The Secret CSU

Letters — Published November 15, 2011

Our Chief Electoral Officer Bram Goldstein was fired last Tuesday at no fault of his own. I defended Mr. Goldstein in the Judicial Board hearing where his fate was decided.

President Lex Gill filed the complaint to the Judicial Board, on behalf of the Concordia Student Union.

The CSU’s case was weak and it opens the CSU to litigation, setting a very dangerous precedent (that Gill can fire anyone she wants by questioning the hiring process that she oversees).

The case made no sense, suddenly appearing seven months after Mr. Goldstein was hired, and right before the November byelection. We lost. And Bram was fired.

How come you may ask? Was my respondent’s brief sloppy? Nope. It was almost quoted word for word in the Judicial Board Decision. Did the CSU manage to find some crazy evidence that can prove that the hiring process was faulty? Nope. Not even close.

I watched the video footage multiple times to see where I went wrong. At one point I saw what seemed like collusion between a JB member and the CSU.

Last Wednesday I came to council to bring up my concerns. Council’s response was to go into closed session and mock me.

Council decided to discuss the matter in closed session—while the JB are allowed to stay in closed session, I am not. In the closed session JB Chair Cassie Smith presented personal emails I sent to her, allegedly attacked my character, mocked me and joined the ranks of the councillors in publicly humiliating me and even attempted to pass a motion to call me “the Troll of the CSU.”

I would like to specify that such disrespectful behavior is not the fault of council. Such behavior comes from the top, from the President.

It seems that our president lacks the basic compassion and respect that all the members of our union should share. To mock a member of the union in a closed session meeting without that member present to defend themselves is cowardly, and we deserve a president who is not a coward.

I would also like to mention that not all the people in that closed session shared in the mirth. VP’s Chad Walcott, Morgan Pudwell and Laura Glover all requested that this disrespectful and childish act be stopped immediately, and for that they have my gratitude.

—Tomer Shavit
BFA Computation Arts