McGill university has forced its student newspaper, the McGill Daily, to defend its existence, asking students whether they want to continue supporting the paper financially. The Daily and its French-language counterpart the Délit receive a student levy that accounts for roughly 56 per cent of their funding. Though the levy has existed for years, the university’s board of governors is enforcing a three-year-old decision that all such student fees need to be “reaffirmed” by the student body. If students vote not to continue paying the $5, the school will scrap it.

“The Daily is independent of Mc- Gill as a corporate body and independent of McGill’s administration, faculty, and staff, but it is not independent of the students,” said Morton Mendelson, the school’s deputy provost of student life and learning.

The Daily operates independently of McGill, under the terms of a fiveyear memorandum of understanding, which is set to expire June 1. Other independent, levy-supported groups at McGill include the Quebec Public Interest Research Group and campus radio station CKUT. Only these institutions are being required to reaffirm their levies.

“McGill will renew [our agreement] with a campus-wide student activity only if students indicate that they want the group to continue and that they are willing to continue paying for the service,” said Mendelson.

“If students really have a problem with the newspaper, there are [mechanisms] in place that allow them to bring this to referendum. It’s a little presumptuous and petty of McGill to force this to happen,” Drew Nelles, the Daily’s coordinating editor, told the Montreal Gazette.

The Daily’s demise is by no means immanent, as the paper has widespread support throughout the Mc- Gill community.

First-year biology student Aaron Esterson said he can’t imagine life without the Daily. “I’ve read just about every issue since September,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere though.”

Mendelson agreed, telling the Montreal Gazette he “couldn’t imagine students would not affirm their interest in maintaining the Daily.”