Editorial

Dear Concordia

Graphic Paku Daoust-Cloutier

If The Link were to write a Sears-esque Wish Book, this would be it.

Instead of Batman Underoos or iPods that look like authentic jukeboxes, our catalogue is slightly more practical.

All we want for Christmas is the administration, Board of Governors and the Concordia Student Union to follow through on their promises to students. (We also hope that this list is read with the same brand of childlike excitement that is inspired by the actual Wish Book.)

Dear Administration,

There are three things we want from you in 2013:

—Make good on your promise to contact every single Chinese international student that was enrolled in Concordia through the China Recruitment Program—in Mandarin and Cantonese.

When the story of exploitative dealings with a recruiter employed by Concordia and poor treatment in homestays broke, the university was slow to act. Now that a plan has been publicized, it’s time to start dialing.

—Secure contracts with our unions. Give a little as you get deeper into negotiations with the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Union—who earlier this year passed a strike mandate with 95 per cent of members voting in favour of walking off the job if talks break down. The university has historically been terrible with negotiations, with the last CUPFA contract taking seven years to negotiate.

—Evaluate our space needs. The $4.5 million acquisition of the fifth and sixth floors of the Faubourg Building means an expansion for the Webster Library, but exactly how this new space is going to be utilized is still unclear. Collaborate with students, innovate and create a space that students want to be in.

—Take sexual assault victims seriously. Give us the Sexual Assault Centre students have been asking for for over a year. Space, funding and collaboration is fundamental, so work with the CSU and the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy to make it happen.

Dear CSU,

You’ve gone through some growing pains. The general lack of leadership skills from those who have managed to stick around since June has made it damn near impossible to get anything done.
But it’s December, and you have nine new members. Use them to the fullest as you enter the second half of your mandate.

—The ink is still drying on a $97,500 contract with a project management firm to evaluate what undergrads want out of a student centre. You have promised to have results, options and negotiations underway in February 2013. Don’t push deadlines and don’t hand this off as an unfinished project to the incoming CSU in March.

—You need a website that works. A series of technology disasters have rendered csu.qc.ca almost unusable—which is a great disservice to students. Make this a priority.

—Be leaders and act professionally. Council meetings generally stretch needlessly into the wee hours of the morning. The chair and the president need to keep their council in order and learn Robert’s Rules.

No more heavy sighs, wearing your pajamas to meetings and fighting over who gets stuck with the vegetarian pizzas. You’re dealing with $2 million of student money. Act like it.

Dear Board of Governors,

Our list of wishes for you is a lot shorter this year than last—and for that we’re grateful. Transparency, however is much more than just a shiny ideal.
—We need real answers to our questions. While you are infinitely more open than the last board was to being posed questions about the mysterious eConcordia and union negotiations, you’ve yet to give us any real information.

—Let us record your meetings. The arcane ban passed under former Board chair Peter Kruyt needs to be overturned—for very obvious reasons.

Unlike the items on the lists we email to Santa, these requests aren’t gifts. They are needs that are instrumental to the university moving on in a positive direction.