Rifts in the Concordia Student Union (CSU) council of representatives deepened on Wednesday when a debate over whether to fund Concordia’s International/Ethnic Association Council (IEAC) erupted with I/EAC president Melanie Anestis leaving the room before a decision was reached by council.
“It’s degrading the way they treated [Anestis],” said councillor Luis Diaz, who has been a member of the Latin American Students Organization and three other clubs under the IEAC.
Anestis asked council to put a referendum question on the ballot of the upcoming elections to determine whether students wanted to fund the IEAC, an umbrella organization that provides funding to 16 cultural clubs at Concordia. Council turned down the motion after many councillors argued they could not support the IEAC’s mandate that member clubs be a-political.
Anestis left before a vote could be taken when CSU President Sabine Friesinger said her arguments did not make sense. “It’s a shame the IEAC sent you here,” she said. Anestis picked up her bag and left the room, saying, “I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time,” to which CSU executive Ralph Lee responded, “Apology accepted.” After Friesinger followed Anestis out of the meeting, the motion was voted down. Friesinger later apologized to Anestis for the comments she made during the meeting.
Councillors argued that culture and politics are inseparable and attempts to separate them can be used as an excuse to dismiss differing opinions as too political.
CSU executive Ralph Lee said the IEAC was formed to de-politicize the rights of black students during the civil rights debate at Concordia in 1969. He said organizations had to join the IEAC in order to receive funding from the university, but could only do so on the condition that they be a-political.
More recently, the IEAC forbade members of their organization to distribute information on a Palestinian genocide.
Councillor Trish Macintosh agreed that she was uncomfortable with the mandate of the IEAC, describing it as “unthoughtful of what culture actually is at our school,” and councillor Genevieve Pag
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