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Space Concordia fee-levy request denied

Space Concordia president Mark Snidal argued his group should receive a fee-levy during a CSU special council meeting on March 5. Photo by Étienne Lajoie

Space Concordia president Mark Snidal argued his group should receive a fee-levy during a CSU special council meeting on March 5. Photo by Étienne Lajoie

Group seeks approval to ask students for $0,16 per credit fee-levy; complaint policy questioned

Space Concordia president Mark Snidal went to the March 5 Concordia Student Union (CSU) special council meeting hoping council would approve asking the student body if they would accept a $0.16 per credit fee-levy for his organization, effective Summer 2018.

“Over time, our scope has expanded […] more recently we’ve started including projects from students outside the scope of engineering,” said Snidal when asked why he believed Space Concordia should be receiving money from Concordia’s student body through a fee-levy.

In addition to their skepticism about Space Concordia’s benefit to the entire student body—and, therefore, whether it merited a fee-levy—the union called into question the functioning of the organization’s proposed complaint policy, which would be implemented along with a fee-levy.

Snidal explained that a permanent committee for dispute resolutions would be formed in order to address complaints made by members “arising out of or related to the Constitution, or out of any aspect of the operations of the Association,” the constitution reads.

The committee, Snidal suggested, would be chaired by a Space Concordia executive. It would also consist of a temporarily appointed member from Space Concordia, as well as a member of the CSU council and two students at large.

Certain council members pointed out that a conflict of interest may arise if the organization names its own chair, and council member Rowan Gaudet said he’d never seen the CSU appoint someone to sit on a complaints board for a fee-levy group.

“I think that’s not really our place […] that’s not something the CSU is responsible for, and also the CSU can’t promise it will go well,” Gaudet said.

“I think it’s really important that the complaint process is done in a way that the people coming forward feel comfortable and safe, and not necessarily that they are going to be outed by a committee right away when the committee is being chosen,” added Sophie Hough-Martin, a council member who sits on the student union’s policy committee. Hough-

Martin also recommended the group include consent and sensitivity training for its members.

According to CSU council member Aliénor Lougerstay—who also works as Space Concordia’s vice-president for marketing—the organization only recently received feedback from the union about their constitution, which includes the complaint policy, despite having submitted the proposed constitution to the CSU policy committee in December.

Lougerstay said the original proposal for the committee for dispute resolutions was that it be internal. However, the CSU policy committee noted that, since a person might file a complaint against the Space Concordia executive body, it couldn’t be internal.

“We tried to figure out something, so that’s how we came up with the idea [of having a CSU member on the committee.],” Lougerstay said.

In the end, the CSU council voted in favour of referring Space Concordia’s fee-levy request—including the complaint policy—back to the student union policy committee for review.

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU wants student input on policy changes

CSU’s student congress to gather information about potential sexual misconduct policy changes

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) will be hosting a student congress on Feb. 28 to collect ideas for policy changes to improve the way sexual misconduct on campus is dealt with. This comes after the university announced it would be creating a Sexual Violence and Misconduct Task Force in response to several sexual misconduct allegations made against professors in the English department.

The purpose of the congress is to gather information directly from students. Leyla Sutherland, the CSU’s student life coordinator, said her goal is to “present some implementable policy changes at congress” so students can voice their opinions and the CSU can adapt their proposal accordingly. “Then, [we’ll] sit back down with the administration and say, ‘Not only do we want to see these changes, but the student body at large does too,’” Sutherland said.

On Feb. 2, Concordia’s provost and vice-president of academic affairs, Graham Carr, announced the university would allow the CSU to select the undergraduate students who would be part of the task force. This complied with only one of several requests made by the student union at a press conference on Feb. 1 to address concerns about the task force member selection process. Since then, Sutherland said interactions between the union and the university have been “tense.”

The CSU learned on Feb. 7 that Concordia would not be handing over any task force member applications submitted to the university by students before the CSU was given nomination responsibility. Without those applications, the CSU fears students who wanted to have their voices heard would miss out on the opportunity.

Initially, Concordia University spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr told The Concordian the applications could not be handed over to the CSU due to security and confidentiality issues, because “some of the information in the applications is sensitive.” Nonetheless, on Feb. 12, the university provided the CSU with the names of the students, but not the applications, of those who had applied so the union could consider them for nomination.

Veronika Rydzewski, the CSU’s internal affairs coordinator and a member of the task force appointment committee, estimates they have received about 10 to 15 applications from students so far. She said the committee receives a few applications every day, and applications will continue to be accepted until Feb. 16. According to Rydzewski, the CSU will announce their nominees for the task force on Feb. 22.

