Tag: CSU

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CSU in brief, Nov. 1

Council rejects ConU’s academic plan

CSU council voted not to endorse the university’s proposed academic plan for 2011-16 at their Wednesday council meeting. Presented at the meeting by Concordia’s provost and VP of academic affairs David Graham, the goal of the plan is to have Concordia recognized as one of Canada’s top five comprehensive universities by 2016. It aims to achieve this through the expansion of graduate and research studies, and the evaluation and restructuring of academic programs, among other initiatives.

Councillors were underwhelmed by the plan, and expressed concern that it was formed without much student input. It was also pointed out that Concordia’s president would have absolute veto power to make changes to the plan, something the CSU took issue with. In the motion passed at council, the CSU asked for at least one undergraduate and one graduate student to be added to the academic plan working group, and for the creation of a budget “that specifies from where funding for the plan will come.” The plan will be presented to Concordia’s Senate for adoption on Nov. 4.

CSU president defends MSA

Student union president Lex Gill addressed questions at last week’s meeting regarding Concordia’s Muslim Students Association’s involvement with a controversial Islamic conference. Gill stated that Concordia’s involvement in “hosting” the event, which was reported on by news sources across Canada, had not been accurately portrayed in the media.
The Islamic Education and Research Academy’s Canadian tour had scheduled a stop at Concordia University on Oct. 21. The news garnered media attention as several of the clerics slated to speak at the conference had allegedly made homophobic and anti-Semitic remarks in the past.

“The event itself was not organized by the MSA, the event was not sponsored by the MSA, the organizers did not have any direct interactions with the MSA,” Gill explained. “The only act performed by the Muslim Students Association at Concordia was to pre-emptively book a room in the MB building.”

According to Gill, who spoke to MSA president Musab Abu-Thuraia after receiving concerned calls from university administration regarding the conference, the MSA had yet to approve the meeting and had only booked a room. The decision was made soon after by MSA executives to not hold the event at Concordia. Gill explained that reserving rooms for events well ahead of time is common practice at the university, describing the booking policies at Hospitality Concordia as “difficult.”

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CSU reveals orientation sponsors

After an email exchange that lasted almost two months between the Concordia Student Union and one of its members, the CSU finally revealed on Monday its orientation sponsors and the amounts each contributed.

The figures show that the CSU received $22,450 from sponsors this year, although not all of it was in cash. Much of it was in the value of something else, such as Sleeman’s contribution of $5,760 worth of beer.

In early September, Alexa Newman, a former VP finance for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations, had requested from CSU VP finance Jordan Lindsay the above mentioned information, as well as the sponsorship package distributed by the CSU to potential sponsors.

“I had read in the papers that they had gathered several thousands of dollars in sponsorships, so it was just general curiosity,” Newman told the Concordian.

But that information didn’t come, at least not as quickly as Newman had envisioned. At first, she was referred to the CSU’s sponsorship director Jose Garcia, who took close to a month to answer Newman, citing orientation and classes as reasons for his late reply.

Receiving no promise of a hard copy of the sponsorship figures from Garcia, Newman was sent back to Lindsay, who indicated in emails his preference to go over the numbers with her in person rather than leave a hard copy at the front desk, as she had requested.

In an Oct. 13 email, Lindsay indicated that he “would like to know what you are planning on using this information for.” When Newman replied the same day that it was for “general knowledge,” Lindsay wrote on Oct. 14 that he “would like just a bit more clarification than that.”

It was then that frustration reached the boiling point for Newman.

“I have played along by answering irrelevant questions about my motives for requesting the information and waited patiently with a promise that all would be answered at the next council meeting and yet again my clear simple question […] has been left unanswered,” wrote Newman to Lindsay on Oct. 14. “So please tell me what the big deal is?”

Newman also went on to quote from the election platform of Your Concordia, the slate Lindsay ran on in the last election, noting that YC had pushed for increased financial transparency at the CSU. Newman had run against YC with the Action slate, vying to win a seat on the CSU council.

On Monday, Lindsay told the Concordian that he had not spoken about the orientation sponsors at the Oct.12 student union council meeting because no one had asked him about it, while Newman watched the meeting via live feed, hoping he would discuss the topic.

