Counter-Productive
Last week’s Concordia Student Union Council meeting was an astonishing display of contempt for student democracy and parliamentary procedure.
All undergraduate students enrolled at Concordia are welcome and are encouraged to attend CSU Council meetings as long as they respect the rules in place and the authority of the Chairperson.
Council voted in favour of going into closed session to discuss the serious allegations put forth by ex-VP Promotions & Sustainability Morgan Pudwell.
The parliamentary procedure of “in camera” closed session meetings should be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.
CSU Councillors take their jobs very seriously and constantly strive to best represent students while respecting the integrity and reputations of others. Do not be fooled by those who would tell you that the last council meeting was a victory for anyone. It was in fact an unfortunate loss for all undergraduate students.Because the Council meeting was adjourned prematurely, we were not given the opportunity to address the allegations of financial mismanagement and barely covered half the points on the agenda.
Both the CSU’s VP Finance and the General Manager had gone to great lengths to prepare a comprehensive presentation of the CSU’s operating budget in order to ensure full financial transparency. Presentations on topics from five days for the Homeless and the CSU Legal Clinic were not given nor were students able to learn the details of the CSU’s pending lawsuit with the Canadian Federation of Students.
Councillors work hard for students and we want you to know that we are always willing to open a dialogue and are always open to constructive criticism. Disrupting Council meetings is ultimately counter-productive and does not accomplish anything meaningful.
We plead with undergraduate students to please respect Roberts Rule of Order in the future and allow us to
have civilized meetings with productive discussions and resolutions.
—Aaron Green,
CSU Councillor
