THEMCGILL TRIBUNE Volume 6, Issue 9
Photo — Lionel Chow
Published by the Students' Society of McGill University
Tuesday, November 4, 1986
Doré Woos Student Vote
Peel Metro guitarist proves that Montréal's subterranean musicians still provide a welcome alternative to Metro Muzak,
despite municipal restrictions on venues and decibels.
~\
See feature story, pages 4 & 5.
ASUSDebt Blamed On Old Exec by Jennifer Mori Financial ailments appear to be highly contagious at M cGill University; the latest organization to be afflicted is the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society, now faced with a debt of $23,650. Though debts are not unfamiliar to the ASUS, the magnitude of this sum is un precedented in ASUS history. "The ASUS has gone through a rough beginn ing this year," said Mark Holder, ASUS VP Arts. "The overexpenditure of last year's ASUS organization has caused us to have to pay their debts." The debt sum is staggering by any standards, but especially so when examined beside $125,000 of additional expenditure. ''T h e r e w a s gro ss f in a n c ia l mismanagement in the A SU S," said Vince Lacroix, last year's VP Science. According to Lacroix, the principal cause of the deficit is that financial allocations were carried out on a verbal basis, with no record of the monies distributed or how they were spent by the organizations receiving them. "Peo ple would come into the office stating that they had been promised money and Katie (Graham, ex-VP Finance) had to give it to them," remarked Lacroix. "It was impossible to keep track of," declared Lindsay Glassco, ex-VP Arts to ASUS, now SSMU VP Internal. Another example of irresponsible financial policy, stated Glassco, was that "ASUS funded every crackpot campus organization that nobody else would fund." "Anybody who came in with a reasonable idea would get their budget approved," corroborated Lacroix. Lacroix believes that none of last year's ASUS executive realized the ex tent of the debt until late in the year
although he had his own suspicions. "I suspected extortion," stated Lacroix, "I thought David (Gibson, ex-ASUS Presi dent) was lying to m e." Neither Gibson nor Graham were available for com ment. The ASUS normally receives its fun ding from the administration in the form of student fees ($10 per student), the revenues from the cafeteria in the Arts building, and whatever profits it makes on parties. This usually amounts to ap proximately $90,000. Last year, the ASUS met its year end obligations by re questing advances on the 1986-87 funds to the tune of roughly $7000. Despite these measures, it left an outstanding debt of $23,650 for the incoming excutive of which $4,600 has been paid off by this year's ASUS organization. The debt consists of unpaid bills to Students' Society and the University, bills to a printing firm of the publication of the Observer (the ASUS periodical), and re maining miscellaneous bills from depart mental and campus organizations. This year's executive is determined to eliminate the debt and is embarking on a program of austerity measures. Since ASUS is intent upon eliminating the debt before Christmas, it is left this semester with half its normal funds. Funding to the departmental organiza tions, journals, campus organizations, and ASUS programming events had been slashed. "W e have improved our financial accountability," said Ryerson Symons, ASUS President. "There is bet ter o rg a n iz a tio n and fu n d in g procedure." "W e are carefully reviewing budget submissions and are being careful about our programming events," said Ward continued on p.3
by Janet Mitchell Better urban planning and increased democracy were the goals set for Mon treal's future by MCM mayoralty can didate Jean Doré who spoke at M cGill last Thursday. The increasing popularity of the MCM candidate, shown by recent poll results, was evident by the number of students who turned out to hear him speak. Doré spoke informally, beginning with a short speech, then inviting questions from students. His main criticisms of the current C ivic Party administration stemmed from what Doré sees as undemocratic methods. He specifically objected to the party's failure to consult Montreal citizens on major urban projects. "H ow can a government belong to a ll," Doré asked, "when the public is excluded from important decisions?" Poor urban planning regulations are a major problem said Doré. Montreal has never had a consistent set of planning rules or public guidelines and has therefore operated from "project to pro ject" rather than from a master plan. Doré commented that it is not enough that the mayor and the developer agree on a project, there must be guidelines and citizen participation. "The quality of downtown is intimate ly linked with urban planning," said Doré, adding that better planning could lead to more green spaces and public squares,^ He objected to the cold, b u s in e s s lik e atm o sphere o f the downtown core and suggested that "the public square has an uplifting effect on the environme^*." continued on p.3
Pickersgill Announces Open Meeting by Michèle Dupuis Student Society President Paul Pickersgill unexpectedly an nounced the date of the annual fall open council meeting at last Wednesday's regular council meeting. The special meeting w ill be held this Thursday in the Student Union Building in Room 107-108. Pickersgill made the announcement in response to pointed questions by Arts rep to Council elect J. Peter Nixon. Nixon noted that there had been "serious conflict on campus" over the recommendations made by Council to the Parliamentary Commission last month concerning fee increases. Nixon also said that since several other Montreal area universities had staged general meetings to discuss university policies, why could M cGill not take a similar course of action. The fall general meetings have traditionally been a forum for students to face-off against their elected representatives over issues on an agenda set by students. Suggestions for the agenda w ill close immediately before the meeting but a tentative agen da has already been set and any changes must be approved by council. There were two such meetings last year: "Usually only about ten students show up," said Pickersgill. He also noted that mat ters of policy would not be discussed. Nixon took his seat at the council table at the meeting but he does not yet have voting rights. Studsoc's Constitution which was voted in at the end of the last school year has yet to be ratified by Senate, the university's highest academic body. The New Constitution provided for a third Arts rep to Council and a third Post Graduate Student's Society Rep to Council but until ratification, Arts and Graduate students w ill still have one less vote on Council each. PGSS is accepting nominations for the position. Clubs rep to Council Carlene Gardner asked Vice President external Ian Brodie about the Parliamentary brief in which Brodie had apparently "elaborated a lot more in the oral presentation than you (Brodie) ever had in the brief." Brodie explained that his elaborations were in direct
response to questions put forward by those on the Commisssion and that his verbal explanation of the loans and bursaries programs were "im plicitly or explicitly included in our brief." Council also began a section by section review of its policy manual, the document which contains council's accumulated policies regarding everything from South Africa to observers at council meetings. After nearly an hour of heated debate over Section One of the policy manual, council maintained the policy of closed meetings for all committees of council, in cluding the executive committee. "Having observers around w ill impede the freedom of ex pression" for those attending the meeting, said Vice President Finance Rick Chance. He cited the media as an impediment to the committee members' freedom of expression. In other business, Council also dealt with a proposal through the Joint Management Committee from Claude Hillel, who wishes to produce a M cGill multi-media extravaganza financ ed by Studsoc and titled "M yriad." Hillel was trying to obtain $25,000 from Student Society in order to present a performance on the order of those staged by the likes of Michel Lemieux and Laurie Anderson in order to provide M cGill performing arts students with the opportunity to work with professionals in a serious atmosphere. Chance stated that although JMC considered M YRIAD to be an "excellent" idea they could not commit the money to the project because of the precarious financial position that Stud soc could find ifself in should the show fail. By the new Con stitution Studsoc cannot go into debt. Chance also noted that there was no comptroller for the pro ject and that the salary proposals were out of line with Studsoc policy not to pay for those positions. Hiilel told the Tribune in an interview later that he "had nor been prepared" for the presentation and that he "did not have much experience." However, Hillel told the Tribune that he would continue as if the project had not been rejected and that he was gearing up to submit a new proposal at the next council meeting. If he is rejected again, "W e will go outside. I don't think M cGill would like that."
91 N S ID E = Hunger Strike At Edmonton Jail, see page 3