Lakehead SU - Reviewing its membership with CFS

Joey Coleman reports.

Blogroll Added

I just did what I ought to have done months ago - added a blogroll! Thus far, it's kind of small. So if you're a student politician, a student journalist, or are otherwise in any way interested in student unions, post-secondary education, student journalism, etc., and you maintain a blog that touches - if only sometimes - on such subjects, then please email me and I'll you!

Also, in an unrelated matter: I blogged earlier on a press release from Lakehead University and Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU) concerning tuition fee increases at that university. LUSU has since issued a press release with the title "Lakehead University Student Union Stands in Solidarity with the Canadian Federation of Students." Seeking to "clarify" its earlier joint press release, LUSU reaffirmed its "alliance" with the Federation and noted that while they continued to believe that "Lakehead University is doing the best job it can under this difficult provincial regulation," LUSU nonetheless supported the Federation's goals of "lowered tuition fees." This press release also questioned the use of the term "market value" to characterize tuition fees, even though this term was used in their original joint press release.

Tuition Dispute

But this time, the university administration and the students' union are on the same side.

A recent press release from CFS Ontario claimed that a number of universities in Ontario were poised to raise tuition fees well above the 5% limit set by the provincial government in March 2006. Among the universities cited were the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and Lakehead University.

However, in a joint press release issued by the Lakehead University Students' Union (CFS Local 32) and Lakehead University, the Presidents of Lakehead and of it's Students' Union refuted this claim. They said that Lakehead was only planning increases in the range of 3.9% to 4.5%, "well below the 5% average cap established by the McGuinty government." The issue has also come to the attention of the local media.

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UPDATE (2006-07-25): LUSU has since issued a press release with the title "Lakehead University Student Union Stands in Solidarity with the Canadian Federation of Students." Seeking to "clarify" its earlier joint press release, LUSU reaffirmed its "alliance" with the Federation and noted that while they continued to believe that "Lakehead University is doing the best job it can under this difficult provincial regulation," LUSU nonetheless supported the Federation's goals of "lowered tuition fees." This press release also questioned the use of the term "market value" to characterize tuition fees, even though this term was used in their original joint press release.

Takeover? What Takeover?

The Canadian Congress of Student Associations (CCSA) is an interesting bird. For many years, it functioned "in name only." The host student association would have almost total control over the details of the conference itself - the speakers, the workshops, the length of the conference, etc. Due to its ephemeral nature, many student associations (such as my own) had never even heard of the CCSA. Near the end of the conference, the assembled student leaders would vote for the new conference site, after hearing presentations from potential host student associations.

And for years, the CCSA functioned well without any constitution, bylaws, or other framework.

Until now that is. The CCSA is now a registered corporation under the Canada Corporations Act, as of August 8, 2005. Its registered head office is in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which ought to prove convenient for at least two of its three directors:

• Amanda Aziz, President of the University of Manitoba Students' Union (UMSU) and Manitoba Representative on the National Executive of the Canadian Federation of Students. In 2005, under Aziz' presidency, UMSU voted to affiliate with the Federation in a referendum.
• Sarah Amyot, General Coordinator of the University of Winnipeg Students' Association (UWSA) and Women's Representative on the National Executive of the Canadian Federation of Students. In 2004-2005, Amyot was the President of UWSA and Manitoba Representative on the National Executive of the Federation.
• Jeremy Salter, who raised eyebrows in 2005 when it was revealed that he was running for an executive vice-president position of the Centennial College Student Association at the same time that he was president of the Continuing Education Students' Association at Ryerson (CESAR). His priority "had always been Centennial" he told the Eyeopener, Ryerson student newspaper. While at CESAR, Mr. Salter guided that organization towards the loving arms of the Canadian Federation of Students, and fired the editors of NightViews, the CESAR-published campus paper. Mr. Salter's other priorities over the years have included being President of the Lakehead University Student Union in 2001 and acting as Chief Returning Officer of the 2006 York Federation of Students elections (and allegedly acting in biased fashion in that capacity).

And with eminent folks like that running the show, this editor wonders why any student unions might possibly want to pull out of participation in the CCSA....

Incidentally, readers might be interested in knowing that the registered office address of the CCSA, 249 Southbridge Drive, Winnipeg, is being sold. And it happens to be a residential home. Whose? That, dear readers, will have to be left to another post....