According to Sutherland, the university told the CSU they did not want a student on the selection committee with “politics to represent.” Although the CSU could nominate someone involved in student politics, Sutherland said that is not a priority. However, she admitted that “having a person on the committee with some familiarity with the structures of the university and the CSU” would be beneficial to the process. Among the student union’s concerns with Concordia’s initial decision to select the undergraduate task force members was that the university could potentially pick students who “wouldn’t question the structures already in place,” Sutherland said.

When deciding what values should guide the congress, the CSU consulted the national action plan put together by the student initiative Our Turn and released in October 2017. This plan offers recommendations for policy changes and specific actions that universities can use as a guide to prevent and deal with sexual violence on campus. According to Sutherland, the CSU attempted to bring these recommendations to the school’s attention back in November, with little luck.

“Unfortunately, the administration didn’t meet with us for several months. They kept rescheduling our meeting, and by the time they met with us, it was after the allegations had come out,” she said, adding that the meeting only lasted about 30 minutes, and the recommendations didn’t seem to be a high priority for the university. “We will continue to advocate for a lot of the changes that are proposed within the Our Turn plan,” Sutherland said.

Sutherland said she believes the difference between the congress and the task force comes down to approaching the issue with “a different lens.” The congress will be more of an open-floor discussion, Sutherland said, where there will be no restrictions on who can provide input or ideas.

“In the same way that the task force was struck in response to the allegations, […] this congress is in response to what is going on,” Sutherland said. “But it’s not a case of checking a box. It’s to open a wider discussion that could lead to a number of different policy changes and actions.”

In terms of specific policy changes that will come from the task force, Barr said “it is too early to determine how the task force will function or how their findings will be implemented.” The university has stated the task force will release their findings sometime this spring.

According to Sutherland, the CSU’s ideal outcome for the congress would be to allow students who are interested in getting involved the chance to connect. “What we want to talk about at congress would be, not only what we want to see in the next few weeks and months, but what we want to see in the next few years,” Sutherland said.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU handed task force recruitment

Concordia’s decision fulfills only one of the union’s requests for more transparency

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) will take over the process of recruiting undergraduate students for the new university task force on sexual misconduct and sexual violence, announced Graham Carr, the university’s provost and vice-president of academic affairs, on Feb. 2.

This decision comes one day after the student union held a press conference outlining their opposition to multiple procedures regarding the nomination process for the two undergraduate spots available on the task force.

The controversy began on Jan. 26, when Concordia president Alan Shepard released a statement outlining steps the university would be taking in the wake of allegations of sexual violence and misconduct against multiple faculty members in the creative writing program.

One of the steps was the creation of a task force that would review current policies and processes, as well as Bill 151, a piece of Quebec legislation requiring universities to take certain steps to address and prevent sexual violence.

It was later announced that four students (two graduate and two undergraduate) would be appointed to the task force. Despite claiming the university was looking for “a diverse group from across the university,” the call for applications specified that undergraduate applicants must have completed at least 30 credits and be in “good academic standing.”

On Feb. 1, the CSU held a press conference in their office on the seventh floor of the Hall building. During the conference, CSU student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland read from the union’s press release, claiming the task force procedures violated Quebec law by recruiting undergraduate students without the CSU’s involvement. She cited the “Act respecting the accreditation and financing of students’ associations,” a piece of provincial legislation that specifies student associations, such as the CSU, “may, alone, appoint students who […] are called upon to sit or participate as student representatives on various councils, committees or other bodies in the institution.”

“Beyond the cited legal concerns, this indifference in proper student representation shown by the university goes against both the spirit and letter of Bill 151,” said Sutherland. “It is imperative for students, and only students, to have a say as to who represents them.”

The press release also outlined a number of requests, including doubling the number of undergraduate students on the task force and ensuring representation from all faculties. Another request also asked that the requirement of good academic standing be removed.

Sophia Sahrane, the research and education coordinator for the student advocacy organization Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ), also spoke out against the task force’s academic requirements at the press conference.

“[The academic requirements] demonstrate a deep lack of both understanding and compassion for the reality of living through the trauma of sexual assault and having to become a survivor,” Sahrane said. “How do you maintain a good academic standing when you have just been sexually assaulted? When you have had your agency taken away from you […] when your abuser is your professor?”

Also present at the press conference was Caitlin Salvino, the chair of the Our Turn committee, a student-led initiative aimed at ending campus sexual violence. Salvino claimed it is not uncommon for universities to exclude student unions and the students they represent when addressing sexual violence.

