What does MLISSA do, exactly?
Meghan Hansen
MLISSA’s mandate is "to co-ordinate the activities of the students of the McGill School of Information Studies and to ensure representation of student interests in the school, in the university, and in the library and information profession." But what does that mean?
In essence, it means that MLISSA is your advocate. We have representatives on committees that make decisions that will directly affect your studies. We have two representatives on the Departmental Committee- which is the forum to keep the whole of SIS up-to-date with the activities of the individuals that make up our department. We also have representatives on the curriculum committee, as well as many of the ad hoc committees and working groups that the department forms.
We also have a representative on EGSS, which represents graduate students in the Faculty of Education. This particular tie will become more important when SIS moves to our new home next year. We also have representatives on PGSS, which represents all McGill graduate students which represents all graduate students the way that MLISSA represents SIS students. All of this is in the interest of making sure that the students have a voice.
That’s the official, structured part of what MLISSA does, but there’s a whole other side to what we do that directly deals with the SIS student body. We publish the e-journal that you’re currently reading, The Marginal, a couple times a year. MLISSA is responsible for organizing the SIS Career Fair every March, with representatives from some of the major employers in our field. We also help coordinate the activities of the professional association student chapters at SIS. We administrate the calendar that, though imperfect, helps to ensure that the groups don’t plan events at the same time. Through the fees that all SIS students pay, we also support some of the activities that those groups plan.
And, you ask, what about MLISSA events? In addition to the SIS Career Fair, we do our best to bring in professionals who are visiting the Montreal area to speak to our constituents about their experiences or about issues that are important to our future professions. We plan workshops to help students gain skills. But, more importantly, we plan a variety of social events for the student body, including, but not limited to:
- Christmas party (planned for Dec. 5th!)
- Spring Fling, to celebrate the completion of yet another school year
- Movie nights
- Social outings
- Any kind of event that we can think of!!
The kinds of social events we host are limited only by our own creativity and yours. If you have any requests or ideas, or want to get involved, please feel free to approach any of your MLISSA reps!