Category: Concordia Student Union

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU revokes sports shooting club’s recognition following referendum

The Concordia Sports Shooting Association loses CSU status in campus-vote last month.

Concordia University Sports Shooting Association (CUSSA) lost a campus-wide referendum to become a CSU club, on Nov. 15. The debate over allowing sports shooting clubs within the school came to an end when 55.6 per cent of respondents voted against it.

Proponents of the CUSSA argued that guns are not exclusively used to commit atrocities.

Last July, the CUSSA formed after a group of students applied to become an official club registered with the CSU. Almost immediately, the club encountered difficulties with councillors conflicted about authorizing it. Marin Algattus, the CSU’s Internal Affairs Coordinator, oversaw the committee responsible for approving sporting clubs like the CUSSA, which conditionally approved the club for a one-year trial.

She said councillors felt conflicted about authorizing the club, given the ongoing history of gun violence, but remained ideologically neutral.

“We had to put aside our biases even though a few councillors felt hesitant about approving the [CUSSA], we decided the club deserved an opportunity,” Algattus said.

Following the CSU’s conditional approval at the beginning of the semester, the CUSSA hosted four events: two days of training followed by a weekend at the firing range. James Hanna, president of the CUSSA and a CSU councillor, said attendance was greater than expected and the events attracted people from a variety of backgrounds. “We wanted our club to be inclusive and not be that stereotype of conservative white guys going out and shooting guns,” he said. “Everything about it was fun and safe.”

However, in an unprecedented move, a CSU councillor proposed a referendum minutes after pulling out from the committee which initially approved of the CUSSA. Minutes from the meeting show that besides Hanna’s abstention due to his conflict of interest, councillors voted unanimously in favour of sending the club to a referendum. The decision cited the shooting at “[Concordia’s] sister school Dawson,” and ongoing gun violence in the United States as sufficient criteria for a vote.

Hanna believes personal ideologies influenced the CSU’s reluctance towards approving the CUSSA. He said that the CUSSA is a sporting club, not unlike a football or archery club but did acknowledge that the use of firearms could cause controversy.

“I understand why some people objected to our club, but there is a communist club at Concordia, and many people would object to that, but they still get funding,” Hanna said.

Hanna opposed the referendum and said it created a new precedent for future clubs applying for CSU recognition. He said that other controversial clubs, such as those for political parties or movements, never required a campus-wide referendum to obtain recognition. Additionally, Hanna said the CSU’s initial conditional approval and then referendum was unusual.

“First [the CSU] gave us conditional approval, which they never do, and then they removed it through a referendum,” Hanna said. “Is every new club now going to need the support of the student body? It doesn’t make sense.”

However, Algattus said the referendum is not creating a new precedent. She said that CSU councillors are neither influenced by politics nor ideology and that the councillors she worked with are dedicated to neutrality. Algattus said the referendum is an extraordinary option for an exceptional situation.

“Ultimately the councillors decided that because of all the school shootings in the U.S., the student body should be involved,” she said. “I don’t think this is setting a precedent like some have suggested because it is a really unique situation.”

Patrick Oliver, a Concordia student, voted against the club in the referendum. He said that as an American, he is all too familiar with the threat of school shootings. Oliver said the CUSSA’s claims of being an athletic club had no impact on his vote. “A lacrosse team is a sporting club too, but people aren’t going to go there and learn how to use a weapon, it’s unnecessary,” said Oliver.

In the meantime, Hanna said he is dedicated to keeping the club operating and plans further events despite the lack of CSU recognition. “We are still going to the range and will use every avenue to become approved like any other club,” said Hanna. “Guns are never near campus, they are always stored at the range — we are teaching people a sport, not to go out like maniacs and kill.”

Regardless, students like Oliver do not believe approving the club is a risk worth taking. He said that students interested in going to a firing range should do so on their own time and without the recognition of a student organization like CSU.

“Weaponry and schools never go well together,” said Oliver. “Imagine if someone learned how to shoot from a university-approved club and came back to that same university and used them against students.”

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU recap: Nov. 13, 2019

The Concordia Student Union is an elected body of 30 students whose task is to ensure the interests of students are protected and represented. The CSU can pass orders that involve student interests, and Concordia must agree to those orders.

Each CSU meeting will now be summarized so that you, the reader, can keep up with the union’s business. Get ready for tantalizing motions, breathtaking legal jargon and closed sessions that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Let’s get down to business, 

Welcome Week

Welcome Week is part of orientation every September, where students can mingle and get involved, and get to know what the CSU is.

