CSU approves affinity group policy, club rules update and councillor pay increase at special meeting

Council also reinstated four representatives, amended appointment rules

NewsSamuel Kayll — Published April 29, 2026 0 minutes

Chairperson Asa Kohn called the SCM to order at 3:07 p.m. and called on the policy committee to present its report, which consisted of the meeting’s recommended motions. 

Policy on Community Affinity Groups

The first motion concerned the adoption of a Policy on Community Affinity Groups, which aims to “[establish] a clear and accountable framework for recognizing Community Affinity Groups aligned with CSU positions.” The policy would help define a group’s rights and responsibilities, as well as regulate their access to funding and resources.

Councilor Anastasia Zorchinsky expressed her concerns with the motion’s contents, claiming that it could be exploited to funnel student money towards and lend institutional legitimacy to groups who supposedly support “terrorist violence.” 

She proposed an amendment that would eliminate funding, sponsorship and legitimacy for any groups with ties to Canadian-listed terrorist entities such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

“Supporting them is not protected political speech,” Zorchinsky said. “It is illegal, and it makes every student who simply wants to learn safely feel unsafe on their own campus.”

Community member Drew Sylver argued in support of Zorchinsky, stressing the importance of ensuring that the union remains in line with Canadian law as an independent organization. 

CSU councilor Ali Salman countered by pointing out that the enforcement of Canadian law was a given and did not require a policy amendment for it. 

External and mobilization coordinator Danna Ballantyne expressed worry that the amendment represented an attempt to prevent Palestinian groups from being represented and receiving support from the union. She added that the premise of the amendment was already included in the CSU’s bylaws and code of conduct as well as the positions book. 

“I have a gut feeling that this is going to be weaponized in a way that is not related to actual proof of a group’s affiliation,” Ballantyne said.

The council then moved to a vote, and the motion to add the amendment to the policy failed. The motion to adopt the original policy passed, meaning the council accepted the new rules and regulations.

Ability to Cancel Council Meetings

Another item proposed a motion to allow the cancellation of council meetings in response to bylaws that prevented the rescheduling of two regular council meetings on March 11, during Concordia’s closure in anticipation of an ice storm, and April 8, the second-to-last day of Passover. 

Under the CSU’s bylaws, a councilor that misses three scheduled meetings is deemed to have automatically resigned. The motion also sought to reinstate four councilors—Coby Toledano, Emilie Alexandre, Salma Benani and Chana Leah Natanblut—as representatives after they lost their status.

The changes amended the bylaws to clarify the reinstatement and allowed for future meetings to be cancelled in the case of conflicts. After a vote, the motion passed and the policy was instituted.

Revision to Policy on Clubs

Another motion revolved around the adoption of various revisions to the Policy on Clubs for increased clarity and flexibility. 

Some of the proposed changes included: ensuring a formal mechanism for tracking club membership and streamlining the process of annual registration to reduce delays, defining  academic and fiscal years and defining one type of special club funding for allocation of needs. 

The amended policy was adopted unanimously.

The next item concerned the adoption of a policy amendment to the councillor honorarium. It sought to increase the maximum payment for councilors elected in the March 2025 general elections from $1400 to $1650 and from $1200 to $1450 for councilors elected in the November 2025 byelection.

The proposed amendment  also called to increase honorarium from $800 to $1050 for any representatives elected in the general elections and from $600 to $850 for any representatives elected in the byelections, provided they met the council’s requirements, to be adjusted for inflation. 

The vote, which required a supermajority, passed and the motion was adopted. 

The final motion presented the CSU’s annual general meeting for April 30. The council was adjourned at 4:15 p.m.