Negotiations between the Concordia Student Union (CSU) and the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) have broken down after the CSU refused to give ASFA its final payment of the last academic year.
“The CSU froze the accounts of the associations without proper notice. The associations wanted to use those funds to have summer activities,” said Riccardo Filippone the vp finance for ASFA.
CSU’s vp finance Patrice Blais said that the union froze the accounts from last year’s budget because ASFA did not want to compromise with the CSU about a loan and that ASFA did not want to take responsibility for the failure of the March referendum.
The hostilities began between in March 2000. In March there was a referendum asking studetns if they wanted to give ASFA its own funding. The question was defeated by 19 votes and would have given ASFA a sixty cent fee levy. Filippone said that the CSU did not advertise the fee levy question and focused instead on other questions.
After the question was defeated, the CSU proposed to give ASFA a loan to fund their associations, on the condition that ASFA have general elections for their executives and hold a referendum in October to pass the fee question.
ASFA council rejected the proposal of the loan in the summer. “We are open and willing to change our constitution to have general elections and we want to have a referendum on the ASFA fee question, but we cannot take a loan we can’t repay,” said Filippone.
Blais said the remaining sum of ASFA’s budget, of about $2,500 would be used towards the referendum of the fee question, which the CSU wants to be held in the fall. Filippone said that the $2,500 was mandated by last year’s council of representatives for the exclusive use of the associations and that the executive cannot mandate funds that are already dictated by council.
On Aug. 29 Blais sent out an e-mail offering all the associations the use of basic services like telephones. Funding would be given to the associations, but they would have to submit a budget request by Sept. 27 and the money would be handed out on Oct. 15 with other CSU clubs.
Filippone argued that this way of funding the associations was an attempt by the CSU to undermine the ASFA executive. He added that on Aug. 30 ASFA council rejected Blais’ offer of funding the associations and decided that until the CSU acts in good faith towards ASFA that they would not consider the proposed funding.
“The associations of ASFA are right behind us. The CSU is violating the
resolutions of council because they are only mandated to discuss the loan with us. Besides it is a bogus offer because the council of has not mandated the executive to discuss this matter with us.”
Blais added that he found ASFA to be a big hypocrisy because their executives were not elected in a general election, but Filippone said that elected representatives of the different departmental associations appoint the ASFA executive.
“They’ve [CSU executive] allowed their pathetic vendetta against the ASFA executive to cloud their already poor judgement,” said Yasmin Gardaad, vp internal for ASFA.
“The CSU froze the accounts of the associations without proper notice. The associations wanted to use those funds to have summer activities,” said Riccardo Filippone the vp finance for ASFA.
CSU’s vp finance Patrice Blais said that the union froze the accounts from last year’s budget because ASFA did not want to compromise with the CSU about a loan and that ASFA did not want to take responsibility for the failure of the March referendum.
The hostilities began between in March 2000. In March there was a referendum asking studetns if they wanted to give ASFA its own funding. The question was defeated by 19 votes and would have given ASFA a sixty cent fee levy. Filippone said that the CSU did not advertise the fee levy question and focused instead on other questions.
After the question was defeated, the CSU proposed to give ASFA a loan to fund their associations, on the condition that ASFA have general elections for their executives and hold a referendum in October to pass the fee question.
ASFA council rejected the proposal of the loan in the summer. “We are open and willing to change our constitution to have general elections and we want to have a referendum on the ASFA fee question, but we cannot take a loan we can’t repay,” said Filippone.
Blais said the remaining sum of ASFA’s budget, of about $2,500 would be used towards the referendum of the fee question, which the CSU wants to be held in the fall. Filippone said that the $2,500 was mandated by last year’s council of representatives for the exclusive use of the associations and that the executive cannot mandate funds that are already dictated by council.
On Aug. 29 Blais sent out an e-mail offering all the associations the use of basic services like telephones. Funding would be given to the associations, but they would have to submit a budget request by Sept. 27 and the money would be handed out on Oct. 15 with other CSU clubs.
Filippone argued that this way of funding the associations was an attempt by the CSU to undermine the ASFA executive. He added that on Aug. 30 ASFA council rejected Blais’ offer of funding the associations and decided that until the CSU acts in good faith towards ASFA that they would not consider the proposed funding.
“The associations of ASFA are right behind us. The CSU is violating the
resolutions of council because they are only mandated to discuss the loan with us. Besides it is a bogus offer because the council of has not mandated the executive to discuss this matter with us.”
Blais added that he found ASFA to be a big hypocrisy because their executives were not elected in a general election, but Filippone said that elected representatives of the different departmental associations appoint the ASFA executive.
“They’ve [CSU executive] allowed their pathetic vendetta against the ASFA executive to cloud their already poor judgement,” said Yasmin Gardaad, vp internal for ASFA.
