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Students to decide whether CSU purchases a student center

The decision to purchase 2045 Bishop St. will appear as a referendum question in the upcoming CSU General Election

The CSU unanimously voted to let students decide whether the union should purchase a building on Bishops street for a new student centre in the upcoming election.

The purpose of this new building is to create a student centre that would include office space for the CSU, as well as a space for other student clubs and fee-levy groups to operate out of. The CSU would also be able to use the space to host their own events.

The price per square foot for the building is $419.31, rendering the 13 thousand square foot building a $5.5 million cost to purchase. The CSU is also exploring the option of adding an additional floor. Since it is not a heritage building, the CSU will have the ability to renovate and make modifications to the building as needed.

The CSU has been exploring the possibility of creating their own student center for some time. Initially, they approached Concordia about renting a space, however, these spaces were deemed to be unaffordable. However, according to CSU President Eduardo Malorni, Concordia will offer financial support in other ways, although those were not specified at the special council meeting held on Feb. 17.

The downtown property is located directly across the street from the Hall Building at 2045 Bishops St. “In terms of location it doesn’t get more ideal than this,” said Malorni.

The prime location is one of the many reasons that Malorni believes now is the right time for the CSU to buy the building.

​”Other reasons why now is a good time is we do have a good surplus in the fund, where we could expense this and not be left completely depleted or be left in a situation where we might not be able to maintain the building for long term.”

Purchase of the building would also give the CSU more independence and control of the events and activities they want to create for students.

“This is a step in the future of the CSU being more independent from the university. Even though Concordia is acquiring buildings, that doesn’t necessarily mean that those buildings are going to be used for student life,” said CSU Councilor Lauren Perozek.

“This building would be under our purview and our control. We could use it for more student life related activities and our contribution to the students.”

Primarily the project will be funded by the Student Space, Accessible Education & Legal Contingency Fund (SSAELC fund) fund. The SSAELC fund was created 20 years ago and in that time has been used for other purposes. Its initial purpose was to be used for the purchase of a property and creation of a student centre. The fund has now accumulated enough capital that this initial goal is possible. The CSU will also pursue other grants to fund the building’s purpose.

The union will have to undergo a hefty due diligence process involving many inspections of the building. Some parts of it will require renovations, but others are usable at this moment. The result of the referendum question as well as the results of the many building inspections will determine if the CSU goes through with the purchase of the building.

“There are spaces that are not in great condition, but it’s in usable condition. So we could definitely use it for a lot of purposes already. Starting from day one that we own it,” said Malorni.

According to Malorni the CSU actually does not need to send this expense to referendum at all, but he believes students should be involved in the decision.

“I personally think that if we’re going to spend such a large amount such as $5.5 million, our decision should be backed up with the students’ consent on this, which is why I want to send it to the referendum.”

Photos provided by Catherine Reynolds

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Students voice evaluation concerns

The incident at senate was discussed during CSU council on Oct. 12. Photo by Florence Yee.

Confusion over whether Graham Carr will not have to undergo a review

Newly-appointed provost, Graham Carr, will not  be receiving a review for his previous position as VP of research and graduate studies as he enters his new role, a move which some students on senate were concerned about.

During a Concordia senate meeting on Oct. 7, former CSU academic and advocacy coordinator Marion Miller asked Concordia president Alan Shepard if an evaluation committee will be struck to review Carr. What Miller didn’t know when she posed the question was that it had already been decided that Carr would not undergo a review for his position as VP of research and graduate studies.

“He didn’t answer my question at all,” said Miller, adding that Shepard briskly stated, “you know the answer to that, Marion.” Miller said she genuinely did not know the answer to the question.

Sofia Sahrane, the CSU academic and advocacy coordinator, also tried to address the issue with her own questions, Miller said. Sahrane already had some insight on the subject, Miller said, including that an evaluation committee had been assembled but Carr would not be evaluated, since his role had just changed.

Miller said Sahrane specifically asked why Carr’s evaluation would not be taking place and how it was possible for a senior administrator to fulfill a top academic position for 10 years without a review.

“I’m not saying that Graham Carr has done some problematic things in the past five years, but I think even for the best of the leaders and management it’s important to still have input and have a review,” Miller told The Concordian.

Concordia University spokesperson Chris Mota clarified that Carr nor anyone in this position would not need to undergo a review, as Carr is starting a brand new position.

Mota said Carr was not reviewed for his position as VP of research and graduate studies because he was leaving that position. “You don’t evaluate someone when they’re leaving, you evaluate them if they want to renew for a second mandate.”

She said the evaluations are either done at the end of the fourth or beginning of the fifth year of the mandate. “Graham chose not to seek renewal, he chose to go for the position of provost,” said Mota. “When you say ‘was there any review for that’ well you can’t review somebody when they’re entering a position, he hasn’t done the position, there’s nothing to evaluate.”

Regardless of Carr’s employment with Concordia since 1983, Mota said he was treated like any hire. She said for any job—he would have undergone a search process to see if he has the qualifications or not. “He earned the job,” she said.