“Students and student unions across the country have been locked out of task forces, committees and being able to advocate for policies that are actually survivor-centric,” Salvino said.

On Feb. 2, another email related to the task force was circulated to all students. In this email, Carr wrote that the university had decided to allow the CSU to oversee the recruitment process of undergraduate task force members. The same day, university spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr told The Concordian the university would accede to the CSU executive request “because [its] overriding goal is to finalize, as soon as possible, the membership of the task force so it can begin to work.”

Sutherland pointed out that, while the university’s quick response to co-operate is a positive sign, the university has not met the union’s additional demands.

“We are very glad that the university is handing this process over to us as we have been requesting,” Sutherland said. “It is absolutely essential that student representatives be chosen by students and not by the administration, which presents a clear conflict of interest […] We will continue to advocate for four undergraduate students and the removal of the good academic standing criteria.”

 

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU housing co-operative may fail

The construction of the Concordia Student Union’s cooperative housing on Papineau Avenue may fail due to unforeseen costs. Photo by Alex Hutchins

Council also announces delays for new website and long-awaited daycare centre

The construction of a student housing co-operative may fail due to unforeseen costs, announced the Concordia Student Union (CSU) in its annual mid-mandate report presented at a regular council meeting on Jan. 24. The CSU also reported that its long-awaited daycare centre and website are behind schedule.

Housing co-op permit woes

Construction of the student housing building on Papineau Avenue, across the street from Lafontaine Park, was supposed to begin this year. However, the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough has not approved the project because it wants the co-operative to have a brick facade, said CSU general coordinator Omar Riaz at the meeting. Adding the facade would increase the cost of the building by about $200,000, which could jeopardize the entire project.

“Initially, when we made the proposal for a permit from the city, they said that if we didn’t have a facade of brick, that would be okay,” Riaz said. “Now that we’re in the final stages to approve the permit, they’re saying that it’s not okay.”

“Right now, we don’t have room for the $200,000,” he added.

According to Michel Tanguay, the communications director for the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, the borough is asking the CSU to simplify their building concept.

“The borough approved the project in 2017. But the architecture has to be revised before the permit is delivered,” he told The Concordian.

In the April 2015 CSU referendum, students voted in favour of allocating $1.85 million from the Student Space Accessible Education Legal Contingency Fund to finance the creation of the housing project. That money finances approximately 13 per cent of the total cost of the $14-million initiative. Funding for the co-operative also comes from government bodies, like the city of Montreal and the Chantier de l’économie sociale.

Daycare centre and website delays

The CSU’s daycare project, which was set to open its doors on Concordia’s downtown campus in March, has been delayed because of new legislation issued by the Quebec government that requires all daycare projects approved after June 2017 to be re-submitted for approval.

“The good news in all of this is that the construction [of the daycare] is still on time,” Riaz told The Concordian. “All we’re waiting for is the permit.”

The student union has not set a new date for when the daycare will open.

Riaz was also questioned by council members about the launch of the CSU’s new website, which was initially supposed to launch in August 2017. In its mid-mandate report, the CSU announced the website would likely launch by mid-February. Councillors questioned Riaz and asked him to present a full report on the project, including costs and the reasons for the lengthy delay.

“The website is not a small project,” Riaz told The Concordian. “We’re trying to get something that’s functional and has information from all parts of the CSU.”

Tax clinic funding

The CSU voted in favour of funding the John Molson Accounting Society’s (JMAS) annual tax clinic. The clinic, which offers free tax preparation services to Concordia students and eligible Montrealers (people who make $25,000 or less annually), is in its third year. According to the clinic’s organizers, it costs between $30 and $50 to file taxes with a professional firm, so they hope more Concordia students take advantage of the free service.

Last year, the clinic was offered the weekend of March 25, just over a month before tax returns were due. JMAS has yet to announce a date for the 2018 clinic.

Photo by Alex Hutchins

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU finance coordinator resigns

CSU finance coordinator Soulaymane El Alaoui resigned on Nov. 22 citing personal reasons. Photo by Kirubel Mehari

Soulaymane El Alaoui is cited personal reasons; fourth finance coordinator to resign in last three years

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) finance coordinator made his way to the ninth floor of the John Molson School of Business on Nov. 22, asked for the attention of the students on council and then read a message aloud:

“My resignation is effective immediately. It was a pleasure to work alongside you all, and I will be available once my replacement is chosen to help him transition into the role. Thank you for your support. Best regards, Soulaymane El Alaoui.”

