ASFA, a flurry of self-indulgent chaos
After years of burnouts, sexism and hostility, I am stepping back .
In September 2023, on the first day of the fall semester, during my first mandate as academic coordinator of the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA), I opened up a copy of The Link,and was shocked to see a double-page op-ed about an outgoing executive’s harrowing experience at the union.
I was angry. Why would someone who dedicated so much time and effort to the student space air all its dirty laundry?
Two years later, I’ve come to empathize with their attempt to sound the alarm.
Student union spaces are gendered, hostile, and too self-gratifying to ever acknowledge their own failings. These spaces are mostly leftist, and even while we are aligned on the basis of political ideology, it seems as though small disagreements regarding semantics are akin to political treason.
The word “liberal” is thrown around like a four-letter word.
Leftists often subscribe to one of two belief systems. One argues that real change can be enacted through the use of existing institutions, while the other believes that those institutions have to be completely torn down. Finding common ground between these two groups can sometimes feel impossible. As I’ve served as academic coordinator, I’ve been accused of both not acting enough to revolutionize the academic advocacy portfolio and also of doing too much advocacy work.
I’ve often found myself wondering if folks within these spaces hold each other in more contempt than they hold conservatives.
I gave ASFA my absolute all during the tuition hikes mobilization last academic year. For six months, I practically lived on campus while canvassing, organizing protests, postering and attending dozens of meetings a week. It dented my social life, put my GPA in jeopardy and tanked my physical and mental health.
I was eventually faced with a choice: I could either flunk my semester, go into a stress-induced psychosis to continue organizing, or take a step back and get my personal life in order.
It’s evident that the student movement sucks you in, demands your full undivided attention and then spits you out when you aren’t useful anymore. I quickly fell out of the loop after stepping back and was promptly accused of being useless, as I chose to stick to the bounds of my mandate rather than going beyond what I could manage.
Can a space that demands people neglect personal care to be considered a “good-faith” actor genuinely be considered a community?
The Concordia activist space also has yet to reckon with its deeply ingrained sexism. Folks will ask each other for their preferred pronouns, then, in the same breath, make female-presenting folks jump through hoops in order to earn the same respect as their cis-male counterparts. I have seen men in these circles be worshipped for their contributions while they simultaneously foster horridly toxic environments. Meanwhile, others are lambasted for grappling with long-term burnout or not undertaking emotional labour that is not their responsibility. I was once called the “neglectful mother of ASFA” for refusing to continue to mediate a feud between colleagues that had reached an impasse beyond my capacities.
Current organizing is largely inaccessible to the average student. By failing to meet students where they are at, we will never cultivate a stable mobilized base.
This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 12, published April 1, 2025.
