CSU sends all fee levies to ballot, lowers signature requirement for levies
Union directs levy increases, seven new political positions to be voted on by student body
On Feb. 25, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) held a special council meeting (SCM) to approve fee levy applications for the upcoming CSU general elections, approve referendum questions, and vote on several restructuring motions related to the union’s bylaws and policies.
The SCM was held in preparation for the upcoming CSU general elections, for which voting will open on March 16 and end on March 17.
The meeting was once again held only in-person, as has been the procedure following the resignation of the former chairperson in January. Only 14 of the 29 councillors were present at the start of the meeting, with four leaving before the end of the meeting.
Three fee levy increases approved for ballot
Three fee-levy groups ran for the chance to have their budgets increased.
The fee levy committee first vetted the applications before they were voted on at the SCM. In general, if approved, all fee levies are placed on a general elections ballot for the student body to vote on.
Queer Concordia, an on-campus resource centre and safe space for the LGBTQIA2S+ community and allies, and Cure Concordia, a community-driven social justice research centre, both presented to council and got sent to ballot with minimal debate.
The Concordia University recreation and athletics department, which manages a number of the university’s athletic facilities, including Le Gym and the Athletics Complex at the Loyola campus, was the last fee-levy group to present.
Unlike other groups running for a fee levy increase, the recreation and athletics department is not a student group, but rather a unit of the university. This means students cannot opt out of their fee levy, unlike the other fee levies.
The department, while presenting to council, stated that they have a deficit of over $1 million and are seeking a $1.27 fee levy increase, aiming to go from $2.92 per credit per student to $4.19 for three years. The increase will be annually adjusted to the Consumer Price Index of Canada.
The department also receives money from students through the Frais institutionnels obligatoires (FIO). FIOs are mandatory non-tuition charges that cover administrative and student services, adjusted per credit for undergraduate and graduate students.
The presentation received backlash from council, with debate between council and the presenter lasting over 30 minutes.
Several councillors and executives were concerned that students, who already pay for the department with their tuition through the FOI and the department’s fee levy, would be charged again, instead of the university funding its own department.
Leo Litke, the union’s internal affairs coordinator, also pointed out that the CSU’s Positions Book stands against such increases. The book comprises a list of positions voted on by the student body and represents the union’s political opinions and mandates.
Position 1.2.1 states that “the CSU opposes the privatization of the academic sector. The CSU also opposes any increase in tuition fees and obligatory institutional fees (FIOs) for all students, whether Quebec residents, out of province, or international.”
Despite the concerns, councillors voted in favor of the fee levy going to ballot. CSU general coordinator Vanessa Massot said it gives students a say on whether the department should receive an increase.
Fee levy creation made more accessible
Next was a motion to lower the number of signatures required to create a fee levy group from 3,000 to 1,000.
Currently, the union requires 3,000 undergraduate signatures to be collected for a fee levy to be established.
Massot cited the Hive Free Lunch’s recent failure to collect all 3,000 signatures as the reason for the motion. The insufficient signatures prevented the group from appearing on the ballot as a fee levy.
The motion was adopted unanimously.
Seven new CSU positions to reach student ballot
Next was a discussion and vote on seven new positions to be added to the union’s Positions Book if voted in favour by students at the upcoming CSU general elections.
The positions included a stance against the U.S.’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); a position opposing U.S. imperialism; a position on anti-colonial solidarity; a position on intersectional disability justice; a position on sex work; and a position on housing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Minimal debate was held, and all positions passed and were approved to go on the ballot, with the positions on AI and U.S. imperialism receiving slight amendments.
Job description restructuring
Several motions were presented by union executives for the restructuring of executive job descriptions. According to Litke, the union’s descriptions of the executives’ jobs are “lacking.”
A similar motion was also presented by Mia Kennedy, the union’s sustainability coordinator.
All motions related to the restructuring of job descriptions, namely those of the sustainability coordinator, Loyola coordinator and internal affairs coordinator, passed unanimously.
These motions will be voted on by the student body as referenda questions in the upcoming general elections.
Overtime pay
Lastly, Litke requested that he receive temporary overtime pay, stating in his motion that his “portfolio has a disproportionately demanding workload in comparison to other executive and staff positions.”
Though Litke said he couldn’t predict how much overtime pay would be doled out by the union, as the amount of overtime hours varies, the estimate ranges from $150 for five additional hours to $376 for 10 additional hours per week.
The motion passed unanimously.
The council meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m., an hour and 30 minutes after its start.