“I still don’t know her final reasoning. Was it maybe to cross-reference against the orientation budget?” said Lindsay. “When financial information is being requested, I would expect a reason. I have no problem giving out the information, but I want to make sure I have done my due diligence. I would expect any VP finance to do the same.”

The documents were finally sent to Newman on Monday after the Concordian contacted Lindsay, who said he had sent the figures to Newman on Saturday, but later realized he had sent them to the wrong email address.

Newman wrote back to Lindsay on Monday thanking him for the documents, but noted that she still has yet to receive the orientation package distributed to sponsors.

In an earlier interview with the Concordian, Newman, who ensured that all of ASFA’s financial documents were placed online during her mandate last year, expressed her worry over an organization’s failure to turn over figures in a timely fashion.

“As a former VP finance you start playing different scenarios in your head. It’s a huge amount of money and you start to think that maybe something went wrong, or that they’re hiding something,” she said.

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Student union supports creation of sexual assault centre

The Concordia Student Union council threw their support behind the creation of a sexual assault centre on campus at a meeting last Wednesday in the hopes of remedying what they see as a gap in the resources offered to sexual assault survivors at Concordia University.
Council unanimously approved a motion presented by councillor Irmak Bahar, endorsing the creation of a sexual assault centre on campus to be funded by Concordia, a cause championed by the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy in their sexual assault centre campaign.
As a result, the CSU executive will be writing a letter of support requesting that the university create a permanent space on campus for a sexual assault centre with constant and sustainable funding. The motion also requested mandatory sensitivity training programs for security, counseling and development staff, and other faculty or staff who would wish to participate.
“The administration hasn’t received any communication regarding the discussion and endorsement at the CSU Council meeting, but the issue will be looked into,” university spokesperson Chris Mota wrote in an email.
“It was clear to us that the student union understood that it’s a responsibility of the university to ensure a safer campus for everybody, for all students. It was important to get that passed and to have that clearly stated and we were very happy at the unanimity of the vote as well. That was fantastic,” said Bianca Mugyenyi, the 2110 Centre’s programming and campaigns coordinator.
The centre kicked off their campaign in the spring of this year, the bulk of their efforts directed to furthering public education and awareness with the ultimate goal of “increasing the pressure on the university to fund and give space to a sustainable sexual assault centre, as well as to address the lack of clear and accessible policies relating specifically to cases of sexual assault,” Mugyenyi explained.
Twelve cases of sexual harassment were brought to Concordia’s Office of Rights and Responsibilities in 2009-2010, one of which resulted in a formal complaint, according to their annual report. Mugyenyi called that figure low, saying it alluded more to the fact that students are not reporting cases of harassment or assault (the two are conflated in the annual report and Concordia policy).
Mugyenyi compared the number of cases at Concordia to those at the University of Alberta, which has a student population of 29,100, an established sexual assault centre and, according to Mugyenyi, around 200 cases of reported sexual assault every year. A 2001 survey of University of Alberta students stated that 21 per cent of respondents reported at least one unwanted sexual experience in their lives.
A 2004 Statistics Canada survey found approximately 512,200 Canadians aged 15 and older had been the victims of a sexual assault in the 12 months preceding the survey. That is equivalent to 1,977 incidents of sexual assault per 100,000 people aged 15 and older.
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Montreal students warm up for Nov. 10

Student protesters came decked out in face paint, carrying picket signs and scrawling messages on the streets and sidewalks in chalk.
Student protesters came decked out in face paint, carrying picket signs and scrawling messages on the streets and sidewalks in chalk. Photo by Navneet Pall