“If he wants a second term as provost at the end of the fourth year or the beginning of the fifth of the current mandate that he’s in, he will be evaluated.” Marion said in regards to Mota’s comments, she wishes there was more input from the Concordia community in the appointing of Carr as provost.

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Gill says petition to impeach her is ‘rife with misinformation’

Source: http://stoplexgill.com
“WHEREAS president Lex Gill orchestrated the illegal dismissal of the Chief Electoral Officer;
WHEREAS in an interview to the Link, president Lex Gill publicly attacked the competency of the ASFA executives of the last 3 years;WHEREAS under Lex Gill’s presidency, there was a record number of councillor resignations”
And the list goes on.
Concordia Student Union president Lex Gill addressed, at last Wednesday’s CSU council meeting, the long list of “whereas” clauses on the recently-launched website, www.stoplexgill.com.
The website was made public on Wednesday, the same day former CSU councillor Tomer Shavit, Arts and Science Federation of Associations president Alex Gordon (ASFA), and Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASA) president Marianna Luciano announced their intent to release a petition that could lead to Gill’s impeachment.
Gill said that the clauses were “rife with conjecture, misinformation, logical fallacies, defamatory statements and straightforward lies…I stand by my team’s work, dedication, leadership and courage, and implore him not to drag the rest of them into his personal problem with me.”
Gill suggested that Shavit wait until March 1, at which time the new CSU bylaws would allow him to collect signatures for a petition that could trigger a general assembly to remove her from office. The current bylaws would require a petition to impeach the entire executive. She even added that if a petition was made and validated according to the rules, she would be happy to call the general meeting, book the room, and move the motion herself. “That is, after all, how democracy works,” she added.
Shavit responded that he would continue with the petition regardless and that he believed that waiting until March would be “counterproductive,” whereas if it is done now, it would be easier for someone else to replace Gill “and to pick up the pieces.”
The creators of the website cite alleged inappropriate behaviour on Gill’s part, a lack of transparency and professionalism, and the “illegal” firing of CSU CEO Bram Goldstein, as their central complaints.
“Lex Gill’s behaviour brought controversy and shame to the CSU,” reads a section of the website.
Website co-founder Shavit said that “discontent with Lex Gill has been going on for a while.”
He said that the website, which contains a number of documents critical of Gill’s actions and those of her executive, was created so information would be accessible. There is also an interactive component in the form of a Facebook page. “Students need to feel like they are being informed,” he said.
As Wednesday’s CSU council meeting heated up, many members of the executive stepped forward to defend Gill, including VP external Chad Walcott, and CSU councillor and student governor Cameron Monagle.
“She [Gill] is doing an excellent job…we do not need controversy and petty insults, we need a stable student body and we need to deal with serious matters,” said Walcott.
Cameron Monagle called Shavit’s allegations unproductive. “We have bigger fish to fry right now,” he said. Monagle proposed a motion that expressed the council’s support for Gill, which was passed unanimously.More updates to come.

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CEO impartiality to go under the microscope

Tomer Shavit at the Nov.1 judicial board hearing. Photo by Navneet Pall

A special Concordia Student Union council meeting has been convened for this Wednesday evening to discuss a motion to overturn the judicial board’s decision dismissing former chief electoral officer Bram Goldstein.

In an email from council chair Nick Cuillerier, members were informed that the special meeting, which will be taking place right in the middle of the CSU byelections, came about after three councillors called for it on Saturday night.

Tomer Shavit at the Nov.1 judicial board hearing. Photo by Navneet Pall

The meeting comes amid accusations from former CSU councillor Tomer Shavit that neither current CEO Ismail Holoubi nor JB chair Ceejay Desfosses are impartial.

Shavit, who ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in last year’s general election with losing slate Action, represented the former CSU council during a recent JB hearing that resulted in the invalidation of the appointment of CEO Bram Goldstein, whose original hiring by last year’s council was deemed to be flawed.

Ultimately, Shavit is hoping for council to overturn the JB’s Goldstein decision, which would require a fourth-fifths majority vote.

”I think this entire thing has been an attempt by [CSU president] Lex Gill to appoint her own CEO,” said Shavit on Friday, referring to Holoubi.

Holoubi ran unsuccessfully for an independent seat on the CSU council in last year’s general election. Shavit had originally accused him of being part of the winning Your Concordia slate, of which Gill was leader, but Holoubi denied it in a statement to council, saying ”I wasn’t affiliated with any slate. I ran independently.” Gill has also denied the accusation.

Holoubi was appointed at a special council meeting on Nov. 2, the day after the JB invalidated Goldstein’s appointment.

Shavit filed his appeal to overturn the JB’s decision on Nov. 11, citing arguments which included criticism of the JB’s fast-track procedure and alleged hostility shown toward him by current JB chair Ceejay Desfosses.

Desfosses assumed her position following the resignation earlier this month of Cassie Smith, who cited a ”toxic environment” as a reason for her departure. Smith was criticized by Shavit for the way she handled the original hearing into Goldstein’s appointment. But it is Desfosses who especially concerns Shavit. He has accused her of being a corrupt official.

