Tag: editorial

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Editorial: Dear students, stop hiding behind Spotted: Concordia

Yes, we’re going there. Someone call the fire department to put out this blaze.

Now we will admit, we do enjoy Spotted: Concordia for their cheeky content. Where else can one find a mixed bag of pathetic romantic posts, an endless supply of memes and, of course, actual concerns from Concordia students?

Recently though, members of the Spotted community have been taking aim at the student press, posting vindictive messages about The Link and our beloved paper, The Concordian. These posts have described our publications as “SJW,” which means Social Justice Warrior—and claimed that we don’t accurately represent the university.

One post even targeted our opinions editor, calling him a “liberal and socialist,” and stated he was reminiscent of “a goddamn buzzfeed article.” Sounds like we’ve got ourselves a troll on our hands.

A screenshot from the Spotted: Concordia Facebook page.

But this is part of the job, and as journalists, we are accustomed to dealing with harsh comments along these lines. Whenever you publish your writing, it’s bound to be criticized to some degree.  

We’ve also seen political critiques from students that claim we are leftist, while others will claim that we’re too right-wing and conservative compared to our counterparts. Most of these comments are coming from individuals who’ve only read one article, or seen a cover or two, because we try to be nonpartisan and present the facts in a professional and journalistic manner as best as we can. We also try to be open to the different views out there. But we clearly can’t please everyone, and that’s okay.

The real problem here is that certain students think our paper is controlled by university bureaucrats that tell us what to write, spewing propaganda on the weekly.

The truth is actually quite the opposite, and while we occasionally communicate with Chris Mota, the director of Communications at Concordia, our news and opinions sections have actually spurred a reaction from the university in the past. Particularly, when we broke the news story regarding the student who filed a human rights complaint against Concordia last month.

It’s also important to add that The Concordian‘s content is made up of student contributors who submit their articles every week. The students come from a variety of academic backgrounds, writing levels and styles. Our editorial staff is also quite diverse, with many individuals on our masthead coming from backgrounds in JMSB, the arts and fine arts, and not solely from the journalism department. This creative and pluralistic environment allows the writers to express their unique and distinct voices.

Our pages are open to everyone from the student population—moreover, we also accept articles from fellow alumni. If you want to write, you can. If you don’t like what you see, you can get in contact with us and write what you think needs to be written. Whether it’s a rebuttal to an opinions piece you disagreed with or a letter to the editor, there are ways to express yourself through The Concordian. We are open to critique, and in fact, encourage it, as we are always looking to better our content. That being said, we are all students collaborating, thus, we are all learning as we go.

It’s way more cowardly to hide behind a computer screen under the guise of Spotted: Concordia—instead, why not contribute to student press and have your voice really heard?

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Editorial: Cut the sucrose and give us the real deal

Fruits are invading Concordia—pear and peach posters hang in the metro, while pineapples are stripping in videos all over social media. One can only hope the fruit flies speed up the decaying process, but there’s no clear end in sight.

In case you have no idea what we’re talking about, Concordia’s Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) recently launched a new awareness campaign regarding the very serious issues of consent and sexual assault. At the heart of the campaign are three videos, each featuring fruits in a variety of potential scenarios.

While we applaud the Sexual Assault Resource Centre for their vital and amazing services they provide to our student population, we can’t hold our tongue here—we don’t appreciate these videos. They trivialize sexual assault, and present the issue in a childish form.

One video features two pears sleeping together in one bed. One pear awakens and starts to engage the other pear intimately to their dismay. The pear susceptible to this incident then rolls away, and a statistic pops up on screen in a pleasant pink hue.

Our own university shouldn’t soften ‘trigger-warning’ subjects, but represent them accurately enough. These videos shouldn’t captivate a seven-year-old.

Most cases of sexual assault on campus occur within the first eight weeks of the semester, according to statistics from SARC. So this video is definitely timely, but are we not able to handle a serious campaign? Shouldn’t real people in real settings be featured when discussing an all too common social issue? As university students, we are on the road to becoming adults—we’re not looking to be babied.

We are not the only ones who have an issue with this video either. Last week, a post appeared on Spotted Concordia slating the videos, saying consent is all about communication, yet the video features no verbal communication whatsoever. Very odd indeed.

While we absolutely need to keep talking about these issues, the university needs to create content to better represent our reality—not some playful animation that belongs in a Saturday morning cartoon.

