Day of Action
As February begins with the usual freezing temperatures, this year it will also ushers in Concordia’s support of the tuition “freeze”. The CSU is organizing activities from Feb. 6 – 8 to recognize the need for additional funding and tuition fee stability. “We’re stepping up our game,” said CSU VP External Justin Levy. He said the CSU would be tabling on the mezzanine in the coming weeks to raise awareness.In conjunction with the SSMU, McGill’s student union, Concordians will march to Premier Jean Charest’s office Feb. 7 on the planned day of action.
“Once you’re educated about tuition, there’s no way not to fight for it,” said CSU President Khaleed Juma. “Hopefully we’ll have a couple thousand Concordians out [Feb. 7] ready to represent Quebec as a province and our educational values.”
Fee Levy System Review
At the council meeting last Wednesday, Mohamed Shuriye presented a progress report on the Custodial Committee’s review of the fee levy system. The committee has been looking at how other universities, namely Queen’s and U. of T., manage the funds levied on students for clubs and services.
The committee has so far received input from council and is waiting on recommendations from the CSU’s lawyer before they can draft an agreement. Currently, groups who receive funds from fee levies have an “an open-ended agreement,” said Shuriye in an interview. “It’s not very transparent. It’s up to [Council] to strike the law to tell them what the expectations are.”
Shuriye said a new agreement could require a petition of support with 200 names for any group that is applying. The new system would have to be voted during the March elections, and only then would it become law, explained Shuriye.
In the meeting, Juma proposed an internal system that would have accounting students audit clubs’ accounts. This was met with opposition by councillors, who argued that a formal auditing system would not only be time consuming but could also intimidate club members.
Further discussion followed regarding distribution of any fee levy surplus. Some councillors felt the money could be spent in one communal area while others argued that such a large sum of money must be allocated equally between various groups. No decision was reached.
Undergraduate students pay between $6.78 and $11.64 – depending on their faculty – per credit in Student Associations and Activity Fees.