More than 300 students gathered in front of Minister of Education Line Beauchamp’s Montreal office on Oct. 6 in preparation for the massive rally against tuition hikes set to take place in the city on Nov. 10.
The rally was assembled by the Coalition régionale étudiante de Montréal, a group that includes most Montreal universities and CEGEPs. The protestors planned the event to remind Beauchamp that the battle against tuition hikes, announced last March by Finance Minister Raymond Bachand, is still alive and growing.
“This is just a warm-up,” said protest organizer and Concordia Student Union VP external affairs, Chad Walcott. “The student movement here is strong and is not standing down. It’s going to be a matter of continuous outreach in Concordia as well. We’re gathering signatures and raising awareness as much as possible toward November 10.”
Walcott heads the Mob Squad, a CSU-organized group which has given itself the mandate of staging protests and demonstrations against tuition hikes. The squad was behind the release of 1,000 red balloons in the Hall building on Sept. 28, where each balloon represented 30 students who will not be able to afford to go to university if tuition fees are increased.
“These people are only the organizers,” said CSU president Lex Gill, referring to those protesting around her. “We’ve all got friends.”
Tuition will rise by $325 a year for the next five years, for a total of $1,625. Although Quebec would still remain the Canadian province with the lowest fees, the Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques predicts that this increase could prevent more than 30,000 students from accessing university-level education
“I’m already struggling with rent, school and the rest,” said Erica Deutschman, a Concordia communications studies student present at the rally. “This is a real problem for me.”
During the protest, speakers from various schools took the microphone to shout their own personal message to Beauchamp in French and English.
“The French media will focus on French schools but the English media today is not involved in the debate at all,” said Walcott. “It’s going to be our responsibility as well as Dawson’s and McGill’s to make sure the English media starts talking about [tuition] a lot more. Ultimately, we need public opinion on our side to win this battle and without the media talking about this, it’s going to be hard to get.”
Student union representatives are hoping that this protest movement will not only block the hike but also, through this “common battle”, empower students and create a stronger sense of community within Concordia.
“I believe that if we could gather 5,000 Concordia students for November 10, it would have a massive impact and be a huge accomplishment towards a stronger school spirit at Concordia,” said Walcott.

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ConU in review

Both Concordia University and the Concordia Student Union had an eventful 2010-2011 school year. Notably, a spate of resignations afflicted both bodies, leaving a student body and a community concerned and hesitant about the future of their school. Students manifested their concerns by staging protests and sit-ins, and by voting for Your Concordia, a slate that ran for the CSU on the grounds of public consultation on touchy issues such as a student centre. The Concordia community called for a governance review – a call heeded by the university.

Wednesday, Sept. 8:  Concordia VP advancement and alumni relations Kathy Assayag steps down for “personal reasons.”

Wednesday, Sept. 29: Following in colleague Assayag’s footsteps, Concordia VP services and one-time acting president Michael Di Grappa leaves the university to join McGill’s administration as vice-principal (administration and finance).

Thursday, Nov. 25: Students vote down a proposed fee levy increase. The referendum question polled students on their feelings towards increasing the amount currently being collected per credit for an envisioned student centre from $2 to $4.50. The students’ response is overwhelming: No, thank you.

Wednesday, Dec. 22: Concordia president Judith Woodsworth resigns. She too cites “personal reasons” for stepping down, although it is soon revealed that she was ousted by the Board of Governors. Woodsworth collects two years’ salary as severance pay, or $703,500.

Tuesday, Jan. 4:  CSU VP finance Zhuo Ling announces his resignation, stating he is unable to fulfill the time commitment necessary for the position. VP clubs and outreach Ramy Khoriaty takes over the position for the remainder of the semester.

Friday, Jan. 21: Former Concordia rector Frederick Lowy officially takes office as interim president. Lowy’s previous stint as head of the university spanned ten years, from 1995 to 2005.

February: CSU president Heather Lucas confirms the union’s interest in the Faubourg Ste-Catherine building with the university, calling it the “most realistic” and “most affordable” option for a student centre.

Friday, March 4:  Concordia Student Union VP sustainability and promotions Morgan Pudwell hands in her three-page letter of resignation. In the letter, Pudwell cites concerns over potential financial mismanagement and governance, disagreement with the executive’s decision to back a student centre at the Faubourg, and a lack of trust within the executive team.

Monday, March 14: The CSU elections for the 2011-2012 school year kick off on what is commonly known as poster night (or “that night where everyone runs around with large sheets of paper and sticks them to walls.”) Two slates face off: Your Concordia and Action.

Thursday, March 17: In the provincial budget, Quebec finance minister Raymond Bachand outlines plans to raise tuition fees by $325 a year for five years as of Sept. 2012. The hike brings the cost of a university education for a Quebec student to $3,793 per year.

Friday, March 18: The university announces the appointments of the three members of the external governance review committee. Bernard Shapiro, André C. Côté and Glen A. Jones are named to the committee and are each paid $1,000 a day for their work, for a maximum of $20,000 per committee member.