This year, the CSU cut down on costs by approximately $37,000 from last year, with 11,000 students participating in Welcome Week.

The goal next year is to increase awareness of the CSU, by expanding their brand, which means having more merchandise like free agendas and tote bags.

Motions

A motion was sent to the policy committee, a CSU elected group that evaluates the feasibility of motions. The motion stated that students wishing to run for any CSU council position must disclose if they have previously disqualified, cheated or discharged on the voting ballot for all future elections.

This is in response to last week’s bi-elections featuring the comeback of two former elected CSU Executives that had been either disqualified or discharged in the previous year’s general election.

 

Graphic by Ana Bilokin

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CSU by-election results are in

After the three-day polling period from Tuesday to Thursday, here are the CSU referendum by-election results.

A total of 5167 students voted, representing 16.6 per cent of Concordia undergraduate students.

 

JMSB (first five are elected)
Mitchell Shecter 303 (19.6%)
Mathew Levitsky-Kaminski 256 (16.6%)
Howard Issley 254 (16.5%)
Lauren Perozek 194 (12.6%)
Jeremya Deneault 193 (12.5%)
Danielle Vandolder-Beaudin 185 (12.0%)
Samuel Century 90 (5.8%)
Alice IV. 67 (4.3%)
Gina Cody (all are elected)
Selena Mezher 443 (40.5%)
Sean Howard 387 (35.3%)
Tzvi Hersh Filler 265 (24.2%)
Fine Arts (elected by default)
Peter Zhuang 319 (100.0%)
Independent Students (first two are elected)
Hershey Blackman 50 (55.6%)
Menachem Israily 21 (23.3%)
Rawan Abbas 19 (21.1%)

 

Do you agree with the Concordia Student Union endorsing a Fall Reading Week proposal and pursuing its implementation at Concordia University?

The question passed at 86.6 per cent. The CSU and the University will look into two options to implement a Fall reading week. The university would either start the Fall semester a week in advance in August, or change the semester from 13 to 12 weeks.

Do you agree with the Concordia Student Union endorsing a university-wide food waste reduction proposal and pursuing its implementation at Concordia University?

The question passed at 97.1 per cent. The CSU will look into a program destined to reduce food waste by “[donating] either to the student body or to charitable organizations e.g. homeless shelters.”

Do you support Concordia University bringing the opt out process online for student fee levy organizations?

The question passed at 61.1 per cent. From now on, students will have the option to opt out of fee levy groups online. Before the referendum, students could opt out of those groups by signing a form. Fee levy groups, like the People’s Potato and Sustainable Concordia, are afraid that making the option easier will drastically reduce  their funding.

Do you agree to recommend to the Concordia Council on Student life (CCSL) to increase the Concordia Recreation & Athletics Department’s fee-levy to $5.00 per credit (an increase of $2.08 per credit from $2.92 per credit) annually adjusted to the Consumer Price Index of Canada to be implemented with registration for the September 2020 (2020/2) term, in accordance with the University’s tuition, refund and withdrawal policy? Agreeing to this question means you consent to increasing a mandatory institutional fee beyond the normally allowed rate as set out in the Règles Budgétaires of the Quebec Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

The question failed to pass with 55.3 per cent of students voting “no.” The $2.08 fee increase would have resulted in a decrease in membership fees for Le Gym all year long and the PERFORM center during Fall and Winter semesters. Stingers games would be free.

The Sports Shooting Association has requested to become a CSU club. Do you approve of the club being officially recognized as a CSU club.

The question failed to pass with 55.6 per cent of students voting “no.”

Do you support giving all faculties equal representation on the Council of Representatives by changing the structure to three Arts seats, three Science seats, three Gina Cody seats, three JMSB seats, three Fine Arts seats, and one Independent Student seat?

The question passed at 70.1 per cent. Before the referendum, 13 seats were allocated for Arts and Science students, seven for JMSB students, five Engineering and Computer Science students, three for Fine Arts students and two for independent students. The representation will be three councillors for every faculty plus one for independent students. Arts and Sciences will be divided into two separate faculties. However, the previous distribution of seats was proportional to the number of students in each faculty. Arts and Science had a bigger representation as they form almost 50 per cent of Concordia’s student body.

The last question was not disclosed online. The CSU was asking students if they agree to a $0.08 increase towards club funding.

The question passed at 54 per cent. During council meeting on Nov. 6, councillors explained that such increase would benefit the CSU by better funding clubs and reducing deficits. Furthermore, they would hold clubs accountable of their expenses by setting rules and regulations on spendings.

