Ready To Fight: Student Apathy
For the past few months, I have worked relentlessly to create a stronger students’ association for the mathematics and statistics students at Concordia.
In February 2010, I discovered that our association, just like all other departmental associations at Concordia, did not have a legal status. I learned also that a section of Quebec’s civil code (Ch. A-3.01) was devoted entirely to the description of a special legal status, accreditation, which students’ associations may seek in order to safeguard their rights, such as the right to an office and to an assessment. I immediately set out to create an accredited students’ association. With the help of fellow executive members, I created a non-profit organization, wrote its bylaws from scratch and organized a three-day poll to have this organization recognized as the official Math and Stats Students’ Association by the Government. As recently reported by The Link, over 35 per cent of the 562 MASSA members voted in this referendum, 96 per cent of which voted in favor of the association becoming accredited.Unfortunately, our association’s project to become accredited was met with much opposition from some of the ASFA executives, most notably from Alexa Newman, ASFA VP Finance. Newman repeatedly brought the “issue” to ASFA Council in hope that Council would oppose our efforts, which they never did, being instead quite supportive.
At the last Council meeting, she even insinuated that MASSA should be kicked out of ASFA for being accredited, although accreditation is a right. So much for cooperation and solidarity! Newman, who is running with the Action party, has repeatedly demonstrated that she believes that small associations on campus should not benefit from the same rights as larger ones, for example the right to establish a fee levy.
I was recruited by Lex Gill to run as Arts & Science Councilor with Your Concordia because I have proven beyond doubt that I want to empower students through all available means. I have accumulated much expertise on all matters related to student unions and the relevant sections of the law.
I believe that all student associations and clubs, no matter how small, should benefit from the same rights as larger associations. I am thrilled to be working with Your Concordia and I am ready to fight student apathy with all my heart!—Bruno Joyal,
MASSA Founder
This article originally appeared in Volume 31, Issue 28, published March 29, 2011.
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