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Editorial: Enough of this Harambe hysteria

Photo courtesy of Andy Bewer.

This obsession with Harambe, the deceased gorilla, is getting completely out of hand. To be quite frank, people need to end this cultish fixation and move on with their lives.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, Harambe was a silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. Last May, a four-year-old boy fell into Harambe’s enclosure, and zoo officials were forced to kill the gorilla in order to ensure the safety of the child, according to the CBC.

Following the gorilla’s death, the Internet reacted as social media users vented their anger and disbelief over the zoo’s decision to put the animal down. Harambe soon became a pop culture phenomenon on the Internet, with endless memes and references being posted daily.

This phenomenon has now reached a new height, with multiple universities hosting candlelight vigils in honor of the animal. The McGill vigil—which is not officially affiliated with the school—has over 2000 individuals listed as attending on the event’s Facebook page, including many students from Concordia.

The Concordian spoke with Saad Waseem—the organizer of the McGill vigil—who said he conceptualized the event after seeing other universities holding vigils. He also added, “this meme is just another taste of how much power and influence the Internet has.”

The organizers of the event are even selling merchandise, such as t-shirts, sweaters and hoodies. The profits from these sales are reportedly going to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund according to the Facebook event.

But the worst thing here is that nobody seems to actually care about the dead gorilla. The event symbolizes an uninspiring craze, rather than an actual movement or legitimate vigil.

Those attending the event simply want to be a part of this current pop culture phenomenon—they are a part of the clueless flock of sheep being herded towards the cliff. In a year from now, nobody will even remember the ‘vigil’ or the dead gorilla.

Photo courtesy of Andy Bewer.

It would be more inspiring to see students rally together to put pressure on zoos to ensure the safety and wellbeing of animals kept in captivity. Or even denounce the cruel and demeaning concept of zoos, and accept that animals shouldn’t be kept simply for our entertainment.

It would be even more impressive if we used Harambe and his African heritage as a stepping-stone to discuss the issue of ivory trafficking on the African continent, or the fact that tens of thousands of elephants die every year as a result, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Instead of buying into this vapid pop culture garbage, let’s think critically for just one second and stray away from the madding crowd. If Harambe’s death only inspired mock vigils and cheap laughs on Instagram, then the gorilla certainly died in vain.

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Editorial: The Concordian blacklists the despicable MTL Blog

Graphic by Florence Yee

How do we put this nicely?

MTL Blog is essentially a low-grade, local tabloid that uses clickbait tactics to attract readers to their site. There’s no denying their popularity has skyrocketed in the past few years, with more than 200,000 likes on their Facebook page—but their content quality has plummeted just as quickly.  

This past week, the website released two lists featuring the “hottest” women and men at Concordia, using Instagram photos to populate these lists. The stories immediately drew criticism on social media, with multiple users commenting that it was “creepy” and “objectifying.”

The Concordian agrees with these comments, and our staff was shocked that these articles got the greenlight. Why is a local ‘news’ website discussing the physical appearances of our student body? This is an institution of higher learning—our students should be praised for their intelligence or accomplishments, not their physical appeal. The blatant objectification of these men and women feels like a scene straight out of Mean Girls.

Users on social media were also commenting that many of the individuals featured in the two lists reportedly had no idea their photos were being used. The writer never messaged them to ask for their consent, instead, they simply embedded photo posts from the students’ Instagram accounts.

Although not asking to use photos from social media technically doesn’t break any copyright laws, it’s ethically courteous, as a journalist and as a kind human being, to ask permission to use someone’s photo—especially before it’s made visible to thousands of readers. One of our editors briefly interned with one of the ex-writers of MTL Blog last summer, and was disturbed to discover that this is common practice at their headquarters.  

The Concordian is calling upon MTL Blog to consider removing these two articles immediately and to seriously reexamine their publishing guidelines.

We also call upon the student body to fully boycott the website until they have taken down these two stories.

Update: As of Sept. 23, the posts described in this article were removed from MTL Blog.

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Campus rapist released from prison

Last week, 21-year-old Brock Turner, who was found guilty of sexual assault, was released after serving only three months in jail. Turner was convicted last year after he was found assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster in Santa Clara, California, according to the CBC.

The former Stanford University student faced a minimum of two years in prison—with a maximum sentence of 14 years, according to The Huffington Post. He was convicted for six months, and released after three due to good behaviour.

