for everything that appeared on this talk page that was unrelated to McGill. Snowfire51 (talk) 22:49, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Works for me. Shawn in Montreal (talk) 23:55, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually, the removed sock comments where from Editorhwaller, not Edithhwaller: my apologies for any confusion created by the edit summary.Shawn in Montreal (talk) 00:53, 8 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Given that, I've removed the full protection from the article (but left is semi-protected to prevent anon issues for a while).  I'll remove the semi-protection fairly soon as well.  Good luck! - Philippe | Talk 15:10, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

text: That seems fine to me. You missed a lot of action on this site, and unfortunately the talk pages of everyone involved. Take care! Snowfire51 (talk) 22:46, 8 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Haha, sorry about that. I try to check my watchlist as often as I can, but I kind of had a lot of courses and personal stuff to keep up with recently so my checks have become sparse. This page seems to have slowed to a more manageable pace, and it seems like most of the conflicts are resolved, or atleast under the rug. Hopefully things will remain this way --DFRussia (talk) 05:36, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I made this edit and didn't realize it had been the topic of an edit war. Am I out of line? I felt that "premier" is too vague and promotional, and I figured it would work best at the end of the first paragraph to balance the importance of the statement and the impartiality of the article.-Wafulz (talk) 01:34, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I think this is the precise edit the war was about. I think the decision was that the single word "premier" with a citation was more discrete and consistent/impartial than stating the whole (often fluctiating) rating in the last sentence. I am gona undo your edit, just to restore it to the way it was just to avoid a bunch of edits back and forth. From now on, lets first discuss everything on this talk page, before any edits. I hope the edit war does not resume --DFRussia (talk) 03:33, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't like using "premier", especially in the first sentence- it's kind of like calling the iPhone "innovative" in its first sentence. Anyway, for precedent, Michigan State University (FA status) has one sentence at the end of its first paragraph stating the school is public Ivy, and elaborates further on its academic rank in an "academics" section.-Wafulz (talk) 03:41, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

text: Hah, I've got enough edit war drama, I'd rather not have another. I'm more in favour of removing "premier" entirely because it reads like a peacock term to me.-Wafulz (talk) 04:11, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Hmm, never thought about it that way. Now that you mention it, I'm with Wafulz, lets remove the word "premier". --DFRussia (talk) 05:24, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

text: Agree fully with removing "premier". You're right, it's a peacock term. Snowfire51 
(talk) 05:29, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Resolution 

message: If the opening paragraph should be neutral like what you said. then shouldn't Duke University University of Tokyo university of cambridge university of oxford be the same? I see ranking on opening paragraph of Duke University.
As well as peacock terms such as 'a reputation as one of the world's most prestigious universities.' from university of cambridge. 
I have few sources: these clearly shows McGill is one of the top University in the world. 
If these schools use peacock terms why can't we use that in opening sentense like those schools? 
Other wikipedia pages also state McGill as prestigous school by the way.
User talk:Manhore  —Preceding comment was added at 21:54, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: The only article that should merit comparison is Duke since it's featured. If you mention something like rank in the lead section, it should objectively summarize a section and not just be a phrase like "one of the top".-Wafulz (talk) 17:39, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

text: Nobody's stopping you. Also, sign your talk page posts with four tildes (~~~~).-Wafulz (talk) 18:58, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  concern 

message: How is including the hazing scandal which occurred 3 years ago still relevant? How is it able to take up more space than the mention that mcgill had the first organized hockey team, football game and an alumnus invented basketball? 
:If you'd like to expand the other athletic sections, please go ahead. However, I would think a hazing scandal that made national news, caused the university to cancel the rest of the season, and forced an official change in policy would be quite relevant. Please discuss this here in hopes of changing the consensus, rather than simply continually reverting properly sourced information on the main page, please. Snowfire51 (talk) 22:41, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: That's a good example to show the relevance of these cases. The Duke rape case has it's own page. Snowfire51 (talk) 04:06, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hazing 

message: On October 19, 1926, Houdini - the "world's greatest magician" - gave a lecture at McGill University in Montreal on the techniques that fake mediums used to convince their clients that they could indeed communicate with the spirit world.  After the lecture, a McGill student, J. Gordon Whitehead, on October 22, 1926, punched Houdini several times in the stomach.  These punches are believed to have been the reason Houdini died several days later of peritonitis secondary to a ruptured appendix.  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini   and Source: http://www.jppsbialik.ca/en/houdini
:That really needs a secondary source. The one you've listed doesn't seem to provide any information other than a guy punched him in the stomach, and he died two weeks later. If you have a better source, please go ahead. Redrocket (talk) 02:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Okay, I found a description of the accident on McGill's website:
"Seventy-eight years ago, on Halloween, the master illusionist Harry Houdini died. Nine days earlier, in Montreal, he had been punched several times in the abdomen by James Whitehead, a 31-year-old McGill theology student. Sam Smiley, then an Arts student at McGill, was in Houdini's dressing room at the time, on the performer's request. They had met earlier at Houdini's performance in the McGill Union Ballroom, and Houdini had been impressed enough with Smiley's sketches to ask him to do his portrait." 
"[...]He was reclining on the couch, propped up on pillows. He appeared to brace himself, but Whitehead didn't waste any time. He bends over — he was tall, lanky — and delivers a few direct blows to the abdomen, a good four or five. I just sat there, mouth agape, not knowing what was happening."
"[...]That was on the Friday morning. At any rate, a few days later there's a screaming headline in the paper: "Detroit Surgeons Say McGill Student's Blows Fell Houdini." Well, I didn't sleep that night, nor a number of nights after as he hovered between life and death — for five or six days I think, and he finally succumbed."
Source: http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/37/04/focus/
"Although Whitehead was never charged with a crime he did have to sign an affidavit for Houdini's widow, so she could collect life insurance from the New York Life Insurance Company under the double indemnity clause."
Source: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11432883  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.28.105.175 (talk) 01:08, 15 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Harry Houdini 

message: It might be worth mentioning that as of April 8, 2008 AGSEM, the union representing teaching assistants (TAs) at McGill announced a general strike which as of April 11 is still ongoing.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.206.126.11 (talk) 17:03, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  TA Strike 

message: Does any McGill student here think we should keep it like the way it was or not. I think we spell "program" not "programme" and "organization" but not "organisation". For example for "programme" I don't think Canadian still uses that. This website contains the word "program".  Thanks. Firewal2 (talk) 00:56, 1 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  About last editting 

message: According to the lead comments, it would be apparently appreciated that all changes to the lead are put in the talk page.
Well, it appears that the lead does not cover all sections of the article, such as student life and alumni.  I will try to include all of these, though it may seem not as smooth. You are welcome to make changes to my changes. --Sunsetsunrise (talk) 12:35, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lead