”I think that Ceejay was put on the JB by Lex Gill to move decisions in her favour, which is why I don’t have faith in the JB,” said Shavit.

Due to the accusations levelled against her, Desfosses recently emailed CSU council asking for suggestions to deal with Shavit’s appeal. At the council meeting held on Nov. 23, a special council meeting was suggested as one of the routes to take to deal with the JB/CEO matter.

In a statement sent to council and the media on Nov. 27, Desfosses said the JB would deal with Shavit’s appeal, but not with the accusations made by Shavit against her. No date for the appeal was given. The announcement of the special council meeting to discuss overturning the JB’s decision came on the same day as Desfosses’s email.

In an email sent to The Concordian on Nov. 26, Gill responded to Shavit’s accusations by saying they had no basis. With regards to Desfosses in particular, Gill wrote that ”the extent of my communication with Ceejay has basically been sitting near her in a political science class almost a year ago. I don’t think baseless, illogical, politically-motivated attacks are a reason for Ceejay, or anyone, to resign. I’m really disappointed with the way she’s been treated through this process.”

Shavit has accused Gill of being one of the main orchestrators behind the invalidation of Goldstein’s appointment.

”My first and foremost argument is that Lex is trying to make this whole thing seem as if council wanted Bram fired. She brought this to council and said that this was something that needed to be addressed. The idea of council versus Bram is disingenuous,” he said.

When Shavit brought up these same accusations at last Wednesday’s council meeting, councillor Michaela Manson responded that it was indeed council’s decision to refer Goldstein’s appointment to the JB, and not solely Gill’s.

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“Your Montreal” orientation in the works for Concordia

Montreal music mainstays Lunice and hip-hop collective Nomadic Massive are two of the 12 different artists slated to animate the two weeks of fun and mayhem commonly referred to as orientation at Concordia University.

This year’s orientation, comprised of 17 different events over the course of two weeks, will unfold from Sept. 6 to 18. The theme, “Your Montreal,” is a spin-off of the current executive’s slate name “Your Concordia.” According to Laura Glover, VP student life and sustainability, the idea behind it was to “really focus on orienting students to both Concordia and the city of Montreal.”
The CSU sought and booked Montreal artists from a variety of genres, hence Lunice and Nomadic Massive’s inclusion in the final Sept. 15 concert set list.
While both Glover and CSU president Lex Gill declined to reveal the big ticket names for the final concert, Gill did confirm the CSU has been in talks with several Canadian bands and have pending contracts for both the headline and the second headliner, which were not finalized as of press time.
According to Gill, the CSU is in the process of verifying the acts’ Canadian residency. The step is necessary to ensure that the union could maintain their tax-exempt status by ensuring they are not remitting taxes for the bands, explained Gill.
Like last year’s concert, which featured performances from Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist K’naan, Montreal-based Chromeo and Toronto act Keys’n’Krates, the show will be held at the Quad on Concordia’s Loyola campus. For years, the orientation concert was effectively a block party held on Mackay Street near the downtown campus. A noise complaint moved the last fall orientation concert to the Quad, which is private property with no noise restrictions.
“It’s a beautiful space and I think that the concert went really well last year. There was no question it was definitely going to be the Quad all along,” Glover commented.
The predicted expense for Orientation this year is $150,000, less than the $195,000 budgeted for last year’s orientation and well under last year’s final tally of $252,852. Gill added the total cost of the Sept. 15 concert will be slightly over the price tag for K’naan’s performance alone.
“We’ve found that there are many diverse amazing artists that are well known within not only the Montreal community but also nationally recognized and it has fit within our budget,” Glover said.
In partnership with Sustainable Concordia, the CSU’s goal is to produce as little waste as possible during orientation.
“It’s difficult to evaluate the amount of waste that has been caused in the past,” Glover admitted. “I can say though that the process of planning orientation has seriously taken into consideration of logistics of planning low waste […] for example, ensuring that the food that we’re supplying can be handheld food rather than serving food that requires a plate, making sure that mugs are available, reusable plates, etc.”
The second edition of the Sustainable Food Festival will also be featured during Orientation. “[The festival] focuses on hosting local vendors, local restaurants, and local farmers,” Glover explained. 

Look for more Orientation updates both online at www.theconcordian.com and in coming issues of the Concordian.

 

Confirmed Orientation events: 

Tuesday, Sept. 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..: CSU Welcome Meet & Greet
Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:00 a.m.: Faculty Association Day at Loyola Quad (ASFA, FASA, ECA, CASA)
Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m..: Throwies’ Game
Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. : Techno Multimedia/Concert
Thursday, Sept. 8 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Keynote speakers Ilona Dougherty and Lou Piensa
Friday, Sept. 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..: Clubs fair and The Many Tastes of Concordia
Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Photo Scavenger Hunt
Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Loyola Quad: Final concert featuring Nomadic Massive, Lunice
Friday, Sept. 16 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. “IEAC and CISA Athletics Tournament”

 

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