 

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth

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Anonymous council members accuse CSU Executives of power grab

Misrepresentation, inter-faculty tension and lack of transparency in next by-elections according to anonymous council members.

In an anonymous statement to The Concordian, a group of Concordia Student Union (CSU) councillors is accusing some executive CSU members of trying to increase the executive team’s power while fostering a culture of inter-faculty tension with the referendum question titled Council Change as its tool.

According to the statement, not enough students chose to run for the CSU. However, instead of focusing on mass outreach on campus to promote involvement, the CSU implied that conflict between faculties is the source of that issue.

The question, previously named Faculty Equality, suggests a restructuring of the council by reducing the number of councillors from 30 to 16. At the moment, 13 seats are allocated for Arts and Science students, seven for JMSB students, five Engineering and Computer Science students, three for Fine Arts students and two for independent students as voted by the CSU on Oct. 23.

The new structure would allow only three councillors for every faculty plus one for independent students. Arts and Sciences will be divided into two separate faculties.

“More councillors just means more chaos. And chaos is inefficient,” wrote CSU President Chris Kalafatidis in a message to The Concordian. “Chaos means not being able to hold the Executive accountable.”

But the anonymous statement claimed that having fewer councillors translates to fewer opportunities for students to get involved in university politics, a lack of efficiency within the CSU and a lack of accountability on the Executive.

“Currently, the CSU has approximately 15 committees which all hold about four to five seats each. A reduction to 20 councillors may lead to a lack in quality, efficiency and impactful work,” read the statement. “This is immensely detrimental for students as these committees provide funding and services to the undergraduate body.”

As for accountability of the Executive team, the statement refers to this situation as “unfair distribution of power,” and says it would not properly represent the student’s interests. Kalafatidis thinks otherwise.

“The current council requires JMSB, Gina Cody, Fine Arts and independent students to strictly rely on the Arts and Science coalition to get anything done,” Kalafatidis said. “The current council only represents Arts and Science.”

However, seats are allocated proportionally to the number of students in each faculty. Arts and Science has a bigger representation as they form almost 50 per cent of Concordia’s student body.

The statement also accused the CSU president of trying to “gerrymander Council and make it seem socially acceptable by adding the word ‘equality’” in the question. The referendum question was renamed Council Change by the CSU.

Second chance for two by-election candidates

After the last CSU’s general elections, Danielle Vandolder-Beaudin was disqualified for asking students to vote for her slate, Cut the Crap. As a punishment, she could not run again in any CSU elections for a period of one year. However, the Judicial Board reversed that decision according to Kalafatidis.

A few months later during the summer, Selena Mezher, elected CSU Sustainable Coordinator last general elections, left the country which resulted in many reactions. One of the anonymous councillors said that Mezher failed to advise the CSU that she would be leaving and ignored everyone’s attempts to contact her which resulted in a defunct resignation. However, Kalafatidis said that Mezher committed no offences or violations, and never took any pay from the CSU.

A few months later, the two are running as CSU councillors in the by-elections which began on Nov. 12.

The anonymous councillors are requesting that previously disqualified or fired members wishing to run for CSU positions must include a disclosure on their ballots about the date and nature of the offence for all CSU elections.

“We believe that all students should have the right to participate in student life, however, being transparent and assuming responsibility for their actions is a good start towards accountability, something we value as councillors,” read the statement.

A motion will be voted at the CSU council meeting on Nov. 13 to set rules on penalties for candidates that previously committed offences. If passed, candidates will be forced to disclose those offences on ballots.

 

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth

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CSU online fee levy opt-outs reached referendum

Fee-levy groups may lose significant funds after the upcoming referendum. “That would mean [serving fewer] people. People that sometimes really need it,” said Ian Herrera, member of the board of directors of People’s Potato.

Concordia students will go to the polls from Nov. 12 to 15 to vote on six referendum questions the Concordia Student Union (CSU) is putting to the ballot with online fee levy opt-outs, raising many concerns across the university.

Fee levy groups are student-run groups, semi-independent from the CSU and are elected through referendum. They include The Concordian, The Link, the Frigo Vert, Cinema Politica, and many more. They are not part of the union’s student clubs. Instead, they are funded directly by students who have voted in previous CSU referenda to fund them. They give access to multiple services on campus for all students, like food services, student media and environmental advocacy centres.

The motion was proposed by CSU President Chris Kalafatidis. However, he explained he is not binding the CSU to his decision since he proposed the question as a neutral student at large.

While students have always had the option to retract their shares from fee levy groups, Kalafatidis wants to facilitate the process.

