Council members graze CSU laws to quickly appoint a new chair, which has been vacant since mid-October.
Concordia Student Union (CSU) council representatives criticized the election of the new CSU chairperson at the regular council meeting last Wednesday.
Several CSU council members believe that the position was insufficiently advertised, that some council members were not adequately trained to cast their vote, and that the position should not have gone to a non-Concordia student, Mya Walmsley.
“They’re currently not an undergraduate student, and from what I understand from the Concordia Student Union, it’s meant for Concordia students,” said recently-elected Coun. Liora Hechel. “If they are distant from current student life, it’s hard for them to work for Concordia students.”
Walmsley, a Concordia alumnus, was swiftly appointed as the new CSU chairperson by the CSU executive committee after their interview during a regular council meeting (RCM), leaving some members of the CSU council of representatives looking flustered on Nov. 27. This comes after over a month of the CSU functioning without a chairperson since former chairperson Michelle Lam abruptly resigned from her post during the RCM on Oct. 9.
To be elected as chairperson, an individual needs to be a member of the CSU. Therefore, they must be a Concordia undergraduate student or be granted an honourary membership by the council.
“We can give special CSU membership to people,” said Kareem Rahaman, the CSU’s general coordinator. “We’ve done [so] in the past for the chair as well.”
According to Rahaman, Lam was also granted honorary membership last year to continue her chairperson role after graduating.
During their interview, Walmsley said they still care about students at Concordia. While completing their master’s degree, they were heavily involved with the Concordia Research and Education Workers Union (CREW). They participated in its campus activism and reaffiliation campaign, chaired its two general assemblies, and helped set up Concordia’s Feminist Workplace Committee.
“It’s something I want to see be strong,” said Walmsley. “For me, it’s important that the student unions here are well organized and effective.”
Several representatives were under the impression that there were more candidates to interview and remained silent during Walmsley’s deliberation period, the time when the council could discuss or object to a matter before making an official decision, leading to a unanimous vote. After confirming Walmsley, Rahaman informed the council that the two other candidates had withdrawn their candidacy.
“How wide of a reach was this?” asked Coun. Drew Sylver. “Did every potential candidate have the opportunity and accessibility to apply for a very, very, supremely important position?”
Rahaman confirmed that historically, the CSU has only posted its job offers on Instagram and that the council followed protocol. Hechel questioned the CSU’s advertising strategy, saying that most students are unaware of its Instagram. She expected the CSU to use various advertising methods beyond social media posts, such as emails and posters, and claimed that relying on social media posts is not enough publicity.
“If it was only put on Instagram, I’m sorry to say that the CSU Instagram account isn’t so popular,” said Hechel. “It’s limiting productivity if [the CSU] doesn’t advertise, for example, with JMSB [John Molson School of Business] students or other faculty students because [they] are purposefully only taking the cheaper option or the simpler option.”
Because the most recent RCM happened shortly after the byelections, a handful of newly-elected council members were insufficiently trained in CSU regulations and Robert’s Rules of Order.
“A lot of us aren’t actually equipped to be making these decisions and handling the topics of conversation,” said recently-elected Coun. Paloma Thompson.
Rahaman commented that he was aware of this situation and that the CSU’s interview period for the chairperson position on Nov. 27 was the best time in the CSU calendar. He said new councillors would receive the proper training in the coming weeks.
Councillor Aron Kessel proposed that Walmsley stay as chairperson until summer 2025 and, in the meantime, train people interested in the chairperson position for the second half of the year. Sylver agreed and furthered the proposal by tabling an amendment to Walmsley’s position, making it of probationary status.
“There’s no trainee in the pipeline,” said Kessel. “In the future, we can have undergrad students be a chair, as was intended originally, and have them be confident in their role.