He then walked out of the room. El Alaoui cited personal reasons as the cause of his resignation. El Alaoui told The Concordian he made the decision “a couple days ago.” Internal affairs coordinator Veronika Rydzewski has been named interim finance coordinator.

El Alaoui was elected as the finance coordinator in March. He is the fourth CSU finance coordinator to leave the position in the last two years. In March 2016, Anas Bouslikhane resigned from the position before finishing his mandate. His replacement, Adrian Longinotti, was asked to resign by the CSU after the executive body deemed him unfit to act as a representative of the student union.

In November 2016, Longinotti was replaced by Thomas David-Bashore, who was the finance coordinator from December 2016 until the following CSU election in March, when El Alaoui was elected.

Rydzewski said El Alaoui did not warn the CSU’s executive team that he would be resigning.

Rydzewski, who as the internal affairs coordinator is responsible for supporting clubs, often communicated with El Alaoui regarding club budgets.

“A large portion of the cheques that the CSU processes weekly are from CSU clubs,” she explained. “My role as interim finance coordinator will be to make sure that cheques are processed in a timely manner.”

According to Rydzewski, there will be a general call out for students to apply for the finance coordinator position. Councillors will also be able to apply. The CSU’s appointments committee will then “collect the applications and only filter out applications that do not meet the most basic requirement, i.e. be a registered Concordia undergraduate student,” Rydzewski wrote in an email to The Concordian.

The appointments committees will forward all the remaining applications to the CSU council for further deliberation, she added.

Apology letter rejected

A letter of apology written by CSU general coordinator Omar Riaz and submitted to council was rejected by an eight-to-five vote, with one abstention, during the council meeting.

The request for the letter, as well as the repayment of two plane tickets, were sanctions decided by the council on Sept. 20, after learning that Riaz and El Alaoui accepted plane tickets from Alliance pour la Santé Étudiante au Québec (ASEQ) CEO Lev Bukhman.

Riaz and El Alaoui used the tickets to fly to Vancouver in August for the Student Union Development Summit (SUDS).

John Molson School of Business councillor Rory James described the letter as “frankly quite insulting to council.”

“There’s no contrition, there’s no apology, no acceptance of what actions were wrong,” James said.

In his letter, Riaz wrote: “I did not deem this sponsorship as a personal gratuity or intend to benefit from it. Instead, I considered it as a cost-saving measure for the CSU.”

The first draft of the letter had to be submitted on Nov. 22, to be reviewed before being submitted to the student body. Due to the rejection, Riaz must resubmit a revised version of the apology letter.

Photo by Kirubel Mehari

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU finance coordinator resigns for personal reasons

Archive photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

Soulaymane El Alaoui fourth finance coordinator to leave position in less than two years

The Concordia Student Union finance coordinator arrived on the packed ninth floor of the John Molson School of Business on Nov. 22.  He asked for the attention of the students on council and then read a message aloud:

“My resignation is effective immediately. It was a pleasure to work alongside you all, and I will be available once my replacement is chosen to help him transition into the role. Thank you for your support. Best regards, Soulaymane El Alaoui.”

He then walked out of the room. El Alaoui cited personal reasons as the cause of his resignation. El Alaoui told The Concordian he made the decision “a couple days ago.” Internal affairs coordinator Veronika Rydzewski has been named interim finance coordinator.

El Alaoui was elected as the finance coordinator in March 2017. He is the fourth CSU finance coordinator to leave the position in less than two years. In March 2016, Anas Bouslikhane resigned from the position before finishing his mandate. His replacement, Adrian Longinotti, was asked to resign by the CSU after the executive body deemed him unfit to act as a representative of the student union.

In November 2016, Longinotti was replaced by Thomas David-Bashore, who was the finance coordinator from December 2016 until the following CSU election in March when El Alaoui was elected.

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News

Concordia Food Coalition pushing for fee levy increase

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin

Concordia Food Coalition seeks to make food services financially sustainable, student-run

In May 2015, Concordia University awarded Aramark Corporation the school’s food services contract, which made the company the main provider of food services on campus.

Aramark was brought on with the promise of providing more vegan and fair-trade options over five years, with the option for Concordia to renew that contract for two separate one-year extensions.

Despite three years remaining to that initial contract, the Concordia Food Coalition (CFC) is already preparing to make a bid for the contract when it expires in 2020. The CFC is a branch of the Concordia Student Union (CSU) whose mission is to “facilitate a transition to a more sustainable food system in collaboration with organizations at Concordia,” according to their website.

