Dear editor,
We would like to respond to the allegations which appeared in the opinions section on Nov. 11 in the article titled “A Rotten Spud.” First and foremost, the People’s Potato makes no attempt to hide or disguise our mandate or where we spend our money. All of our financial records, our constitution, and policies are available to the public upon request. You have grossly misconstrued the facts regarding our “donations to radical fringe causes.”
The specific amount in question is $402.82, which was precisely 0.0264 per cent of our working budget in 2007-08. The causes in question were not “radical fringe causes,” they were in fact donations to legal defence funds for two specific instances.
Our question to you is whether or not you believe people who have been attacked and oppressed have the right to defend themselves, as was the case in the two defence funds that received the donations. For two days we announced both before and during our daily serving that the donations for those days would go towards the legal defence funds of those two cases. Nobody was forced to make donations, and we were very clear about our stance on those cases. As for our fee levy request, we have not had an increase in our fees in seven years, last year our fee levy increased by one cent per credit due to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
As the cost of goods increases so do our expenses, which is the reason for our request. Since our inception we have always requested our fee levy to increase to the CPI, but it has only done so as of two years ago. Our working budget is actually quite meagre for the services we offer. Every day over 350 students eat a warm meal on a by-donation basis. The undergraduate student fee levy accounts for 88 per cent of our budget; without that fee levy, we would not be able to function and supply the service we provide, which is constantly seeing an increase in demands.
Furthermore, the People’s Potato is not an organization that focuses on a small group, we offer our services to the entire Concordia community, and work with many organizations within Concordia and Montreal. In keeping with Canada’s traditional social democratic beliefs we collect a fee levy from all undergraduate students under the assumption that they believe all students should be entitled to a warm, by-donation meal every day.
The argument for “shift[ing] the cost of the service back to the students who eat there” actually further marginalizes those students that can not afford to purchase a warm meal every day. If a student eats at the People’s Potato only once a year, they have already eaten more food than they could from a similar service for the same price.
In closing, for those students who strongly disagree with our political beliefs and don’t feel they should help out their fellow students in need, we offer full refunds each semester and encourage you to support your local eatery so our line can flow smoothly with students that need their warm meal.
The People’s Potato Collective
——————-
Dear editor,
As a member of the Sustainability Action Fund board, I have witnessed first-hand Audrey Peek’s misrepresentation of Arts and Science students. She has consistently voted with the CSU in blocking the work of the fund, in handicapping it during the illegal CSU referendum, and delaying approving key motions such as this year’s budget. She has engaged in counter-productive activities without either consulting nor having approval of the SAF board of directors. I was happy to hear ASFA council had a discussion about Peek’s gross misrepresentation and decided by a vote of 15 to eight to remove her. However, Peek, not content with the will of her members decided to push a re-vote with only 11 people present and easily won. I’m not sure why Peek is desperate to sit on a board whose activities she does not support but attempts to consistently block or delay. I sincerely hope Peek will reconsider her decision to stay on, and allow other Arts and Science students who support the great work of the fund to actively participate in its governance. I also hope ASFA council will send a strong message to Peek that a vote of 11 people does not negate nor void the initial vote of 24 strong. Democracy is not a game to be played over and over again until you get the result you like. Do the right thing Peek, and respect the will of your members and the student body as a whole.
Sean Starkman
SAF board member
————-
Dear editor,
As an ASFA councillor I am shocked and disappointed by Audrey Peek’s total disregard for the integrity of council decisions. This past Thursday we had a four-hour discussion regarding the issue of Peek’s misrepresentation of Arts and Science students on the SAF board of directors. Council, after a very lengthy and comprehensive debate, voted 15 to eight (with one abstention) to remove her from the board. Peek, who did not appear to be satisfied with council’s decision, appeared to work with CSU VP external Colin Goldfinch to marshal a small faction of council to re-vote on the motion, at a point when half the councillors who had initially voted on it were absent. Not only does this show contempt for the councillors’ efforts, but it also highlights the CSU’s intrusion in ASFA affairs. I believe students are deeply concerned about this pattern of misrepresentation and complete disregard for student’s rights, and I will be calling a special council meeting to restore ASFA council’s integrity. We need as many students there as possible to reinforce Arts and Science students’ support for council decisions.
Louise Birdsell Bauer