“It’s always been a part of the deal that ‘we’re all going to pay for this collectively, but we do have the right to opt-out,’” Kalafatidis said. “All we’re doing is embracing technology to make the process easier for everyone.”

The controversial question faced a lot of opposition from CSU councillors and fee levy groups themselves. In fact, none of the 23 groups have expressed support, rather the opposite.

“The way the process works now in person is a positive thing where people can be informed face to face to understand what services we provide,” said Emily Carson-Apstein, a Concordia student employed at Sustainable Concordia. “From there, it’s their decision to opt-out and we’re not critical about that. Moving the system online makes it impartial. It makes people make hasty decisions that they don’t understand the consequences of and it shuts down the conversation before it even starts.”

McGill University switched to online opt-outs in 2007. Students’ Society of McGill University’s President, Bryan Buraga, said that this caused many fee levy groups to struggle with financing.

“This led to a decrease in the quality of services provided by these groups until the opt-out rate stabilized, after several years, to approximately 10 per cent rate of what it is today,” Buraga wrote in an email to The Concordian.

Full-time Concordia students with a four-class course load pay $58.44 per semester for fee levy groups at the moment.

Carson-Apstein explained that students can easily see a return on these fees by occasionally attending offered services, like movie or documentary screenings and eating at the People’s Potato – even just once every two weeks.

The People’s Potato serves free vegan food for students. On average, it serves around 400 to 500 people a day.

“[Online opt-out] would drastically reduce the income that we get and by consequence the number of people that we serve every day,” said Ian Herrera, member of the board of directors of the People’s Potato. “We would have to reduce the serving time. That would mean [serving fewer] people. People that sometimes really need it.”

But Kalafatidis said that if the question were to pass, the CSU would still have to sit down with all the fee levy groups to discuss the new opt-out process. Kalafatidis has yet to consult any of them. An option, Kalafatidis proposed, would be a checkbox system. Students will be required to read a description of the group prior to checking the opt-out option.

The question on fee levy opt-outs was brought up last year by the CSU slate Cut the Crap, which Kalafatidis was part of. On top of opt-outs, the slate also proposed election reform and cleaner bathrooms.

“[Fee levies] are the backbone of Concordia’s culture,” Herrera said. “Concordia’s culture isn’t dirty toilets, it’s this.”

The CSU will also be asking if students:

  1. agree with the Concordia Student Union endorsing a Fall Reading Week proposal and pursuing its implementation at Concordia University;
  2. agree with the Concordia Student Union endorsing a university-wide food waste reduction proposal and pursuing its implementation at Concordia University;
  3. support giving all faculties equal representation on the Council of Representatives by changing the structure to three Arts seats, three Science seats, three Gina Cody seats, three JMSB seats, three Fine Arts seats and one Independent Student seat. At the moment, 14 seats are allocated to arts and science, six to Gina Cody, four to JMSB and three to fine arts;
  4. agree to a non-opt-out fee increase of $2.08 that would result in a 50 per cent reduction of le Gym and PERFORM centre fees and free Stingers game;
  5. approve the Sports Shooting Club to be officially recognized as a CSU club.

 

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth

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CSU looking to create more food opportunities at the Loyola Campus

The Concordia Student Union is looking into creating more food opportunities at the Loyola Campus, but is facing resistance with Concordia administration.  

Celeste-Melize Ferrus, CSU Loyola coordinator, wants to collaborate with student groups like the Concordia Food Coalition, an organization that focuses on sustainable food on campus, to use unused spaces on campus to give students more of a variety of food at the Loyola campus.

Ferrus explains that the decision to create more food on campus is not up to the CSU, but to Concordia administration and the Dean, who are open to ideas if they see a demand for it.

Arguably, the need is there. Ferrus argues that there is nothing to eat at the Loyola Campus. But, she said that if Concordia does not see a need for more food at Loyola, the only thing CSU would be able to do is a petition.

“I need more variety,” she said. “I wouldn’t eat Tim Hortons. Eating that every semester for your whole undergrad is really frustrating.”

Other students also feel that Loyola does not have adequate food on campus.

“I feel like it’s lacking in food in a way that doesn’t make me want to stay on campus for very long,” said Avery Jane, a Concordia student who is lactose intolerant and celiac. “It’s a real bummer, having to go all the way out there and then not being able to stay for very long unless I’ve planned in advance and brought my own food.”

The Hive Café, a student-run cooperative that provides healthy and affordable food on campus, does have a location at Loyola and offers gluten-free and vegan options.

Yet, Antonia Neatby, an employee at the Hive, admits this is not enough.

