CSU accused of neglecting trans students at AGM

High tensions, long hours and debating marked the meeting

NewsBriefMaria Cholakova — Published May 9, 2025 0 minutes

The meeting, nearly four hours long, happens every year as a way for the union to present its work and finances to the membership.

The meeting, which was originally set to start at 6:30 p.m., started close to 30 minutes late because quorum was not met in time. 

The AGM started with the union’s chief electoral officer, Ekamjot Kaur, who presented the union’s election results from the fall and winter elections. 

The meeting then moved on to the CSU’s executive team report. The 120-page document was presented by each executive member and outlined the team’s achievements throughout their mandate. 

The executive presentations took up over half of the meeting’s time. Afterwards came a question period, which, according to the chairperson during the AGM, was saved for after the presentation to avoid further delays in the meeting. 

Main takeaways from the report

According to CSU financial coordinator Souad El Ferjani, despite concerns over the CSU being in a deficit, the union projects to end the year with a near $300,000 surplus. 

El Ferjani explained that the reasons for the surplus were staff going on leave, external funding, delays in hiring, and the overestimation of expenses. 

El Ferjani also explained her work in the investment transparency committee, which met six times over the winter semester. The committee was formed with the help of the CSU and the Concordia University administration, after students expressed concerns with the university’s transparency regarding its investments. 

El Ferjani said that, despite the university disclosing its investments, there is still work to be done towards transparency.  

Additionally, sustainability coordinator Maria Chitoroaga presented her transitional housing project, a program to help unhoused students and community members transition into housing.

Chitoroaga said that the project has helped 22 people in need and that 18 of them have successfully graduated from the program and moved into permanent housing. 

Post-report Q&A

Following the presentation of the report, the floor was open for questions from the audience. The first question came from CSU councillor Drew Sylver, who questioned why the investment transparency committee wanted the university to divest from weapons manufacturing. 

El Ferjani clarified that the transparency committee was focused on disclosing investments, not divesting from them. She further clarified that students have called for divestment from weapons manufacturers, as they believe universities should not be invested in companies connected to war crimes. 

Afterwards, Winton accused the union of failing to provide better health coverage for trans students.

Winton claimed that the CSU did not reach out to the organization for consultations. 

CSU academic and advocacy coordinator Vanessa Massot acknowledged that the majority of Winton’s concerns boiled down to the union’s negligence. 

“It’s really disappointing that we weren’t able to negotiate better healthcare for trans students,” Massot said. 

Winton also called out executives for not issuing a public statement or acknowledging transphobic comments made during a regular council meeting at the start of the fall semester.

Winton also accused the union of failing to provide adequate help and support following a separate incident where Queer Concordia’s posters were getting torn down and defaced, including some around the CSU’s office.  

In the last 15 minutes of the meeting, Winton addressed four members of the executive team and asked them to denounce transphobic actions at the CSU and the university. 

“It seems like there is no desire to right the wrongs that were made by the CSU,” Winton said. 

Despite high tensions in the room, all four members who were called to denounce transphobia did so individually, on behalf of themselves and the union.