At the moment, the organization is campaigning to increase their fee levy from $0.08 to $0.16 per student per credit, which would more than double their annual revenue, from $55,300 to $117,263. If enough students vote in favour of the increase, it would take effect at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year.

“The end goal of the CFC is to take over the food system at Concordia and implement student-run, sustainable, healthy [food] options,” said CSU councillor Rowan Gaudet, who is acting as the CFC’s campaign manager. “The increase in fee levy is just one of the steps towards that. […] The fees just get us more resources.”

In addition to making more of the university’s food systems student-run, the CFC wants to eventually wean some of the larger food services off of school funds and make them financially sustainable, according to Gaudet.

Gaudet and CFC volunteer Samuel Oslund both cited the Hive Cafes and the Concordia farmer’s market as examples of what student-run, financially sustainable food services on campus would look like. The Hive used to be a working group within the CFC but has since “graduated,” Gaudet explained. Initiatives such as the farmer’s market that “graduate” and become financially sustainable are still run by the CFC, he added. However, they no longer depend on funding from the university.

According to the CFC’s proposed 2018 budget plan, which is based on a successful fee levy increase, the additional capital would result in an increase in the organization’s payroll expenses from $31,200 to $76,843. The CFC will add a paid Concordia farmer’s market coordinator position as well as develop an employee health insurance plan. The fee levy would allow for the external and internal coordinators to increase their hours from 15 to 25 hours a week.

Oslund further discussed the CFC’s goal to provide students with locally grown, organic food at a more affordable price and focus on making healthy food options more accessible to students.

“The CFC is formed as the backbone of the food movement here at Concordia. It’s the behind-the-scenes push for a lot of the student-led food movements,” Gaudet said. “Voting for the CFC fee levy increase is voting for student-led food.” All undergraduate students are eligible to vote.

The budget the CFC has provided also includes a plan to decrease the organization’s deficit from $31,912 to $3,174 by the end of 2018. Without the potential increase in funds from the fee levy, the CFC’s deficit is projected to be $24,099.

Out of the $117,263 the CFC would receive in the event of the fee levy increase, they have budgeted $10,800 for project expenses in 2018, which would be a decrease from the $15,425 the group budgeted for 2017. This decrease will take effect even if the fee levy increase isn’t approved, and can be partially attributed to the fact that returning groups will receive a maximum of $1,000 from the CFC next year. In addition, the Hudson Community Farms will not be reapplying for their $3,500 in funding next year.

Students can vote on the CFC fee levy increase during the CSU by-elections on Nov. 28, 29 and 30.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin

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Concordia Student Union Opinions

Supporting the CSU’s call to end student exploitation

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

School can only teach you so much. This is what makes internships so valuable. They are an opportunity to get real-world, first-hand experience in your field before entering the job market. But as some posters displayed around campus assert: “Exposure” doesn’t pay the bills.

These posters are part of the 2017-2018 Concordia Student Union (CSU) campaign against unpaid internships. According to their website, unpaid internships became popular after the 2008 economic crash. “Unpaid internships, specifically, download the pressure of getting a good education onto the individual while taking that pressure off of the government and the employer,” the CSU’s campaign pamphlet reads.

While some students may have the financial capability to take on this pressure, many students simply can’t afford to dedicate time to a job that doesn’t pay. According to a 2013 Statistics Canada survey, 52 per cent of students between the ages of 20 and 24 relied on employment to fund their education. Other students may need an income to pay for rent, to buy food or to support their children. For many students, earning money is a necessity while in school, and juggling a full course load, a part-time job and an internship simply isn’t possible.

It might come as surprising to some of you, but unpaid internships are actually illegal in Quebec. However, there are three exceptions listed in Quebec’s Act Respecting Labour Standards. Internships that are either part of a program provided by an approved educational institution, completed at a non-profit organization with community purposes or part of a vocational training program are not required to be paid in Quebec.

That first exception is of particular significance to Concordia students. While internships for credit can be an exciting way to learn outside of the conventional classroom setting, there is debate over whether the value of that experience merits students giving away their labour for free.

Among the CSU’s calls to action for the provincial government is the need to create standardized criteria for internships. We at The Concordian support this initiative. In a perfect world, all internships would be paid. But if students are going to be working for free, the government needs to ensure that the line has clearly been drawn between what constitutes a valuable learning experience and what is simply student exploitation.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth 

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU councillor flags potential conflict of interest

The CSU housing project was among the topics discussed at the Nov. 8 council meeting. Photo by Valeria Cori-Manocchio

Council hears update on the union’s housing project; execs to pay union $840 for SUDS

Concordia Student Union (CSU) general coordinator Omar Riaz and finance coordinator Soulaymane El Alaoui will each pay approximately $840 to the union after accepting plane tickets from the CSU’s insurance provider, Alliance pour la Santé Étudiante au Québec (ASEQ), without disclosing the tickets in their executive report on the Student Union Development Summit (SUDS) conference in Vancouver last August.

