When Things Get Complicated, We’ve Got Your Back
Experiencing issues at the University? Student Advocacy can assist you in procedures under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures, the Charter of Student Rights, the Regulation on the Conduct of Research and any other McGill policy.
Reach a Student
Advocate
Student Advocates are upper-year McGill law students who can advise and represent. Our office provides free, bilingual, and confidential services.
Please email us with a short description of your issue to receive a link to book a meeting with an advocate.
The process
- Contact a student advocacy office by email at info.studentadvocacy@licm.ca or visit our office during opening hours
- You will receive a booking link if your issue falls within the office’s mandate (that is, if your issue pertains to McGill policies)
- Attend the intake meeting and agree to the Student-Clinic Agreement
- The office will assign you an advocate
- Your advocate will contact you to proceed with your case
- You may terminate the relationship with the clinic at any point, according to the section 12 of the Student-Clinic Agreement
- At the end of the case, you must fill out the advocate evaluation survey and the student demographic survey
- The clinic maintains your case file for a minimum of five years from the date of closing in a confidential retention process
To reach a student advocate please e-mail info.studentadvocacy@licm.ca.
Student
Advocacy
In broad terms, Student Advocacy’s mandate is to provide free and confidential advice and representation to McGill students in formal and informal dispute resolution within the University context. More specifically, our mandate is to:
Student Advocacy might be able to help you more than you think
Examples of topics Student Advocacy can help students with:
Supervisor issues
- Resolving disputes with a thesis supervisor
- Appealing an unfair failure of a progress report or a thesis
Grievances
- Helping students resolve funding disputes with the University
- Seeking remedies for students whose research has been stolen or misappropriated
- Representing students at grievance committee hearings to defend their rights when they have been treated unfairly by University administrators
Disciplinary Issues
- Representing students accused of disciplinary offences such as plagiarism, and even non-academic offences
- Helping students file complaints of sexual harassment or assault
General Advocacy through policies
- Reviewing and commenting on McGill-wide policies from a student-centric perspective
- Student Advocacy’s work therefore impacts every McGill student in significant ways
Students often walk-in to the Student Advocacy Office to speak with a student advocate. However, it is best to set an appointment through our contact form.
The lifespan of a file can be anywhere between a week, few months, to a few years depending on the nature of the case.
What to Expect
- The first meeting will be with a Senior Advocate where the student will briefly explain their situation and sign the relevant documents to open up a file at the office.
- Shortly after, an advocate will be assigned to the student.
- From there, the advocate will set up an initial meeting with the student. They will advise, negotiate, and represent the student throughout any formal or informal dispute resolution procedure.
McGill Policies and Procedures
Policies
Students can find up-to-date versions of McGill policies by following the links below:
Procedures
Students can find up-to-date versions of McGill policies by following the links below:
We’re Always Here For You.
Contact Us for Assistance
