resignation – The Concordian

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President Schubert Laforest officially stepped down from the Concordia Student Union citing health reasons Thursday night.

Laforest told The Concordian that due to a case of mononucleosis, he could no longer continue his duties as president of the CSU.

“This is really the only option,” said Laforest. “It’s just irresponsible for me to put myself at risk and put the CSU at risk by staying in that position — I have to put the wellbeing of the CSU before that.”

The executive discussed other options but Laforest said it was ultimately his resignation that would be best for the union and stated that it was the “hardest decision of his life.”

The resignation will be officially effective as of Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. so that Laforest can have the opportunity to tie up some loose ends of unfinished projects such as the ongoing information technology services issues and the search for a new general manager.

A new president will be appointed next Wednesday evening during the CSU’s regular council meeting. The executive agreed that VP internal and clubs Nadine Atallah would be best suited to fulfill the role of president issued in a letter by Laforest.

“I have already begun finalizing all the critical files I have been working on, after which, I hope Nadine Atallah, current VP Clubs and Internal Affairs, will take over my position and all my responsibilities with council’s approval. The team and I are very confident in her abilities to lead the union and to carry on with the team of executives through the remainder of the year,” the letter read.

Bylaw 7.4 states a simply majority from council must appoint a new president from the remaining vice-presidents and that should no vice-presidents take on the role, that a councillor may fulfill the position of president provided a two-thirds majority vote from council.

The executive issued a statement regarding Laforest’s resignation saying they were “saddened” he was leaving the team.

“Obviously, we’re very grateful to Schubert for all he’s done this year, including all the long nights and rough days. Struggling with health issues recently, he’s still stayed strong in his conviction to serving the Concordia Student Union, leading us as a team and helping us individually with our mandates,” the letter read.

The Concordia Student Union is officially looking for a new chief electoral officer following the resignation of Justin Holland early Monday.

Citing personal reasons, Holland will not be taking courses at Concordia University during the winter semester and therefore stepped down from the position with only two months to go before the general elections in March.

In accordance with the CSU’s bylaws, only individuals who are undergraduate students at Concordia are eligible for the posting. Therefore, not taking classes renders Holland ineligible to keep his employment with the CSU as he is no longer qualified for membership under bylaw 3.1.

Holland also clarified that he will finish his CEO report and reimburse by-election candidates for their expenses by Jan. 22 at the latest.

President Schubert Laforest said the departure was announced Monday morning in an email from Holland.

“Being that I will still be in Montreal during this time, and I will be, in a fashion—auditing courses for future reference, I will be making myself available for an orderly handover with my successor,” the email read.

Laforest told The Concordian that he was pleased with Holland’s work thus far.

“He learned quickly and managed a good election and he was always professional,” said Laforest. “It was a loss for us.”

The CSU listed the CEO posting the same day and already started advertising online through social media platforms in order to attract potential applicants. Some of the responsibilities of the CEO include ensuring that elections run independently and fairly, issuing directives on the carrying out of the standing regulations and training election officers.

Laforest said that while the timing is tricky he is “fairly confident” that his team will address the situation responsibly by hiring a new CEO quickly.

In order to be eligible to apply for the posting, applicants must be registered as an undergraduate student for the current semester and must possess a good knowledge of the CSU’s bylaws and standing regulations.