“Omar and I will each be writing a cheque to the CSU for that amount before the council in December,” said El Alaoui at the CSU meeting on Nov. 8.

As The Concordian reported in September, council motioned that Riaz and El Alaoui had until Dec. 19 to individually pay the CSU the cost of the flight and a meal in Vancouver, as well as issue an apology.

John Molson School of Business councillor Rory James asked that the apology be submitted two to three weeks before the council meeting on Dec. 22, so that councillors could provide their input. El Alaoui said a first draft of the apology would be submitted by Nov. 22 for council members to discuss before publicly releasing the statement.

Potential conflict of interest

James brought up a potential conflict of interest surrounding Riaz and El Alaoui’s role in the Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASA) at the Nov. 8 council meeting. Riaz is a chairperson and El Alaoui is an independent director on the CASA board—neither saw a potential conflict of interest.

“As chair on CASA, I don’t have any voting power. I have no operating role,” Riaz said. “I’ve never expressed my opinion on CASA, I’ve never been part of any decision CASA has taken.”

“CASA and the CSU are not affiliated in any way,” El Alaoui added. “When I’m doing CSU stuff, it has nothing to do with CASA stuff.”

James said he was concerned their positions at CASA could conflict with their ability to make unbiased decisions. “This isn’t to say they’ve broken their conflicts, it’s just to say the potential exists,” he said. The existing CSU regulations that executives follow demand they report conflicts of interest. James’s motion, which passed, requires executives to disclose to the CSU any “decisions or involvement with any corporations on which they sit as a director” in their monthly reports.

Moving forward with CSU housing project

Laurent Levesque, the general coordinator of Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE), presented council and executives with an update about the CSU housing project. The housing project will be located on Papineau Avenue and will offer 150 spots in about 70 units of cooperative housing, costing between $400 to $440 in monthly rent.

According to Levesque, the total cost of the project stands at approximately $14 million. He also confirmed the mortgage insurance certificate was emitted, meaning almost half of the project funding has been confirmed. “Thirteen [million] out of the $14 million of the project costs are confirmed,” he said. “So we are really close to completing the budget.”  Levesque added that the last million is “already in advanced talks” with the last partner to approve the final terms.

“The project has been approved by the borough of Plateau Mont-Royal at the beginning of October,” Levesque said. The current deadline for the project is May 2019, which Levesque pointed out as the “latest time that was allowed in the term sheet.”

James inquired about the project’s risk management plan and budget. Levesque said the scale of the project demands a tight risk-management procedure and the current deadline allows for adjustments if risks or unforeseen factors arise. When councillor James asked: “Why don’t you have a project management professional on staff?” Levesque responded: “The development budget does not allow it […] The truth is everyone [working on the project] is doing risk control.”

Determining the CSU CEO’s pay

Eleven CSU councillors approved a motion to set the union’s CEO pay at a bi-weekly rate of $16.50 per hour and to not exceed $9,000, but not including a bonus for the year.

Thirteen councillors approved the amendment to the previous motion proposed by El Alaoui stating the “finance committee come up with a system to be reviewed by policy committee for implementation and to […] have this same method of payment for the [CSU Deputy Electoral Officer].” Twelve councillors approved the amended motion.

El Alaoui said this would help the finance committee figure out a model policy that the committee could formally implement each year. The total amount that was paid to last year’s CEO was $8,384.28, according to El Alaoui.

Photo by Valeria Cori-Manocchio

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News

ASEQ CEO refutes gift-giving allegation

The Concordia Student Union council passed a motion during the Oct. 25 council meeting to create a working group tasked with researching ways to improve the union’s health and dental plan service. Photo by Kirubel Mehari

Concordia Student Union motions to create a working group to review health and dental plan services

In a letter sent to Concordia Student Union internal affairs coordinator Veronika Rydzewski, Alliance pour la Santé Étudiante au Québec (ASEQ) CEO Lev Bukhman denied allegations that he provided gifts or benefits to CSU general coordinator Omar Riaz and finance coordinator Soulaymane El Alaoui.