His freedom has sparked outrage across social media, with many expressing their disbelief with Judge Aaron Persky, who granted Turner his freedom.

Turner’s defense relied heavily on the fact that he was a swimmer—a good one, with a bright future ahead of him. The conversation became about Turner and his future, and how the events of that night in Santa Clara would haunt him forever, as if being an athlete somehow diminishes the seriousness of what he did.

This news caused us to spew out our black coffee in disarray here at the offices of The Concordian. How in the world can a person convicted of sexual assault spend just a few weeks in jail? This is absolutely unacceptable, and we believe stricter action needs to be taken when addressing the issue of campus rape and assault.

The issue hits close to home, considering a few individuals on our masthead have experienced some degree of sexual assault. Furthermore, our own university was impacted by the Mei-Ling case that proved Concordia is not immune to campus rape culture. For those unfamiliar with the case, Mei-Ling was a representative of the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA), and discovered messages between two of her colleagues that portrayed her as an inferior sexual object.

The story broke in The Montreal Gazette and spurred a movement to address rape culture on our campus. We like to think that our university is progressive, with a dedicated Sexual Assault Resource Centre and a Centre for Gender Advocacy, but the fact remains that the measures put in place to enact justice on society still aren’t equipped and willing to deal with this.

On a national level, we saw the media circus surrounding the Jian Ghomeshi trial, and how the legal system essentially focused on the women and tore apart their credibility and dignity. Meanwhile Ghomeshi got off scot-free, even though there had been rumors circulating for years that he was a predator, and that journalism students shouldn’t apply for internships with him, according to the Toronto Star.

We call upon the court in Santa Clara, California to reexamine Brock Turner’s case, considering they are allowing a rapist to walk freely once again after just 90 days. We believe Turner deserves more time in prison to set an example that rape and sexual assault has no place on campus, or in our society. He should pay for his crime.

Turner blamed his actions on alcohol. He blamed campus drinking culture. His father wrote a passionate letter claiming that his son shouldn’t have his life ruined because of “20 minutes of action.” What seems to be lacking from this discourse, however, is how the victim felt, and how these “20 minutes” will forever be the worse minutes of her life. Turner served his sentence. A measly 12 weeks, the length of the average internship. His victim will wear the scars of his attack on her soul for the rest of her life. For her, and all those who have been unjustly taken advantage of and treated as objects rather than people, Turner’s sentence serves as a jarring reminder that, at the end of the day, the burden of sexual assault still rests with the assaulted.

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Editorial: Twenty-four years of activism; little change

Missing and murdered aboriginal women cause still prevalent issue in Canada

 

It’s been 24 years since feet first hit the pavement for missing and murdered Aboriginal women. In 1991, the first march took place in Vancouver, calling attention to the epidemic crime against women in Aboriginal communities. They denounced the government’s inaction; the police’s cold shoulder; the RCMP’s deaf ear.

 

They are familiar words.

 

It’s been 24 years. What has changed?

 

In a 2014 RCMP report, the agency conceded that “Aboriginal women are over-represented among Canada’s murdered and missing women” and “that the total number of murdered and missing Aboriginal females exceeds previous public estimates”. The document goes so far as  to look at probable cause: they estimate only one per cent of missing Aboriginal women are runaways. Comparatively, unknown circumstances and foul play represent a 37 and 27 per cent, respectively.

 

In cases officially deemed a homicide, Aboriginal women have been consistent and familiar victims for decades. Over a 32-year period, Aboriginal women represented 55 per cent of all female homicide victims in Saskatchewan. Fourty-nine per cent in Manitoba. Nationally, 16 per cent of all female homicide victims are Aboriginal; but Aboriginal women only account for 4.3 per cent of the female population.

 

24 years. What has changed?

 

Not enough.

 

The fact that this is a topic still worthy of an editorial shows how much we have failed. Decades of marching has offered awareness, but not justice. Authorities offer kind words and inquiries, but not solutions. Aboriginal women continue to be over-represented in crime, and under-represented in policy. They continue to vanish on our highways, in our streets and in their homes.

 

Canada as a country has blocked its ears to Aboriginal plight since its inception. Today, we look back on colonization and residential schools as an evil of the past, as a transgression we have atoned for through kind words and public knowledge. But as long as the voices calling for justice remain marginalized, until our country raises its voice as one community seeking justice, we will be doomed to repeat past mistakes.

 

History repeats—has been repeating—for 24 long, long years: nothing’s changed.

