The Fusion slate has won a landslide victory over Community in this week’s Concordia Student Union elections. The slate, headed by current vice president, services and Loyola, Prince Ralph Osei, won with 73 per cent of the vote, compared to 27 per cent for Community. Concordia students also voted to leave the Canadian Federation of Students, with 72 per cent voting against continued membership in the national student lobby group. Fusion also managed to pick up 26 of the 29 seats on CSU council, with Community winning two. Fusion also won all four of the undergraduate seats on the university Senate and both seats on Concordia’s Board of Governors that were up for election.
“It’s a great night for us,” said Osei, while celebrating with his slate. “I think students saw the work the CSU has already done so far this year, and want to see it continue. And I welcome all students to help makes our CSU work, and be one of the best from across the country.” Community’s presidential candidate, Mike Xenakis, was not immediately reachable for comment.
The vote to leave the CFS, which both slates had campaigned for, will almost certainly set up a legal battle between the CSU and the CFS, with the CFS claiming the CSU owes them over $1 million and calling the referendum illegal, but tonight was still a victory for the anti-CFS movement. “I’m more than happy about the CFS referendum results,” said Osei, who had made leaving the CFS his main campaign point.
The vote was not without one major disappointment for Fusion, however. A significant point of their platform was getting the long-awaited student centre up and running within a year. This, however, was dependent on the passing of a referendum question which asked students to raise their contribution to the project from $2.00 per credit per semester to $4.50 per credit. That question was decisively defeated, with 2381 students voting against the fee levy increase and only 915 voting for it. The move means the CSU will not have enough money either to buy the building this year or pay for a long term mortgage, for the planned $43 million purchase.”Students have spoken,” said Osei. “It means we will have to go back to the drawing board.”
The Frigo Vert narrowly failed in their attempt to have their fee levy increased from 25 cents per credit to 37 cents per credit per semester, while Cinema Politica barely succeeded in passing a fee levy increase from two to seven cents per credit.
Voter turnout was down from last year, with only around 3200 out of 33,571 eligible undergrads voting, for a turnout of slightly less than ten per cent. Last year over 4000 students voted. The results will be made official once the period for contestations has passed.
Executive Slate:
Fusion: 2312
Community: 865
Referendum Questions:
Frigo Vert
“Do you agree to increase the fee levy for Le Frigo Vert food Co-op by $0.12 per credit, thereby raising the current Levy from $0.25 to $0.37?”
Yes: 1576
No: 1754
Cinema Politica
“Do you agree to increase the fee levy for Cinema Politica Concordia by $0.05, thereby increasing it from $0.02 to $0.07 per credit for all Concordia Undergraduate Students?”
Yes: 1674
No: 1659
Student Centre
“Whereas the Union Building fund has been accumulating since 2004 and with the proposed increase, the projected purchase date for a student centre would be January 2011;
Do you agree to increase the Student Centre fee levy by $2.50 bringing the total student centre fee-levy to $4.50 per credit?”
Yes: 915
No: 2381
CFS
“Are you in favour of continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Students?”
Yes: 931
No: 2348
