Finally, Your Concordia

Finally, the Concordia Student Union will make democratic, sustainable, accessible and quality education a priority and a possibility—if the Your Concordia slate wins, that is.

Sure, it’s impossible to predict what people will do once in office, especially when both slates voice similar promises. The best one can do is look at what they’ve done in the past.

I’ve been an elected councillor of the Graduate Students’ Association for the past two years. After trying to join efforts of graduates and undergraduates in these years, I literally had to run after CSU executives to fulfill simple promises such as putting up posters for a joint initiative. I’m relieved to see people who don’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk.

I’m not talking about suave walks and smiles to get a vote. I’m talking about candidates like Gonzo Nieto and Lex Gill, who have long been active with Überculture, bringing original projects to Concordia like the Really Really Free Market. I’m talking about Irmak Bahar, Kyle McLoughlin and Laura Beach among the many others who have volunteered time, research and lack of sleep for sustainability and tuition freeze initiatives over more than a year now.

These are movers and shakers, critical thinkers. They have founded groups and been silent leaders against the odds of shyness, apathy and powerful opponents.

Lex Gill carried out much of the work for the IGM and the December 6 bus trip to Quebec, which happened only after she and others pressured the CSU executive to host and fund these initiatives.

But don’t take my word for it—find out for yourself. Go to yourconcordia.ca to see what these folks have already done, with no pay and little credit. See their commitment to transparency through their budget to date.

Through well-researched videos and individual answers to hundreds of questions, see it through their dedication and ability, past and present, to educate students about what the heck the CSU and other bodies on campus do

It’s your chance to consider a slate that wants you to represent yourself through general assemblies and at monthly council meetings, to the Concordia Board of Governors and the Quebec government.

I can say without hesitation these are students who work not for their political careers, but for our individual and collective well being. This simple vote can change education in the years to come, so make it worth your while. Your education is at stake.

—Nadia Hausfather,
PhD Humanities