 

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Pennies push the popular vote

Money may buy you votes, but it shouldn’t buy you an election

Buying votes is unacceptable at any level. You’d think it would require tact, or at the very least, deep pockets. But if you’re trying it with a Concordia organization, it might be easier – and cheaper – than you think.

It’s a harsh lesson that Queer Concordia had to learn on Friday, Sept. 26. That evening, QC held their Annual General Meeting, which serves as the electoral debate for the Board of Directors, in addition to the vote and the announcement of the results. At the meeting, one candidate arrived with a group of people, whom he had rallied in an attempt to sway the vote in his favour.

“He had a bunch of friends come in,” explained Caitlin O’Neill, financial co-ordinator for Queer Concordia. “He explicitly was like: ‘I’m bringing my posse’ and ‘look at all the people I brought.’”

O’Neill, who was handing out the ballots at the time, overheard the man encouraging the others to vote along with his choices.

“He filled out his ballot as soon as he got it, before hearing the speeches or anything,” said O’Neill. “He was like: ‘Oh, just copy my ballot’ – I don’t know how many actually did that or not. When I was giving them their ballots, I said, ‘Please wait until after the speeches.’”

When asked, O’Neill estimated that about a dozen people arrived with the candidate – none of whom, including the candidate himself, were Concordia students.

Only constituents of Queer Concordia are eligible to vote in their annual election. All Concordia students are automatically constituents, due to their payment of the fee levy. However, a non-student may also become a constituent for the year by paying the equivalent of the fee levy, which is 60 cents.

“There are certain positions [non-students] can run for if they opt-in to the group,” explained O’Neill. “There are four positions on the board that they are not eligible to run for if they are not a Concordia student.”

However, that leaves the other four positions – half of the board – open to non-Concordia students, including the position the candidate was running for. O’Neill and Samantha Bell-Moar, communicators co-ordinator, both confirmed that the man had never attended a Queer Concordia event prior to the AGM.

The ballots completed by the man’s associates were invalidated, but only by technicality, due to them handing the ballots to a third party, the candidate, instead of to the organizers directly.

Neither O’Neill nor Bell-Moar could confirm that a change of policy would take place following this incident, but agreed it was something they would discuss in the future.

This is the very definition of a close call. If all it takes to win a Concordia organization’s election is 60 cents and a bunch of friends, then there is a critical failure in our system. Elections — even for student organizations — should be based off platform and merit, not pennies and popularity.

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Editorial: Let’s hope students can appreciate, and take care of, history

The Grey Nuns residence is now officially open to students

On Sept. 15, the Grey Nuns residence, Concordia’s newest—yet oldest—building, had its grand opening.

This historical building, which dates back to the 18th century, was originally built as a convent for the Grey Nuns, a religious order founded by Marguerite D’Youville. Concordia University purchased the building back in 2007, and was able to renovate it in order to transform it into a student residence with over 600 dorms and 200 study spaces that the entire university, not just students living there, can use. The building’s beautiful chapel, for example, was converted into study spaces, with high tech tables that have electric outlets.

Concordia, with the help of Quebec’s Ministry of Culture and Communications, did a wonderful job when renovating the building. Renovations cost $15 million. The building was modernized, but still has its original charm—from the moldings to the pews to the beautiful art. The chapel is by far the pièce de résistance, and is reminiscent of an oxford style library. (It is also a little similar to the Dawson College library, located in the former mother house of the Congregation of Notre-Dame.) Modern touches, like brightly coloured ceilings, make the building more youthful.

This project is simply wonderful for students. The building has great amenities, like a self-serve kitchen where students can cook for themselves, rooms with sinks, a huge cafeteria and amazing lounge areas which are equipped with pool tables and flat screen TVs.

There is no denying that students will have a great time in this building. Actually, maybe too great of a time. After all, this is a historical building that should be preserved. Now freshly painted and cleaned, the building is spotless. But will it stay in this state for the long term? Students, especially those living in residence, do not have the best reputation when it comes to taking care of their surroundings, whether that be bars, restaurants or their dorms. They like to party, and controlling that will not be easy.

The study spaces in the building are not at risk here. But what about the rest of the building, especially the lounges and dorm rooms?

There is also the matter of the crypt in the basement, where many sisters are buried. This part of the building is closed off to the public, but students should still remember its presence and respect the sisters that rest there.