“We are the only place that has gluten-free options, and I think the only place that has vegan options,” Neatby said. “But we don’t have that many options, and we can’t guarantee [zero] cross-contamination.”

Neatby said she has heard students saying that they want more variety in food at the Loyola Campus.

“There is definitely a real desire in the student body to have student-owned and student lead food cooperatives that don’t contribute to things like Aramark,” she said.

Aramark is an American food service provider that has been in a five-year contract with Concordia to provide food services. Its contract is supposed to finish in 2020 with a chance of a two-year renewal.

In a 2015 online statement, Concordia said that Aramark would focus on creating new cafes and restaurants on campus, promising more variety for students.

The statement also mentions how Aramark has created a Tim Hortons and a European-style Market in the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex at Loyola, which offers a variety of foods for students.

“The locations will also feature ‘Get the Good Stuff,’ Aramark’s daily prepared healthy-balanced meals and snacks for students on the go,” read the statement.

Ferrus said that these promises from Aramark never panned out, that all the variety Tim Hortons has to offer is bagels and cream cheese, and the rest of the options are very expensive and slim.

Elias Huckel-Fidalgo, another member of the CSU council, confirmed that the CSU committee is not actively looking into creating more food at the Loyola campus at the moment. Huckel-Fidalgo said that Ferrus is the only CSU member advocating for more food on campus.

 

Feature graphic by Victoria Blair

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Engineering students show up en masse at CSU meeting

In support of clubs ranging from Space Concordia to UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) Concordia, dozens of students from Concordia University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science attended Concordia Student Union’s (CSU) on Sept. 18.

The meeting was largely focused on allocating funds for a variety of on-campus initiatives and organizations. Engineering students from a variety of clubs presented funding requests to the CSU.

Space Concordia is an on-campus organization dedicated to building the first student-designed rocket capable of entering outer space. According to Space Concordia’s website, the group’s rocketry division has never had a launch failure in the last four years. The organization’s President, Hannah Halcro, presented to CSU and secured funding for another year. Halcro said she did not expect the CSU’s overwhelmingly positive reaction.

“I’m floored and surprised and so so so happy,” Halcro wrote in a statement to The Concordian. “The CSU’s support means so much, to not just me – I think I can speak for all of us involved in technical projects at Concordia.”

There are eight seats allocated to the School of Engineering and Computer Sciences on CSU’s Council of Representatives. Six of the seats remain vacant with only two councillors serving.

Désirée Blizzard, CSU finance coordinator, and fourth-year engineering student, said in previous years she was not involved with on-campus politics because of work. Although Blizzard was unable to partake, she said she has friends who are involved in clubs and need more funding. “I was always kind of jealous at the intensity they go at their projects,” said Blizzard in an interview with The Concordian. “I also know how much in engineering you need to rely on technology.”

UAV Concordia is a student club that competes internationally with UAV technology, such as drones. They requested newer computers. According to representatives from the club presenters, members often have to camp while travelling due to budgetary constraints.

This year, UAV Concordia received funding to continue operating and upgrade its existing technology.

Blizzard said that supporting on-campus clubs like Space Concordia or UAV Concordia assists the clubs financially and also symbolically. She said providing funds to engineering clubs shows students in those programs that CSU values them.

“Breathing life into these relationships between CSU and engineering, if anything, would encourage some engineering students to run for council,” said Blizzard.

After the engineering presentations finished, many of the students left the meeting. Following the CSU’s approval of the Space Concordia budget, Halcro said she felt encouraged by CSU listening to engineering student’s concerns.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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CSU fighting for student building

Hopes went down for the Concordia Student Union (CSU) when learning a few weeks back that the last potential building to accommodate student housing was being replaced by a condo project.

The building, located on the corner of Mackay St., was once home to Mizan Gourmet, a Mediterranean supermarket, and Copy Concordia, among other shops and restaurants. It will be demolished any day now.

“We got an email that the building was bought, that it’s going to be torn down and that it’s going to be turned into a condo building,” said CSU President Chris Kalafatidis. “The reason why we’re so offended by this building is that once it goes up it’s over. It can never be undone.”

The building is said to be 20-storey high.

“To put things in context, JMSB is less than 20 storeys,” said Kalafatidis. “This is going to be the tallest object and it’s going to be in the middle of our campus.”

Kalafatidis is also concerned by the lack of infrastructure Concordia offers its students as well as its professors. According to Kalafatidis, students should have more welcoming infrastructures to hang out in and feel attached to their university.

