CSU seeks universal student fee

It is clear that leaders from all three major student associations are in agreement that all members should pay into the Concordia Student Union. The only question is to determine how much.
The CSU, now the official representative of the entire undergraduate population after it legally accredited this past fall, is currently collecting fees from about two-thirds of its members. Students enrolled in commerce, administration, engineering and computer science currently do not pay any fees to the student union.
With the student union’s accreditation signed, sealed and delivered, now comes the task of bringing the student union’s funding back to levels it enjoyed when all members paid into it.
A motion was put forward at the last meeting of the CSU council on Feb. 14 to ask for a fee of $2.00 per credit from the entire student body at the upcoming referendum — coinciding with the annual student union presidential elections.
CSU President Rob Green contends that an increase in the current CSU operating budget is necessary now more than ever, in light of the more than $193,000 that the union was defrauded of and the ensuing costs that come with it.
The student union is currently plagued with a myriad of dilemmas, including inadequate funding for clubs, limited services and a lack of presence on the Loyola campus. Green also said that money earmarked for student union special projects and new projects like Green’s own CSU human rights office are generally the first one on the chopping block when there are financial difficulties.
A lack of presence at Loyola is also a concern to Green. “There’s no question about the university’s revitalization of Loyola, and the CSU needs to be prepared for that. This is a two-campus university and we are a one campus union.”
Green said the CSU will likely add a full-time accountant, which the student union’s legal staff estimates will cost at least $50-60,000 per year in salary alone.
Accountant: unnecessary expense
The Engineering and Computer Science Association (ECA) and the Commerce and Administration Students Association (CASA) have both said they have no problem with paying a fee, but getting to that dollar figure will require some give and take at the negotiating table.
“Before their budget is raised, I think they need to show that they can do a good job with what they have already,” said ECA president Mario Ciaramicoli.
At the last CSU council meeting, CASA president Rabih Sebaaly suggested that an increase of $2.00 across the board was unnecessary. He also said such an increase would also represent a one-third increase in the union’s budget.
As an alternative, CASA’s president suggested that the fee be lowered for all students to $1.33, thus maintaining the CSU’s current budget while giving students’ pocketbooks a break.
“This way, everyone would pay the same without increasing the CSU budget,” Sebaaly said. “For CASA, it is not an issue that every single student should pay fees. The issue is whether the CSU needs and deserves a 33 per cent increase in its budget. That is the only issue.”
He said the CSU need to outline where any extra money will be spent before he agrees to an increased CSU budget. He also said new monies should not be applied to costs related to the recent case of internal fraud.
Both Sebaaly and Ciaramicoli have questioned why the CSU needed a full-time accountant.
“Fifty-thousand dollars [for an accountant] is too much for an organization that barely has a $1-million operating budget. Many companies don’t have one. What they do is they hire the service of an accounting firm, where someone works part-time. Why not hire a student? After all, we produce the best accountants in Canada at Concordia.”
“This money shouldn’t be going to something [like an accountant],” Ciaramicoli said. “It should be going to the clubs and student groups.”
ECA’s current president added that he also supports putting aside a certain amount of money for clubs, citing ECA as an example. Fifty percent of ECA’s budget goes directly to societies and groups that fall under it.
The CSU has pledged to put 20 cents of each dollar aside for clubs.
“I’m optimistic that we can deal with this by the end of the week,” said Ciaramicoli. “Personally, I want to get this over with by the end of this week so that we can concentrate on our respective elections.”
“I don’t want this to be confrontational,” he added.

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