Administration decides to maintain current structure of Cameron and MacKinnon Hall
March 25, 2026 1:44 PM
Wednesday of last week, on behalf of the administration, Vice President of Recruitment and Student Services Keith Publicover announced to the residents of Cameron and MacKinnon Hall that the current structure of the houses within the halls would remain for the coming academic year.
After a number of years of bad behaviour, the administration was considering restructuring the houses to solve the problem. Many of the current and former residents saw this as an attack on their traditions, and joined the February student rally in protest.
When students who applied to live in Cameron and MacKinnon Halls for the coming year were given rooms elsewhere on campus, they were informed that whether or not they would be permitted to live in the halls next year would be decided by May 1.
“After consulting with the students’ union and various other parties,” explains Publicover, “we felt that making the decision sooner was in the best interest of everyone.” The outcome of Wednesday’s announcement was a positive one for the students of Cameron and MacKinnon Hall.
“I think everyone was expecting the worse case scenario,” says Meaghan McNeil, the vice president of student relations, who was also present at the announcement. “We were preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. Everyone in the room was ecstatic.”
While this means that the students who applied for rooms in Cameron and MacKinnon Hall will be receiving new room assignments in the next few weeks, the university administration will be continuously evaluating the behaviour in the houses.
“The student behaviour will continue to be under review until Dec. 31, and then we will reevaluate, so they are basically under probation,” explains Publicover. “We also reserve the right to revoke our decision and make [an alternate one] before Dec. 31.”
Publicover’s address to the students present at the announcement clearly states that the permanence of the decision is in the hands of the current and future Cameron and MacKinnon Hall residents.
“If [residents] can live and create a community that is positive, and really adhere to the community code, the residence contract and standards, then the house stays as it is,” says Publicover.
The seriousness of the issue does not seem to be lost on the students who live in Cameron and MacKinnon Hall, and they are all taking measures to improve the overall behaviour in the houses within the halls.
Last year, a contract was drafted and signed by the house leaders to maintain good behaviour and a certain academic standard for the duration of this past year. Similar steps will be taken to ensure all students in these residences understand what is expected of them.
“We’ll probably go off what we did this year [with] more traditions that people are going to want to do that don’t involve partying,” explains Taylor Mason and Jaime Cahill, the president and vice president elect of TNT. “We’re also going to hold new events we can do with [MacPherson and MacDonald], without setting them against each other.”
“I think it will still be a lot of work next year,” says McNeil. “And a lot of work with the administration. I think we all genuinely want the students to be happy.”
Publicover will be personally reviewing each residence application to Cameron and MacKinnon Hall, and meeting with students who want to discuss their residence status.
The students who are awaiting room assignments in these residences are hopeful that improvements will be made, and that restructuring will be prevented for at least another year. Publicover, however, does not seem quite as hopeful.
“The question is, will they take it to heart?” says Publicover. “Some will say, it means something to me, and others will say, well it doesn’t matter because I’m living off campus next year.”
“Students need to take a step back and look at their own individual behaviour, and take responsibility for [themselves] and do what it takes to be in a positive group,” Publicover states. “Then the things that hold us back from being a good community won’t be abandoned.”
