Tomer Shavit – The Concordian

VP Advocacy Morgan Pudwell was accused of not being a registered student.

The current student status of Concordia Student Union vice-president advocacy Morgan Pudwell was questioned last week, leading to a report issued by Chair Nick Cuillerier. The report stated that two unidentified members of either council, the executive or the judicial board were not registered students according to the Dean of Students’ office, but the names are not being divulged just yet.

“Yes, I am a student,” Pudwell told The Concordian. “I’m not comfortable announcing my class schedule publicly [but] I am taking a class. […] It is disconcerting that Mr. Shavit has taken the personal issues he has with members of our executive to such low levels.”
She went on to say that accessing or claiming to have access to confidential information is a breach of privacy, and should be taken seriously.
“I certainly hope Mr. Shavit recognizes the implications of his behaviour,” she said. “It is shocking and upsetting that students’ rights are being abused in such a manner.”
With regards to not divulging the identities of the two individuals who were not on the office’s list of registered students, Cuillerier indicated there could be a variety of reasons for why they are not. He said both people have been notified and have been asked to apply for temporary CSU membership status until the union’s next regular council meeting on April 11, where Cuillerier said he hopes the two people will elaborate on why they may not have been on the list.
Despite Pudwell’s denial of any claims against her, Shavit maintained that he “got this information from a very credible source within the CSU.”
If Pudwell’s name is released as one of the students not registered on the membership list, she could face legal action, said Shavit.
“If it’s true, the ramifications are very serious because [Pudwell] is not a fee-paying member, so it’s illegal for her to collect a salary,” he said.

With files from Marilla Steuter-Martin.

“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.