Friday, April 1: The results of the CSU election are announced: Your Concordia, headed by Lex Gill, pull out ahead with a 336-vote margin of victory.

Wednesday, April 6: Concordia University announces its plans to gradually phase out bottled water on campus. Over a three-year period, water fountains will be upgraded and replaced when necessary. That first step has a $100,000 price tag.

Tuesday, April 12: Both Action and Your Concordia are disqualified in an after-the-fact decision by chief electoral officer Oliver Cohen. Cohen alleges numerous examples of improper conduct on the part of members of each team, including campaigning during the polling period and using club resources to campaign.

Wednesday, April 27: After a long and heated hearing, the CSU judicial board rules to reinstate Your Concordia as the winning slate, and to uphold the disqualification of Action. The slate was later reinstated by the CSU council.

Wednesday, June 15: The external governance review committee releases its 39-page report, in which the three members of the committee point out a number of flaws in the university’s structure. They detail 38 recommendations to the university in order to ameliorate what it calls a “culture of contempt.”

Wednesday, Aug. 31: In a press release and mass email to students, the Board of Governors announces its intention to implement the recommendations of the external governance review committee which pertain to the board.

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CEO reluctantly delivers report at AGM

CEO Oliver Cohen returns to answer questions about his annual report. Photo by Sarah Deshaies
CEO Oliver Cohen returns to answer questions about his annual report. Photo by Sarah Deshaies

Student union chief electoral officer Oliver Cohen capped off a strenuous mandate on Monday by delivering his set of recommendations to the union, suggesting amongst other things that the incoming executive extend the campaign period and amend the standing regulations.

 

Cohen outlined the recommendations, which make up a section of his final report to the CSU, to around 40 students at Monday’s annual general meeting on the 7th floor of the Hall building. He took to the microphone for a span of a few minutes to note that the 90-page report would be available online on the union’s website. He then made for the exit, but was coaxed back to elaborate further on its contents.

Cohen also suggested the union go over the Judicial Board’s code of procedures in relation to the appeals process. “It should probably be something along the lines of a rotational committee where in the process of appeal a new board is summoned,” he said.

The CEO stood by his decision to disqualify the Your Concordia and Action slates, despite seeing that decision overturned by the Judicial Board. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you guys that the integrity of the elections was maintained, because it was not,” he said.

The outgoing executive also made their end-of-year reports to their constituency. In his updated budget, VP finance Ramy Khoriaty noted the expected $37,000 end-of-year surplus was lower than the union had originally projected in their budget. The added expenses mostly came from the unexpected cost of reimbursing ASFA for their tickets for the Youth in Action Montreal conference, which they had previously been selling for $20 each before the CSU decided to give them away, he said. That move made a $11,000 dent in the union’s pocket book.

That surplus had further been eaten away by Wednesday’s regular council meeting, when Khoriaty noted that a $20,000 invoice from the Canadian Federation of Students brought the overall expected surplus to approximately $16,000.

Khoriaty’s suggestion to re-appoint Deloitte, the firm hired to audit the union’s previous fiscal year was challenged by incoming VP finance Jordan Lindsay, who motioned for an open call to tender instead. “It’s not to say that Deloitte won’t do a good job, we’d just like to have the opportunity to look at other options,” he said. While Lindsay said he knew Deloitte was one of the more expensive auditing firms, he admitted he did not know exactly how much they charged.

The motion stipulated that Lindsay, Khoriaty and director of finance Michele Dumais would prepare a list of possible auditors for submission at the June 8 council meeting.

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Special student union meeting reverses last of CEO’s decisions

The student union elections have come full circle, as what remained of the chief electoral officer’s decision to disqualify both slates was overturned by council on Wednesday.

Council’s decision to pass both a motion to reimburse all campaign expenses and to reinstate the victorious Action candidates effectively returned the results to the same point as they were before the disqualifications.

Arts and Science Federation of Associations president and Action candidate for Arts and Science Aaron Green tabled both motions at a special meeting held before the union’s regular council meeting on Wednesday evening.

While the CSU judicial board reinstated Your Concordia at their hearing on April 27, they had refused to reimburse either slate, and had upheld CEO Oliver Cohen’s decision to disqualify Action.

