McGill University

Founded back in 1821, McGill University is a prestigious public research institution in Montreal, Quebec. The university has two campuses and features more than 300 graduate and undergraduate programs.

History

Originally founded by royal charter, it was not until 1829 when the university opened doors. The Montreal Medical Institution was the first unit to join the university after it was established in 1823. The campus was gradually expanded by 1921, and a number of buildings were added, including the Dentistry Building, Macdonald Engineering Building, Macdonald Chemistry Building, and Redpath Museum.

Notable Alumni

The list of notable and famous alumni includes government officials and politicians such as former president of Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga and former president of Costa Rica Daniel Oduber Quirós. Notable graduates also include Hollywood producer Joe Medjuck, film producer Nancy Grant, Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Krauthammer.

Campus

The university campus includes the MacDonald and Downtown Campuses. The former is the home to the Morgan Arboretum, Macdonald Campus Farm, McGill University Herbarium, and Lyman Entomological Museum and Research Laboratory. The campus houses a number of departments such as the Natural Resource Sciences, Animal Science, Plant Science.

Faculties and Programs

McGill University offers programs through different institutes, schools, and faculties, including the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Ingram School of Music, Faculty of Law. Applicants can choose from a number of degree programs such as Drama and Theatre, Cultural Studies, Canadian Studies, Art History, and Canadian Racial and Ethnic Studies. The program in Accounting, for example, is offered by the Desautels Faculty of Management, which is ranked as one of the world’s leading business schools by the Financial Times, The Economist, Forbes, and Canadian Business. Students who choose to pursue a degree in Anthropology learn more about archaeological theory and methods, theories of society and culture, anthropological theory, and plenty more. The program in Biomedical Engineering is offered by the Faculty of Engineering and covers courses across the life sciences. The program is research intensive and offers students the opportunity to learn about mammalian physiology, tissue and cell engineering, artificial internal organs, and other interesting topics. Students also explore different topics in the fields of genomics and bioinformatics such as cellular signaling and trafficking, artificial intelligence, and the biochemistry of macromolecules. There are hundreds of degree programs to look into, from Applied Ecology and Ecological Agriculture to Microbiology and Immunology and Mechanical Engineering.

Student Life

Students are offered a number of extracurricular activities such as student clubs and athletics and sports. There are many clubs for students to join, for example, Folio Magazine, Borderless World Volunteers, Classical Music Clubs, etc. Thematic clubs fall in different categories such as health and wellness, charity and environment, religion and culture, and political and social activism. Students are also offered on campus services such as the McGill Students' Nightline, Midnight Kitchen, SSMU Volunteer Service. The Midnight Kitchen offers vegan meals on a pay-what-you-can basis and is open until 12.30 pm. The McGill Students' Nightline is a listening service to provide support and referral in times of distress or crisis. The SSMU Volunteer Service helps students find volunteering opportunities in animal shelters, schools, hospitals, and non-profit organizations. Other services include the Peer Support Centre, Union for Gender Empowerment, and Flat Bike Collective. There are also independent groups such as the Legal Information Clinic and Daily Publications Society. Non-credit mini courses are offered as well, for example, the Whiskey World Tour and Speed Reading. There are plenty of events and activities for everyone, from conferences and public lectures to guest speakers, shows, concerts, and performances. The university also offers athletic facilities and sports such as skating, fencing, cross-country skiing, and track & field. Students are welcome to join different sports clubs such as the cycling, figure skating, fencing, and sailing sports clubs.

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Net Neutrality in Canada

In Canada, net neutrality is a policy and a guiding principle according to which Internet traffic should not be manipulated but treated equally with some exceptions. This means that web content should be treated equally by Internet service providers. There are other means to gain competitive advantage such as higher data allowances and affordable prices.

Protection of Neutrality

In line with the data neutrality policy, Internet service providers are not allowed to slow down or prevent access to content provided that it is lawful. All content should be subject to standard monthly charges meaning that providers should not give preferential treatment to their own programming and television services.

Exceptions

Service providers are allowed to manipulate traffic to ensure that they offer good quality services. They can also shape traffic to limit malware and spam content and to protect their networks from security threats.

Benefits of Neutrality

One of the main benefits is that all users have equal access to content, and service providers are not allowed to control what type of content they can access. Obviously, this does not mean that users are free to download and distribute copyright protected content for commercial purposes. Downloading movies and using pirated software are basically illegal. By the same token, Internet service providers are not allowed to give priority to their own content, which practice would restrict freedom of choice. They are also not allowed to favor and give preference to a particular company, brand, product, service, political party, organization, etc. Internet.org is one example to make a point. This is a free mobile application for users in some countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which is made available with the support of cellular carriers in states in these regions. The app offers access to websites such as BBC News, ESPN, Wikipedia, and Facebook but limits access to millions of websites out there. This means that free access is restricted to users who have a data plan that they can afford to pay. So far, Facebook failed to explain the method of selection of websites to be included in the app. YouTube and Google, for instance, are not included while Bing Search is free to use, together with websites such as BabyCenter, 1doc3, Maya, and SmartBusiness. The principle of net neutrality, however, is based on equal, free access to Internet content. Visitors should be able to freely choose from different content options.

Cons of New Neutrality

One of the main problems is that businesses in some industry sectors already suffer major losses. This is especially true for telecom businesses in light of the fact that many online services offer free phone calls. Another downside is that there is a huge volume of content that is of dubious quality and is free to access. The same goes for content that is offensive and discriminatory based on religion, beliefs and preferences, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, and political views.