The Grey Nuns residence is a beautiful, historical building, and having a dorm in the downtown area was a much-needed investment for the university.  Let’s just hope that the students living there appreciate the historical significance of their new home, and try not to hinder its preservation.

Editorial: Sometimes, picking a side can make things worse

Why the CSU shouldn’t have taken a stance on actions taken in Gaza

In today’s world, everyone has an opinion on social issues, whether they’re taking place here in the city or halfway around the world.

For the past few years, not many issues have garnered as much attention, and debate, as the Gaza conflict. Although Canada is not geographically close to Gaza, cultural ties have made the issue relevant for many Montrealers. In a school as culturally diverse as Concordia, with large quantities of both Jewish and Muslim students, it is understandable that students would simply agree to disagree on the subject.

And yet, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) which represents Concordia’s 46,000 students, and the school’s many cultural groups and clubs, has voted on whether or not they agree with the acts taken up by Israel towards Palestine.

At a CSU special council meeting which took place on July 23, the CSU agreed that they were, “against the disproportionate use of force, the use of chemical weapons, the illegal settlements in Palestine and the blockade on Gaza all caused by the state of Israel.”

Based on the wording used by the CSU,  they probably did not mean to come out as sounding pro-Palestine. They simply stated that they disagreed with many of the things the state of Israel was doing. Still, their motion will inevitably cause members of the student body they represent to be alienated.

This is an opinion that many Concordia students, and many organizations, may not share.

There is therefore a definite discrepancy between what the CSU has stated, and what many students may believe. This should not be the case

We understand that, by taking this stance, the CSU had good intentions. Of course, peace should always be endorsed. But this is not the same. It would be unethical for the CSU to openly endorse a political party, so what makes this any different?

Many may be offended, and, at the end of the day, what will have been accomplished? The CSU cannot possibly have an effect on an issue of this importance. The CSU should consider spending their time in council discussing matters directly pertaining to Concordia students, like their many ongoing projects.

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And so it ends…

Another year has come and gone: a look back at the year that was for Concordia

It’s been eight months; 28 weeks; 196 days, since we published Issue 1 of Volume 31 of The Concordian. In that time Concordia University and its student body have experienced both highs and lows.

The fall semester introduced a brand-new CSU that was quick to prove that it was nothing like the previous year’s CSU.

The 2013-2014 CSU executive started the year off strong with an orientation that went off with very few hitches which pleased many who had been subject to the lackluster orientations of previous years.

They wasted no time in getting down to business, quickly filling vacant council spots and hiring a general manager. VP Finance Scott Carr was keen to get the CSU’s financials in order and council made a point of condemning the previous executives’ abundant spending on their Newtown dinner.

The CSU also earned the approval of students by succeeding in bringing Noam Chomsky to the university.

However, Concordia found itself in some tough negotiations with several unions at the beginning of fall, eventually managing to settle things with most of them before December.

On campus, students were gifted with a sexual assault centre but unfortunately not before a man began bothering women in the Webster library by acting inappropriately.

Initially, campus security neglected to call police to report these incidents, but after student media coverage pointed out the negligence in the university’s stance on dealing with this type of issue, the university decided that protocol would change to make it mandatory for the police to be called every time an incident was reported.

The university also pledged to increase security personnel and begin working on safety and security training programs for students, staff and faculty. As far as The Concordian is aware, there has been no further reported incidents of this nature.

On a lighter note, students and staff began to prepare for the completion of the university’s contract with Chartwell’s by polling Concordia members on what they want from campus food service.

Off campus, emotions boiled when the PQ announced plans for a secular Charter of Values. Protests in support and against the charter raged throughout the fall.

Come the winter semester, Concordia took an official stance against the proposed Charter of Values with the help of President Alan Shephard.

When it came to the school’s infrastructure, it was revealed that the Webster library would be getting a substantial makeover. In sports news, it was announced that former CFL player, Mickey Donovan, would be the next Stingers football coach.

In January, JMSB took home the top prize at the 2014 Jeux de Commerce.

The CSU had an even busier second semester. They hired a marketing intern to determine the best ways to communicate with students and argued over the best way to deal with the soon-to-be-vacant Java U space.

In March, the CSU held a contentious election which saw members of the Community Matters affiliation take all the executive spots. Furthermore, a controversial referendum question regarding whether faculties should be able to vote to opt out of certain fee levies was shot down with 1,526 votes against.