Both motions were defeated at first, but councillor Menachem Freedman asked council to reconsider their decision regarding campaign expenses, a move that would prove to favour both slates.

Freedman amended the motion to clarify that council did not wish to overturn the judicial board’s decision, but rather to recommend that council allot the money that was meant for the candidates as an extra-procedural method “because they’re students, and they need to pay rent, and they need to buy food, and it’s just not a good way of sanctioning students,” he said.

The motion warranted some harsh words from Tuan Dinh, the only judicial board member present at the meeting. “By going beyond what the judicial board has ruled, you’re effectively bypassing the bylaws,” he said. “There’s no ambiguity in the actions in which [the candidates] have committed, they clearly violated rules and they should be held accountable, but the fact is we’re setting a precedent so that in the future people can continue to make these similar violations and that council will just come in and save them.”

However, after lengthy discussion most councillors felt it was merited to reimburse the candidates, and the motion was passed.

The second motion was brought to council on the grounds that the disqualification was robbing certain sectors of the student body of effective representation over the summer – namely, the students from the John Molson School of Business, who elected six Action councillors.
President Heather Lucas spoke in favour of reinstating the candidates, despite originally intending to maintain her distance from the matter. “I feel that by disqualifying people that have been rightfully voted in democratically and disqualifying them based on the actions of the executive, I think that’s completely unfair,” she said.

Action presidential candidate Khalil Haddad was pleased to see council overturn the JB’s decision. “The election expenses were not as important for me, it was more for getting the councillors and senators that got elected to sit on council and on senate to represent their respective faculties,” he said.

The decision also strengthened Haddad’s resolve to help bring about sweeping reforms to the student union’s election bylaws and standing regulations. “It’s really going to help people in the future when they want to run for elections, that the CEO’s office is upheld, that the judicial board has a procedure that’s more efficient and more just in the future, and that regulations are more clear,” he said. “They won’t have to deal with these instances where ambiguity can go into different interpretations and people can take that and turn it into a negative thing or a positive thing depending on what context you’re in.”

Some of those reforms were introduced Wednesday evening at the regular council meeting. Lawyer Patrice Blais presented the changes to council after having worked on them with former CSU president Amine Dabchy, president-elect Lex Gill, Lucas and Haddad.

Their two goals in bringing about the reforms were to “clean up bylaws to make sure they are in accordance with Quebec law, as well to bring up electoral reforms in order to remove the consequence of our electoral system here,” which he said had turned into a winner-take-all situation with the executives and the councillors. “It basically creates two teams of 40 to 45 people that are clashing with one another,” he added. “It certainly produces a belief that a lot of people are voting because of a party name instead of for the value of the individual people running.”

Blais suggested council eliminate the affiliation system between council and the executive, as well as the Senate of Faculty Associations.

However, Green was strongly against removing SoFA. “In the event that the CSU does not act in the best interest of a particular faculty, this is a remedy in order to make things right,” he said. “The Senate of Faculty Associations act as a check and balance on the CSU.”
A hypothetical split between the councillors elected from arts and those elected from science also raised some doubts. “I feel that it is deepening the divide between Loyola and Sir George Williams,” Green said. “I know that’s how it works in McGill […] but I feel that we are stronger in our diversity.
Splitting up the representation would just be silly.”

Moreover, the policy changes would clarify the definition of membership in the student union. There would be two categories of members. An active member would be registered and paying fees, and would have the right to vote as well as to run for elected office. A non-active member would not be registered in any classes. While the latter would still retain certain rights – Blais gave the example of access to the advocacy centre – that category of member would not be able to vote or hold office.

None of these reforms were voted on on Wednesday; Blais specified that since they had not had the time to prepare a full document before council, this was both an introduction and an appeal for feedback. They hope to bring the reforms to a special council meeting within the next 10 days.

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Four ways to fix the CSU

Graphic by Phil Waheed

Graphic by Phil Waheed

1. Make poster night a little more civil and fair

Since each of the candidates for the council, senate and board of governors get a $50 budget for their campaigns, it seems unfair for one candidate’s posters to be featured on the school’s billboards because they got to it first on poster night, or because they got their friends to run on every floor of the Hall building before the other guys’. Or for them to have more posters up because they got a better deal with the printers.