However, Concordia replied in an email to The Concordian that in the past years, the university has invested in the construction and renovation of infrastructure such as the PERFORM center in 2011, EV building in 2005, and JMSB in 2009.

The building cornering Maisonneuve and Mackay St. was of interest to the CSU to achieve a long living goal: a student building. Not only would it serve to house all Concordia clubs, but would also feature things such as places to hang out, restaurants run by students, and maybe even a movie theatre, according to Kalafatidis.

He says such a project would be feasible.

We have the money [to pay for the building] because back in early 2000 we established a fund called the SSAELC fund,” said Kalafatidis. SSAELC stands for Student Space, Accessible Education, and Legal Contingency. “The purpose of this fund is to buy a club building and now it’s acquired enough wealth where we can actually do that.”

Following Concordia’s historical expansion, such a building would also serve as a way to build a campus proper to the university. Unlike many others, Concordia’s Sir-George-Williams campus is not a traditional distinct campus. Located in the middle of Montreal’s downtown, the university shares its location with dozens of shops and restaurants. Concordia’s ‘natural expansion,’ as defined by Kalafatidis, was foreshadowing a potential campus of its own; yet, hopes of achieving it went down.

“Ideally, Concordia will buy more in the area and slowly build what McGill already has: a campus of our own,” said Kalafatidis. “And now instead of getting more campus, or maybe green space where students can hang out, we’re getting a giant building.”

In an interview with CTV, Kalafatidis said the CSU is willing to take action and escalate the situation to the municipal government level. They are also hoping Concordia will join forces in the cause.

 

Photo by Kayla-Marie Turriciano

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CSU Club Fair Attracts Hundreds

Throughout Welcome Week, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) worked to engage new and returning students. The Union’s Facebook page listed nine events ranging from a sustainability mixer to a student-parent BBQ.

Last Wednesday’s club fair was one of CSU’s more popular events. Hundreds of people marked themselves as “interested” or “going” on the union’s Facebook page. The CSU and four faculty associations work with more than 100 on-campus groups. More than a dozen of them, like the Concordia Game Club to Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, reached out to new and returning students at the fair to make introductions.

Concordia’s CJLO blasted music throughout the Hall Building’s mezzanine as students wandered between displays. First-year student Sienna Thompains said she enjoyed Welcome Week and the club fair.

“I didn’t really know anybody because I’m from the States, but I’m having a great time getting to know people,” said Thompains.

Chris Iannotti, an executive at the Concordia Game Club, said that many first-years and a few graduate students expressed interest in the group. According to Iannotti, finding information about student groups is difficult online but the Club Fair’s physical presence helps overcome technological barriers.

“Right now, the state of Concordia’s website for club finding is a bit messy, but here you’re able to sign up and join all the facebook groups,” said Iannotti.

Iannotti’s Concordia Game Club is not new to Concordia. Founded more than three decades ago, Iannotti said he has no complaints about CSU’s involvement in the on-campus groups.

“We all get a fair budget, and when we need something they [CSU] help us,” said Iannotti.

At another stand, Tess Walker managed the Concordia chapter of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Walker, the co-founder of the Concordia chapter that opened this year, said the goal is to promote harm-reduction on campus, but she was disappointed the group did not have a presence during frosh week.

“It’s the year when people start experimenting with drugs and alcohol, and we are hoping to have more resources to hand out,” said Walker. “CSU has been helpful. Especially last year, people helped set up the club. We’ll see how it goes this year.”

Welcome Week is coming to an end, but Club Fair (part II) is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hall Building’s mezzanine on Wednesday, September 11.

 

Photos by Britanny Clarke

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CSU introduces new sexual violence policy and code of conduct

 

The Concordia Student Union’s (CSU) new sexual violence and safer spaces policy aims to foster consent culture and a survivor-centric attitude when addressing incidents and promoting services. This policy applies to all student representatives in the union, including executives, councillors, judicial board members, senate members, official employees and students-at-large.

The sexual violence policy describes the CSU’s new process for handling sexual assault complaints against any representative with its own investigations. This process is entirely separate from the university’s sexual assault policy and processes. The new sexual violence policy and code of conduct were first approved by the policy committee but unanimously passed by council on April 10.

The sexual violence policy was completed as part of the campaign of last year’s winning slate, Speak Up, and created by Mikaela Clark-Gardner, the academic & advocacy coordinator, and Sophie Hough-Martin, the CSU’s general coordinator.

