CSU councillors accused of breaching policy after blocking two fee levies
Art Matters and the Legal Information Clinic say council ignored policy and denied students a vote
Two council votes by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) have sparked debate, after Art Matters and the Legal Information Clinic (LIC) each saw their fee levy increase requests denied before reaching the student ballot, despite both passing internal review.
Art Matters, a student-run arts festival that’s in its 25th year, first saw its request for a two-cent increase blocked at a regular council meeting (RCM) on Oct. 22.
The festival’s general coordinator, Brigid McPhee, returned on Oct. 29 for a special council meeting (SCM) to request reconsideration. McPhee presented documentation spanning from 2002 as proof that the group is complying with its mandate to “build an inclusive community, working within an anti-oppression framework.”
In an interview with The Link following the RCM, McPhee said that Art Matters’ political views and affiliation were repeatedly questioned by self-identifying Zionist council members before the vote.
“I was asked the same question a number of times,” McPhee said, “and it felt like they were looking for an answer, or they were looking for us to endorse Zionism, which we do not.”
McPhee expressed frustration that a Fine Arts councillor campaigned on improving opportunities for Fine Arts students, then voted against the proposal without explanation.
“Students voted this person in, and now they’re not upholding what they promised to do,” McPhee said.
Councillor Sarah Aspler, the Fine Arts representative who voted against Art Matters’ increase, did not respond to The Link’s request for an interview by publication time.
At the Oct. 29 SCM, 10 councillors (Ashley Steinwald, Anastasia Zorchinsky, Chana Leah Natanblut, Liora Hechel, Sarah Wolman, Diana Levitin, Emilie Alexandre, Orly Wazana, Coby Toledano and Sarah Aspler) voted against Art Matters.
The CSU’s own Legal Information Clinic’s request to increase its levy from $0.31 to $0.61 per credit was also rejected at the SCM.
Walter Chi-Yan Tom, a legal representative from the clinic, said councillors penalized the clinic for offering legal aid to student protesters whose views they disagreed with.
“These councillors blocked the question not because our documents were incomplete, but because they disagreed with the political opinions of some students we helped,” Tom said in an interview. “That is, at the very least, irresponsible, and at the very worst, an abuse of power.”
He said councillors questioned the clinic’s involvement in protests concerning “the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
“None of them had questions about our documents,” Tom said. “Their role is to check whether the question was properly prepared, not to judge our clientele.”
Tom said the clinic serves all students and has provided accompaniment to a range of protests. The clinic handled 311 cases last academic year, a 177 per cent increase since 2021, and now operates with a $39,000 deficit.
Councillors Steinwald, Zorchinsky, Natanblut, Hechel, Wolman, Levitin, Wazana, Toledano and Aspler voted against the LIC levy.
The CSU Policy on Fee Levy Applications states that, when considering a fee levy modification, council should “verify that all of the appropriate documentation has been submitted.” It also must ensure that the group is following “the mandate given to it at the previous referendum” and “whether the proposed question is factual and not prejudicial.”
CSU general coordinator Vanessa Massot said all applications were complete before reaching council.
“I personally reviewed every single fee levy application,” Massot said. “I can assure you that every single fee levy that applied had all of their documentation in its entirety.”
McPhee said that the “rigorous” application process cost the festival over $3,000 and took four months of work. This included combing through archives for documentation on things such as board of directors’ meeting minutes, policies and bylaws, as well as hiring a registered accountant for a financial audit.
Massot said that they believe blocking the fee levy vote from reaching students “takes away the opportunity from every other student to express their democratic right.”
“Fee levy votes are one of the most accessible ways for students to practice democracy in student government,” they said. “By blocking a vote before it goes to referendum, councillors are using their privileged position to silence that process.”
Art Matters, as an affiliate of the Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA), supports the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) policy that FASA adopted last year, McPhee said.
During the SCM, councillor Wazana said that she personally voted against Art Matters’ increase due to political disagreement with BDS.
Councillor Steinwald also criticized the concerns raised at the SCM, saying, “It’s not so much a democracy if we all have to say yes.”
Both Art Matters and the LIC say they are working together to file a formal complaint to the CSU Judicial Board, alleging that councillors ignored procedure. If it finds that bylaws were breached, the Judicial Board can declare votes invalid or order council to revisit its decision.
“We just want to hold them as accountable as possible and ensure that they're making decisions based on the best interests of students,” McPhee said.
With files from Maria Cholakova.
This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 5, published November 4, 2025.
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