CSU holds first RCM of the year
Guest speaker presentations dominated the discussion
The Concordia Student Union (CSU) held its first regular council meeting (RCM) of the Fall 2024 semester on Sept. 18.
The RCM officially began at 6:36 p.m. and lasted over three hours. There were 11 points on the agenda, but the majority were pushed to the following meeting due to the length of the guest speaker’s presentations. The council heard four presentations, details of which follow.
Concordia Food Coalition food mobilization campaign
Intern and speaker for the Concordia Food Coalition Mia Kennedy put forth a referendum question to be included in the next CSU by-elections. The question aims to empower the CSU to make three demands of Concordia.
The demands are that the university implement a food policy that centres around social and environmental justice, supports food initiatives that boost community well-being, and abolishes exclusive food contracts with multinationals such as Aramark.
The motion passed unanimously.
Queer Concordia gender-affirming care pilot project
Queer Concordia senior coordinator Jessica Winton presented the group’s pilot project that aims to give Concordia students seeking gender-affirming care access to interest-free loans. The CSU’s current insurance plan covers $5,000 per procedure, has a $10,000 lifetime maximum and has no pay-direct coverage, according to the CSU website.
Winton asked for $100,000 from various committees, including the Mental Health Committee, the BIPOC Committee and the Finance Committee, to be allocated to the loan project.
Speakers from the Community-University Research Exchange and the Centre for Gender Advocacy spoke in favour of the motion.
CSU finance coordinator Souad El Ferjani said that allocating $100,000 to this project would place the CSU’s budget in a bad position. According to CSU general coordinator Kareem Rahaman, groups seeking funding from CSU committees must apply directly to the individual committees. However, Winton said that she had received no response after trying to get in contact with different committees for close to a month.
The proposal was passed to the Finance Committee for further review.
ASFA - Student Spaces fund
Queer Concordia wasn’t the only student organization on campus requesting funds from the CSU. The Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) asked for $35,000 in funds from the Student Space, Accessible Education, and Legal Contingency Fund. The funds would be used for furniture and office upgrades for both ASFA and its member associations.
Councillor Sarah Wolman motioned to request more information from ASFA as well as a budget breakdown on how exactly the student association will spend this money.
The motion passed unanimously.
Studentcare legal essentials service agreement
Former CSU councillor Dave Plant proposed a motion to immediately cancel the Studentcare legal essentials service agreement, an addition to the existing Studentcare coverage that allows students to consult a lawyer and access legal representation.
Plant raised concerns with the contract the union had signed with Studentcare, CSU’s insurance provider. Concerns were mainly regarding the fact that Studentcare can select the law firm that will deliver legal services; Studentcare can become a minority shareholder of the selected law firm; and because Studentcare assumes no responsibility for the quality of the legal essentials programs the law firm provides.
The CSU created a new standing committee to review the Studentcare contract. The committee will be dissolved following the end of the contract review.