Bukhman’s letter comes after Riaz and El Alaoui were issued formal warnings by the CSU on Sept. 20 for accepting plane tickets from ASEQ to Vancouver for the Student Union Development Summit (SUDS) conference held at the University of British Columbia from Aug. 18 to 21.

At the Sept. 20 council meeting, the council decided to designate Rydzewski as the new liaison between the CSU and ASEQ. Bukhman wrote: “At no time did [ASEQ] or its CEO, Lev Bukhman, provide a personal gift or benefit to Omar Riaz and Soulaymane El Alaoui.” Instead, ASEQ’s CEO described the plane tickets as a “sponsorship” that should “in no way be construed as a personal ‘gift.’”

According to Bukhman, “the sponsorship was from [ASEQ] to the CSU as an organization, not any particular individuals.”

Creation of a working group

A working group was created by the CSU to research ways to improve the union’s health and dental plan service. According to El Alaoui, the CSU’s last contract with ASEQ—the union’s healthcare provider—was signed in April 2017 and allows for the creation of a working group.

El Alaoui is one of five CSU executives and councillors in the group, along with Riaz, Rydzewski, councillors Rowan Gaudet and Rory James, and CSU general manager Robert Henri.

Riaz and El Alaoui previously told The Concordian that the idea to bring services in-house came from the SUDS conference where they observed the work of UBC’s Alma Mater Society—the university’s own student union. The Alma Mater Society, which also has a contract with ASEQ, brought its health and dental plan services in-house, meaning UBC students can access ASEQ services on campus.

During the council meeting on Oct. 25, El Alaoui said the union would be able to save more than $100,000 if it brought some of ASEQ’s services in-house. The finance coordinator added that bringing services in-house would create jobs for students.

The working group will not be a decision-making committee. Rather, it will bring recommendations to the CSU council that will be voted on.

Gaudet said it was “very obvious that [the CSU] could provide those services for cheaper.” Riaz explained students often come to the CSU office with questions regarding their health and dental plans, and receptionists have to redirect students to call ASEQ’s operators.

The CSU general coordinator added that all communication between the working group and ASEQ would be done through Rydzewski because of El Alaoui and Riaz’s ban from communicating with ASEQ.

By-elections referendum questions

The council approved the questions for the CSU’s next by-elections, which will run from Nov. 28 to 30.

Two of the questions are related to internships. The first will ask students if they are in favour of removing the requirement that mandatory internships in the departments of applied human sciences, education and art education be unpaid.

Because of the uneven level of support for internships from one department to another, according to the CSU, the second question will ask if students are in favour of “establishing a standardized system and placement protocol for all student internships.”

The CSU will also ask if students would approve of adding four new positions to its position book, including: “that the CSU oppose racism in all forms and rejects all values, structures and behaviours that perpetuate systemic racism.”

The last question will ask students if they are in favour “of Concordia University refusing to enforce” Bill 62. The refusal to enforce the bill would extend to students, staff and faculty who choose to practice their right to religious freedom.

Photo by Kirubel Mehari

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News

Concordia’s standalone sexual violence policy

Concordia Student Union student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland says the university’s policy doesn’t fit the definition of standalone sexual violence policy. Photo by Alex Hutchins

Student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland says current policy doesn’t fit the definition

A collective of students from Carleton University called the National Our Turn Committee published a study on university sexual violence policies across the country on Oct. 11. Our Turn: a National, Student-Led Action Plan to End Campus Sexual Violence ranked the sexual assault policies of 14 Canadian universities on a 100-point scale.

Concordia was the lowest-ranked school on the list, receiving a score of 52, or a D-. One of the reasons the university was deducted points was for not having a standalone policy on sexual violence. University spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr said the university was “surprised by the findings of this particular report,” since Concordia has had a standalone policy since May 2016. This most recent sexual assault policy was based on recommendations made in August 2015 by the Sexual Assault Policy Review Working Group, chaired by deputy provost Lisa Ostiguy.

However, Concordia Student Union (CSU) student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland, who helped conduct the evaluation, said this policy does not fit Our Turn’s definition of a standalone policy.

“Our Turn’s definition of a standalone policy stipulates that all aspects of the policy, including disciplinary codes and measures, be included in the policy itself,” Sutherland said. “This is both to make the policy more accessible, as it does not redirect students to another document, and because [Concordia’s] Code of Rights and Responsibilities, through which sexual violence complaints are processed at Concordia, is a code that was not created with the intent to cover sexual violence.”

“It is important that the policy and the people reviewing cases pertaining to sexual violence are people who are trained and equipped to manage the sensitive nature of these cases,” she added.

