"Cut the Red Tape at McGill"

Some 100 procedures and policies singled out

McGill University is particularly proud of the success of its first “Cut the Red Tape” initiative addressed to the entire McGill community. Some 100 proposals were submitted to the office of the deputy provost (Student Life and Learning) in an attempt to reduce administrative hassles on campus.

On Tuesday, March 25, at a ceremony in the lobby of the Redpath Museum, Heather Munroe-Blum, McGill’s principal and vice-chancellor, awarded a prize of $100 to each of the 10 contest winners.

“I was pleased to be invited to judge the “Cut the Red Tape” submissions, which addressed a wide range of services and experiences. Participants got right to the heart of the bureaucracy that bugs them and made relevant and constructive suggestions for change. The next step is to collaborate with our colleagues across McGill to respond to the submissions and to implement meaningful changes,” said Kathleen Massey, registrar and executive director, recruitment services, at McGill.

The winning suggestions include one from Jennie Ferris, a master’s student in Information Sciences. She pointed out that students must go to many different administrative offices at McGill to get their federal student loan cheques processed. The University has therefore committed to simplifying the process by having the cheques delivered to a single location.

Another winner, Julien Villeneuve, a doctoral student in the department of philosophy, cited the complicated process for obtaining approval for a required course in another department other than the one in which the student is enrolled. The approval process will be simplified through Minerva, the University’s self-service portal. The first edition of Cut the Red Tape at McGill garnered about 100 suggestions for eliminating cumbersome procedures, which will be carefully examined and eliminated if necessary.

Web site: Red Tape