Concordia’s 1% Campaign might be cancelled by the end of the school year. Concordia students currently pay 25 cents per credit into the fund, which is supposed to fund sustainability projects on campus.
When students voted for the fee levy in 2007 they were promised free reusable mugs and shopping bags for every student as well as electric shuttle buses and hybrid cars for campus security.
“Up to this point, not a single one of these promises has been fulfilled,” said CSU VP external Colin Goldfinch.
The CSU intends to put the fund to a referendum later this month, when students will be asked if they support cancelling the fee levy. If the referendum passes the fee levy charged to students would be cancelled this spring.
Currently the fee levy raises approximately $150,000 a year.
“They don’t have the initiative themselves to be able to do something as simple as a sustainable mug,” said CSU VP communications Elie Chivi.
The CSU claims student money is being misused, funding projects run by the school administration rather than by students.
“Student money should go to student projects, and right now it’s not,” said Goldfinch.
Currently projects are developed by students but taken over by Sustainable Concordia, an arm of the university’s administration.
Because the funding will not end until the spring, groups who have already been approved for funding over the course of this year will still receive payments as planned.
“Our goal is just to make sure that students’ money is being used efficiently,” said Goldfinch.
“Because right now, to be honest, it’s being wasted.”
Sustainability Action Fund coordinator Jasmine Stuart said the promises made during the 1% Campaign – the bags, mugs and electric shuttle buses – were “offered as possible initiatives to execute during the fee levy’s five-year term.”
Concordia’s bookstore took the initiative to work with Sustainable Concordia to produce reusable bags, she said.
As well the Allégo coordinator for 2007-2008 found that electric shuttle buses were “not a fiscally viable option for emission reductions,” said Stuart.
She explained that most of the fund’s projects are long-term, and that “all the projects proposed during the 1% Campaign will be well on their way to realization at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.” Adding that the lack of tangible results didn’t mean the money was being wasted. “Part of our mission is to build a culture of sustainability on campus and I’ve never seen someone hold culture in their hands.”
Stuart said she was not aware of the CSU’s intentions.
Mohamed Shuriye, former chairperson of the 1% Campaign did not return phone calls before press time, while 1% founder Peter Schiefke refused to comment. Both Shuriye and Schiefke are currently on a nationwide tour of universities promoting sustainability, organized by the Canadian Federation of Students and the David Suzuki foundation.
Correction: This story originally identified Mohamed Shuriye as the coordinator of the 1% campaign, this is incorrect, he was the coordinator last year. As well Shuriye was paid less than $18,000, as was originally stated by the story. The Concordian apologizes for these errors.
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