According to Hough-Martin, all CSU members can file complaints against student union representatives. A sexual violence accountability committee (SVAC) will be created to handle complaints of a sexual nature. It will consist of one student-at-large, a community member with experience in advocacy or activism, a CSU representative, a third-party investigator, and a member of the judicial board.

A person who wishes to file a complaint can do so in a written statement to the SVAC, which would include the names of the complainant and the respondent, the date of the alleged incident, the alleged behaviour and any additional relevant material. When the SVAC receives the complaint, it will investigate it by contacting the witnesses and gathering any relevant evidence to complete an investigative report.

Once a final decision has been made, it can be appealed within seven days. However, it must be based on new evidence, provable bias or prejudice against either the respondent or complainant, or an error in the investigation.

For non-sexual harassment, a person can file a complaint under the code of conduct in a written statement to the judicial board no later than 90 business days after the incident. When deciding whether the respondent violated the code of conduct, the judicial board makes its decision based on a variety of factors. The board’s decision can also be appealed.

“The fact that we did not have a proper sexual violence policy and code of conduct, it made grounds that people could take liberties with what they said and did,” said Samantha Candido, a CSU councillor. Candido emphasized the importance of these policies; The CSU has been working on them for the past year with the help of lawyers, students and executives.

It is also a standalone policy, which means it does not refer to nor rely on other policies. The policy also takes an intersectional approach and makes sure all members who partake in spaces organized by the CSU have a safe space where respectable dialogue, language and behaviours are enforced.

With the new policy, all CSU representatives will be required to complete a series of trainings, including a consent and power dynamics training for executives and a consent training for councillors. If a member fails to complete the trainings or refuses to follow them, they will be fired from their position. A sexual violence accountability committee will be created to handle complaints of a sexual nature.

The policy waiver “will ensure that we not only read the code of conduct, but we also read the sexual violence policy [and] we are committing ourselves to acting and behaving in a respectful way,” Candido said. She added that the new sexual violence policy comes a month after the CSU’s Internal Affairs Coordinator Princess Somefun’s resignation due to a toxic work environment. The two new policies aim to set a standard for how union representatives should behave towards one another physically and verbally.

The policy committee will review the sexual violence policy every two years and the SVAC, Sexual Assault Resource Centre, and the Centre for Gender Advocacy will be consulted during this process. The code of conduct will also be reviewed with the judicial board within a year of its placement and every two years thereafter.

Candido hopes to see a non-violent environment in the meetings next year. “We have the expectation that, with the next mandate coming in, there will be a much better dialogue at council meetings,” she said.

 

Photo by Mia Anhoury.

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU runner-up candidates elected

Photo by Mia Anhoury.

Cut the Crap announced they will appeal the disqualification to the Judicial Board

Following Cut the Crap’s disqualification from the Concordia Student Union (CSU) elections, Chief Electoral Officer Florian Prual said candidates with the second most votes are elected.

From the slate riZe, the elected candidates are:

  • Margot Berner – General coordinator
  • Manuela Simo – Loyola coordinator
  • Paige Keleher – Student Life coordinator
  • Apochele Christina Kamwendo – Sustainability coordinator

From the slate New Community, the elected candidates are:

  • Jessica Avalos Salas – Academic & Advocacy coordinator
  • Emily Faraj –Internal Affairs coordinator
  • Nicolas Chevalier – External & Mobilization coordinator
  • Désirée Blizzard – Finance coordinator

Prual said his decision to call on the runner-ups to be elected was because executive seats cannot remain vacant.

Cut the Crap was disqualified for violating the union’s standing regulations. Danielle Vandolder-Beaudin, the finance coordinator candidate, was inciting students to vote for the slate during the polling period.

However, Cut the Crap announced it will appeal their disqualification to the Judicial Board of the union. The slate still refused to comment.

The violation in question was brought to council by CSU councillors Patrick Quinn and Chris Kalafatidis, both from Cut the Crap. As members of the participation committee, they were involved in drafting the online voting regulations.

Photo by Mia Anhoury.

A previous version of this article said Kalafatidis and Quinn were on the appointment committee, when in fact they were not. The Concordian regrets this error.

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Concordia Student Union News

Three visions for the CSU

RiZe, Cut the Crap and New Community discuss their plans for next year

Three slates are running in this year’s general election for the Concordia Student Union (CSU). Online polling for the CSU’s elections will be held from 9 a.m. on April 2 to 9 p.m. on April 4.      

The general coordinator is the leader of the executive team that governs policies related to all undergraduate students.