According to Section 5 of Concordia’s sexual assault policy, “Reporting and Discipline,” if an incident falls under the jurisdiction of the university—meaning it happened on university property, during a university event or “in [a] context where activities or events have a real and substantive link to the university”—the incident may be reported to the university rather than to police. Rather than outlining a formal complaint procedure unique to sexual assault cases, the on-campus option redirects the reader to the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which lays out behavioral guidelines for students, staff and faculty, and the process by which all formal complaints are reviewed. This includes the process for submitting a complaint, the selection of a hearing panel and the hearing itself.

For complaints made against a faculty or staff member, “reports and complaints can also be made to the appropriate supervisor, depending on the parties involved”. However, Section 11 of the code states that “nothing in the code shall replace or supersede any complaint, grievance or appeal procedure set out in any collective or employee agreement to which the university is a party,” meaning faculty and staff are subject to whatever disciplinary procedure is laid out in their employee agreement.

Two other schools were penalized in the study for not having a standalone policy: McGill University and the University of Winnipeg. Another three—Dalhousie, the University of Regina and the University of Toronto—were awarded half marks for their standalone policies.

Sutherland confirmed she will be meeting with the administration during the week of Oct. 30 to discuss the outcome of the study.

Photo by Alex Hutchins

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

CSU opposes Bill 62 and intends to take action

Protesters gathered at Snowdon metro on Oct. 22 to protest Bill 62, a provincial religious neutrality law. Photo by Mackenzie Lad

AVEQ condemns religious neutrality law, Concordia admins uncertain of impact on campus

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) condemned Bill 62—a provincial religious neutrality law—in a motion passed at a special council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19. The law—which was approved by Quebec’s National Assembly on Oct. 18—requires people to uncover their face when receiving public services or working in Quebec’s public sector.

The special council meeting was originally called to hire a new CEO, however, the motion to oppose Bill 62 was presented without warning and voted upon by CSU councillors.

“Our official position is we reject [the bill]. We demand the Quebec government change it because it’s unconstitutional,” said Ahmed Badr, the CSU’s external affairs and mobilization coordinator. He said it conflicts with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Section 2a of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that everyone is entitled to fundamental freedom of conscience and religion.

“Normally [at] special council meetings, we don’t pass [a motion] unless we give them a notice beforehand, but we didn’t,” Badr said. However, he said the CSU council was supportive of the motion.

According to Badr, now is time for the union to take action. “We will have a petition and we will write letters to the [members of Parliament] who voted for it,” Badr said. “We need Concordia students to sign these letters, and we will send it to the [MPs] telling them that we denounce [the] new law.”

The letters will begin circulating for students to sign as early as Tuesday, Oct. 24, however, Badr said the petition release date is to be determined.

Over the weekend, Badr presented a motion at the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ) congress for the association to condemn the law.

Following the CSU motion, AVEQ officially opposed the religious neutrality law as well. Sophia Sahrane, the AVEQ coordinator of education and research, said religious neutrality laws infrige on values that AVEQ has endorsed since its establishment. She said the organization takes a feminist, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory position.

Kristen Perry, AVEQ’s coordinator of mobilization and associative development, said the association will be releasing a public statement to announce and clarify their position against Quebec’s new law.

Response from administration

“Bill 62 is such a new law, we don’t even have the final text of the law, and we certainly don’t have any of the government’s requirements yet,” Concordia president Alan Shepard told The Concordian.

The bill applies to provincial public-sector services and provincially funded institutions, such as universities and schools, the CBC reported. According to the same source, Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée advised that amendments be added to include municipalities, metropolitan communities and public transit organizations in the bill.

Shepard said the university has not been provided any guidelines or explanation of how to interpret or implement the law. He said he is not certain if the religious neutrality law affects Concordia.

“I’m in no rush to implement a law in which I have no regulations,” Shepard said. “So for now, it’s completely status quo—as if the law weren’t there.”

“The niqab is the first step. They will [eventually] move onto every other religious symbol,” said Bara Abuhamed, a Concordia industrial engineering student and former Muslim Student Association (MSA) executive. He said Bill 62 is likely the first step of many, and he wants to stop it before it starts.

Abuhamed said the fact that the bill is officially identified as a religious neutrality law is problematic. “It’s clear discrimination and a move against religious freedom,” he said.

“We’ve welcomed women before some other institutions, we’ve welcomed religious minorities—we’ve welcomed everybody,” Shepard said. “And we fully intend to keep welcoming everybody.”

Photo by Mackenzie Lad 

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