Reggie’s to Open by End of Month, Fall Reading Week a Possibility

And More Updates From Your Concordia Student Union

NewsJonathan Caragay-Cook — Published November 16, 2015 | Updated November 16, 2015 at 5:16pm

After previously announcing Reggie’s would open around this week’s start, the Concordia Student Union now expects the university bar to open by the end of the month.

Lori Di Maria, CSU VP Clubs and Academic, broke the news at the council meeting last Wednesday, which also discussed implementing a fall reading week and a post-Orientation breakdown, among other topics.

In addition, three councillors—Hassan Mogharbel, Simon Dansereau, and Melanie Romer—resigned, according to Mat Forget, the Council Chairperson.

Originally, a final inspection of Reggie’s was due Nov. 8 at the latest, which would’ve then seen the opening of the space on the Mezzanine of the Hall-Building a week later. Di Maria said the inspection was rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 16.

She told council there have been 16 student hires as bartenders, dishwashers, cooks, and servers, all of which will receive consent training.

Orientation Surplus

The CSU have $39,327 leftover from this year’s Orientation festivities, according to a report prepared by CSU VP Student Life John Talbot.

Predicted to vary slightly in the year-end budget, the report stated the total Orientation cost was $152,906, as they initially budgeted $192,234 for 21 events over two weeks.

The highest costs came from the second of two concerts, as the CSU estimated $30,000 for artist fees, but even so, they came under budget at $28,181. The musical acts included MSTRKRFT, Dead Horse Beats, UN, and Saxydrum.

The headlining act, MSTRKRFT, asked for more money than what was offered “last minute,” and the CSU obliged due to the time constraints, Talbot said in the report.

He added the turnout for the concert between the four artists wasn’t what they originally hoped for, despite giving away free tickets to encourage attendance. The low attendance was partially because of its week-late timing, Talbot said, which he attributed to POP Montreal booking most venues during the two weeks of Orientation.

For the first concert featuring Modest Mouse, the CSU spent $7,050 to partially fund the event and have lower ticket prices for students, according to Talbot.

Most items or fees on the budget were below expected costs. Notably, the free fanny packs the CSU gave students at Orientation this year totalled $3,449, which Talbot apologized at council for not being hip.

He suggested one week of Orientation next year could be as effective, take much less work, and cost less money.

Fall Reading Week

At the Wednesday session, council passed a motion to have the CSU Policy Committee investigate whether a fall reading week is plausible for Concordia University.

Because of her “fun” title as VP Academic and Advocacy, Marion Miller said many students ask her about having a reading week in addition to the one held in the winter semester.

Most French schools in Quebec have a reading week during the fall semester, according to Miller.

Concordia University President Alan Shepard said he’s in favour of implementing a fall reading week, as it was an initiative his former employers, Ryerson University and Guelph University, introduced during his time at each institution as well.

“What I like about a fall reading week is that it gives everyone a moment to take a deep breath,” he said.

Shepard called university life a “paradox,” as students have time to socialize, but also have a stressful workload. As a graduate student at the University of Virginia, he recalled how his alma mater introduced a fall reading week following a series of “mental health tragedies.”

A potential “wrinkle” to having a week off in the fall would be the number of days of instruction mandated by the university’s Senate, according to Shepard. Scheduling extra days of school may be needed near the holiday break or toward the beginning of the semester, he added.

“There are always compromises and no one is ever happy,” he said.

Solidarity with Unist’ot’en

Right now, the Unist’ot’en Camp is continuing its four years of resistance against gas pipeline companies attempting to trespass on their unsurrendered indigenous land nearby British Columbia.

At council, a motion passed to support their resistance and donate $500 to the camp. Gabriel Velasco, CSU VP External, called the donation a “symbolic act.”

Three pipelines are planned to be constructed over the Unist’ot’en territory, including Chevron’s Pacific Trail Pipeline, TransCanada Coastal Gaslink, and Enbridge’s Northern Gateway. Standoffs between the clan and the RCMP have made international headlines in recent months.

The Unist’ot’en clan from the Wet’suwet’en Nation released a declaration on Aug. 6 stating their right and jurisdiction to the land after encroachment by the Crown, associated industries, and the RCMP.

Aloyse Muller, an Arts and Science Councillor, asked on Wednesday whether $500 was enough of a donation from a multi-million dollar organization like the CSU. Velasco said the money was from their campaigns and mobilization budget line, and that they didn’t want to hinder local campaigns they’re already involved in.

Including this $500 donation, the CSU has spent $2,100 out of the annual budget of $5,000 for campaigns and mobilization, according to Velasco.

In recent times, the CSU used this budget to provide $300 to striking Liberal Arts students for “organizing and mobilizing” purposes, and $1,000 for the Nov. 5 event, “Strike Show.”

The CSU has not made contact with anyone from the camp yet, Velasco added. The motion passed unanimously but had three abstentions.