 

Cut the Crap candidate Chris Kalafatidis. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Christopher Kalafatidis, the general coordinator candidate for Cut the Crap, said he would focus on fixing the sanitary conditions of bathrooms, implementing an online opt-out system, and extending the nomination period for elections. Cut the Crap is “a statement saying ‘lets get things done,’” he said. The bathrooms “are a symbol of the most obvious problem that Concordia students see,” he said, adding he would like to see renovations and maintenance.

Kalafatidis would also implement fixed election dates so students are aware when to vote each year. “Right now, we have to wait for our CEO, which is always a point of last-minute, and everything is in chaos,” he said, adding that he wants to extend the nomination period from one-to-two weeks to three months. “This would encourage democracy and it would encourage competitive elections.”

Giving students the right to get their money back from fee-levy groups is a priority for Kalafatidis. Fee-levy groups are student-run organizations around Concordia that help students socially and financially. Currently, students must reach out to each group individually to get their money back. “We would create a system in collaboration with [fee-levy groups],” he said. “If it was online, you could check a bunch of boxes.”

Cut the Crap’s goal is to put students first. “I think you should vote for Cut the Crap because we are standing for the students who are never considered in elections,” he said. “We are the only slate to consider the rest of Concordia.”

 

riZe candidate Margot Berner. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Margot Berner, general coordinator candidate for riZe, said “this [position] is extremely close to my heart and almost everyone who I care about has been affected by these issues. I believe the university should be a safe space for students. I really want to advocate for students everyday and have that be my job.”

The name riZe is a reference to Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” but it also stands for rising up against oppression and all forms of discrimination.

Berner wants to make sure international students get an affordable health plan and that mental health services are affordable for all students. “We would provide more health insurance surrounding mental health, so that people have coverage and it doesn’t break their bank to go and [pay] for a therapist,” she said.

Finally, Berner wants to help student associations fight against unpaid internships and be an institutional support network that can give students the resources they need. “Everyone should be paid for their labour,” she said.

Berner feels she is fit to be next year’s CSU general coordinator because of her experience on council, the Concordia Food Coalition board and as an Independent Jewish Voices executive. “I also have personal lived experience, which is really important for this job,” she said. “I’m a survivor [and] I will fight absolutely for the things I believe in.”

 

New Community candidate Marcus Peters. Photo by Sam Kaiser.

Marcus Peters, the general coordinator candidate for New Community, has also been on council for two years and is the current academic coordinator of the Sociology & Anthropology Student Union. He was the CSU Loyola coordinator in the 2016-17 academic year and he was previously on the board of the Hive Café and Concordia University Television.

Their slate name was created to reflect their three goals: fossil fuel divestment, shutting down international tuition hikes, and advocating for the survivors of sexual assault. “Our platform is mostly built around three projects that will have sweeping impacts […] What we will be doing is creating a new community,” Peters said.

Peters joined the fossil fuel divestment campaign when he first arrived at Concordia in September 2013. The campaign’s goal is to push the administration to fully divest from fossil fuels and any other toxic industries. “We became the first campaign in Canada to pressure the university to start to divest in fossil fuels,” he said.

Peters wants to re-create the health and dental plans, as well as expand mental health services for students. As for advocating for survivors of sexual assault, “we would want to work with the Sexual Assault Resource Centre and develop a very thorough and well-vetted policy on harassment and assault,” he said.

Making students more aware of the benefits of fee-levy groups is a better option than allowing students to get their money back, according to Peters. “Before we have a discussion of online opt-outs, we would look at educating the student body as a whole.”

Peters said his experience and vision is what stands out from the other general coordinator candidates. “I don’t see projects of the scale that we are proposing being incorporated in any of the platforms,” he said.

 

Independent candidate Jane Lefebvre-Prevost. Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Jane Lefebvre-Prevost.

Meet the independent candidate

The academic and advocacy coordinator candidate, Jane Lefebvre-Prevost, who stands on a single-person slate called No More Slates, is running independently. She wants to bring awareness to certain flaws she believes exist in the electoral system. “By moving away from a slate mentality, we can limit political nepotism in our institution and further encourage electors to research their decision so as to have the representatives who truly represent the will of the student populace,” she said.

Lefebvre-Prevost wants to help low-income students through specialized bursaries based on financial need and identity—such as one for trans students and another for Indigenous students—rather than academic merit. “These students need a subsidized tutoring system that would allow them to afford to improve their grades without financial penalty,” she said.

Lefebvre-Prevost recommended that students “research the candidates who are running, listen to them speak, and most importantly see if they listen,” she said. “Then vote for the candidate that you believe will advocate for the needs of all students, not just the few, and who will truly represent the will of the undergraduate body.”

 

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