Poster night craziness just seems unnecessary because there are easier and fairer ways for posters to be put up. There should be either limits of the number of posters put up per candidate, or delineate spaces for each slate and independent candidate to poster. It officially starts the campaigning period, but candidates should all start at a level playing field.

2. Let students vote for individual execs

Students should not have to vote for an entire slate of CSU executives. We are able to vote for individual councillors who are supposed to keep checks and balances on the executives. It makes sense to have top honchos be from different slates so the tab-keeping is done right at the top, not just through the councillors. It would also make the executives work harder at convincing their fellow executives to go along with a project. It would be like working with the enemy, but compromising and listening and respecting the other side, just like a minority government would “work” in parliament. There would be more focus on what works best for the most amount of students.

3. Students should think of the execs like employees

The CSU president and VPs do get paid, and since you all pay fees to the CSU, you, students, are directly paying them. Seriously. So, in a sense, they are your employees. They all boast about being accountable and working for and on behalf of the students, so it is imperative that the student body keep the union accountable throughout its term, by asking questions, going to council meetings and calling their bluffs on transparency and accountability.

4. Campaigning on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

The candidates love to change their profile pictures to their poster during the campaign period, and that’s fine. They are easy to spot and in terms of recognition, they definitely work. But if candidates want to use their Facebook accounts to campaign, voters should do what everyone does and use their hours on Facebook to “Facestalk” the candidates. As per point 3, they are your potential employees. Potential employers check people’s social media profiles in order to suss out solid candidates. You can do the same! The CSU had a budget of $2 million in 2010-2011, would you hire a party animal to take care of your finances?

 

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CSU slates are not so different

This week will see students at Concordia, or at least a very small percentage of them, vote in the CSU elections. You most likely knew that already, either because you have been informed about them by a bunch of cape-wearing people with a sign they made using 53 glitter-glue sticks, or by the seemingly endless glossy posters that will soon be filling Montreal’s landfills.

This year’s CSU elections are dominated by the hokey-sounding Your Concordia and Action slates. Both slates present themselves as having unique and transformative visions of Concordia’s future. Unfortunately, given that most of their promises are the same, neither is in any way unique, and given that the bulk of their promises do not seem very realistic, it is hard to see how either would be in any way transformative.

The main problem with this CSU election is the lack of choice. Both of the slates that have dominated the seemingly boundless and distracting campaigning process promise roughly the same things: to fight tuition increases, to extend shuttle bus service in some way, to work towards a bottled water free campus, to take back “student space,” and to be more financially transparent. In that these are the core promises of both groups, it is hard to understand why one would bother voting for one rather than the other, or why they are even running against each other.

While the similarity of the two slates’ promises certainly removes any option of choice for voters in the CSU election, the promises themselves are problematic as well. The main problem with both slates’ vows is the claim that they will somehow be able to fight tuition increase while at the same time argue for the provision of more and more costly services, like extended shuttle bus service. Any first-year student at JMSB will tell you that if you’re going to be spending more money, you need more money, not less money. As well, the idea of fighting tuition increases seems even more ridiculous when one considers the fact that in order to maintain the high level of education at Concordia in a time of rising inflation, more money is required. Not to mention, the provincially-mandated tuition increases will still leave Quebec students paying some 30 per cent less than students in the rest of Canada.

Along with their ridiculous ideas regarding fighting tuition increases, it is absurd that they promise to fight for a bottled water free campus at a university that just signed a multi-year contract with a multinational corporation that sells bottled water on campus. Along with that absurdity, it is hard to understand how they will reclaim “student space,” presumably from commercial interests that are as well present on campus as a result of legally-binding contracts.

Faced with an election in which the two dominant slates offer no choice to voters, and in which their core promises are both ridiculous and irresponsible, what is the average Concordia student to do? You could not vote, as most students usually do, but that’s not very effective.

If students at Concordia truly want to protest the lack of both choice and responsible candidates in the CSU election, they should spoil their votes. Spoiling your vote means writing something other than the name of a candidate on the ballot. You can write your own name, write your grandma’s name, or your cat’s name, but just don’t write in the name of one of the official candidates. In doing so, you can protest the lack of choice or responsible candidates in the CSU election while still participating in the electoral process.

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