This year’s election also saw Kyle Arseneau, elected representative for the engineering and computer science faculty, disqualified for posting a message on Facebook that was deemed against campaign regulations.

However, members of the Concordia community weren’t done at the polls as a provincial election was called for April 7. Unfortunately many students, staff and faculty who originated from out-of-province were met with resistance as they tried to register to vote.

All-in-all it’s been a long year but not a bad one. We may have pulled a few all nighters and drank a bit too much, but another year has come and gone and now that we’re looking at the finish line, the year doesn’t seem like it was so bad. We might even do this again next year.

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Making the grade for resumes

It’s about more than just your degree, use your time in university wisely

Obtaining a university degree is a huge accomplishment. Not only does it demonstrate that you have met the required learning to be certified as knowledgeable in a particular field but it also demonstrates tenacity, perseverance and dedication.

Unfortunately, a degree will only get you so far in the job market. Employers need employees that have degrees that correspond to their line of work but just because you have the paper doesn’t prove you can do the work.

A degree says things like: I am educated in the field of biology, psychology or English. I can say I know how to do lab work, I know about empathizing with people, I know how to analyze information and create arguments. But these are not the only skills necessary for employment.

Employers need people who can work in a group environment, who can problem solve, who show interest in a variety of different things. If you spend all your time in university doing school work you might have a great GPA, which is good for research jobs, but if you want a job outside of academia, your resume needs to show what you’ve done outside of the classroom.

Concordia provides an abundance of extracurricular activities that will allow you to develop skills and have experiences that will interest employers and make you a more desirable candidate.

Are you majoring in political science? Show how you apply what you learn in class to actual political situations by writing about politics for one of the student papers or participating in student politics like faculty associations or the CSU.

Are you pursuing a degree in marketing? Apply to be an advertising manager for any of the clubs, associations or groups at Concordia and demonstrate your skills by building ad revenue.

Are you working towards a degree in one of the sciences? Why not organize a science fair to demonstrate your work and the work of your peers?

You don’t even have to do things that are directly related to your degree. If you volunteer you demonstrate to an employer that you have compassion, that you have social and interpersonal skills and that you like to get involved. Depending on what kind of volunteering you do you can also demonstrate organizational skills, time management skills, financial skills, leadership abilities; the list is endless.

So while you’re planning out what classes you want to take next year make sure to also plan what you can do outside of class to improve your resume. It’s never too early or too late to start thinking about how you’re going to sell yourself on the job market.

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No classes on April 7 means no excuse not to vote

Students might be missing a day of class but they’re gaining a great opportunity

On April 7, all classes and institutional activities will be canceled as required by the Quebec Election Act. This gives students the chance to familiarize themselves about the candidates and election issues, if they haven’t already, as well as give them no excuse for not voting.

If for some reason students aren’t able to make it back to their riding on April 7 to vote, they can take advantage of the advance polling stations that will be set up in the atrium of the Library building, March 28, April 1 and 2, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m..

In sum, all students who are eligible to vote will have the time and opportunity to do so whether they live in Westmount or Longueuil.

Furthermore, who can be upset with a day off from school? Voting isn’t an all day affair so in fact it’s almost like a three day weekend.

However, it’s important that everyone who can vote, does vote. It is also important that these votes be informed.

Election campaigns are hectic and there is always a flurry of activity and media coverage and it can be difficult to keep up. Still, when it comes to deciding who is going to be your voice in provincial decisions you should know as much as possible about the person and party that your vote is supporting. Therefore take the opportunity of a class-free Monday to read about the candidates in your riding and inform yourself about the parties running.

Full-time workers are granted only three hours to vote, whereas students have an entire day; this is a privilege that should be taken advantage of.

Given the number of people who complain that not enough students come out to vote and because students often complain that the people in power don’t address student needs, students should be especially motivated to make a strong appearance at the polls.

According to an article published by the Montreal Gazette, “Liberals hope to court youth vote,” Feb 23, 2014, barely 40 per cent of voters aged 18-24 voted in the last federal election. This may explain why the federal budget took so little consideration of student needs. If the government doesn’t think young people are interested or will get involved they won’t bother to cater to them.

Now is the chance to prove all the people who believe that young voters are indifferent and can’t be bothered to vote that they are wrong.

There’s no excuse to miss the polls, go out and vote.

More information on Concordia’s polling booths: http://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2014/03/13/quebec-election-studentscanvoteondowntowncampus.html

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