Tuesday, December 4, 2012
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Nation in A new executive to kick off December brief The Concordia Student Union fills VP academic and advocacy position Con U campus
Robin Della Corte
Kalina Laframboise News editor The Concordia Student Union appointed Hajar El Jahidi to VP academic and advocacy during a regular council meeting last Wednesday. Following a ruling from the Judicial Board, the position of VP academic and advocacy that was tendered for the byelections by concerned councillors was officially closed because it was never legally opened. The decision stated that regulations were not adhered to when council put forth the initial motion, rendering it defunct. In accordance with the CSU bylaws, only the president may appoint someone to an executive position. El Jahidi was the only candidate for the position formerly held by Lucia Gallardo, who stepped down in September due to her inability to resolve her registered student status issue. Since Gallardo’s departure the portfolio of VP academic and advocacy had been split between VP external Simon-Pierre Lauzon and VP sustainability Andrew Roberts. Council, however, expressed concerns over fulfilling the mandate of an executive who was
no longer there. Schubert Laforest, president of the CSU, motioned to appoint El Jahidi for VP academic and advocacy. As of last Monday, El Jahidi underwent training for the position. When asked why Laforest (who was initially opposed to opening the position) had changed his mind, he said it was the “responsible� thing to do and that “it would be detrimental not to� considering the higher education summit to address the governance of post-secondary institutions this February. El Jahidi said she is collaborating with Lauzon to prepare for the higher education summit to ensure that Concordia students have their voices heard. She went on to say the she is hoping to implement CSU tutoring services in the near future as part of her mandate. Furthermore, El Jahidi hopes to use the additional money from VP academic and advocacy’s unused salary to date for student bursaries. “For now I’m mainly getting up to speed with the rest of team and catching up on the work that’s been done since the beginning of the year,�
campus
Byelections allow CSU council to grow Nine additional students from two faculties to fill empty seats Robin Della Corte Assistant news editor The Concordia Student Union held byelections last week to fill the spots and elect new representatives from Arts and Science and the John Molson School of Business. During the voting that took place from Nov. 27 to 29, only 465 Concordia undergraduate students cast their votes. The undergraduate student body is over 30,000. Caroline Bourbonnière, Patrick Lefebvre, Justin Occhionero, Benjamin Prunty, Hardial Rosner, James Vaccaro and Ashley Walling ran to represent Arts and Science on council. With the exception of Occhionero, all candidates were elected. Occhionero only lost by three votes, with 181 in his favour. Anja Rajaonarivelo, Pierre Tardivo Martin and Eugene Gusman were elected to the vacant JMSB seats since there were four open spots during the byelections. Chief Electoral Officer Justin Holland of the CSU confirmed that only approximately 80 votes were cast for JMSB candidates. Gusman stated that he was excited to sit on council but that the lack of interest from the student body and low voter turnout left him feeling disappointed. “I want people to care a little more of what happens around them, whether it’s in school or in Montreal,â€? he said. This concern was also voiced by Prunty, who said he wants to investigate student apathy. “In a lot of ways, participation is
the measure of legitimacy for political or representative bodies and we have to make sure that we are, in fact, legitimate,� said Prunty. “Increasing participation won’t be easy, but it must be done.� For Lefebvre, he hopes to create an initiative to help students with disabilities and reduced mobility attend more school events. “I also want to help create a fund to [...] pay for aides who can help with feeding and bathroom needs of disabled students while at events,� said Lefebvre. CSU President Schubert Laforest stated that he is pleased with the outcome of the byelections. “I’m happy we’ll have a lot of new members, and great representatives representing the Arts and Science faculty,� he said. “But there is still a lot of concern about the Fine Arts faculty not having a representative. It’s something we definitely have to look into,� Laforest added.
>>Shark on the lam The ban on the sale of shark fins in Toronto has been nullified by Ontario Superior Court Judge James Spence. In September, the ban was passed by city council as a bylaw by a vote of 38 to four for environmental and health reasons which members of the Chinese business community questioned. Often used in soup at traditional Chinese weddings, shark fins are considered a delicacy. Those who supported the bylaw stated that the notion of killing sharks only for their fins is inhumane. Spence said that it is not in the city’s mandate to impose bans of such a nature. Hajar El Jahidi, new CSU VP academic and advocacy. photo by madelayne Hajek. said El Jahidi. Similarly, the postponed motion to appoint a John Molson School of Business student to the university’s Senate was approved by council, appointing Melissa Lemieux. “I am ecstatic that JMSB has a representative in time for the December 7 Senate meeting, which is long overdue,� Lemieux said.
Prior to last Wednesday the JMSB faculty lacked undergraduate student representation on Senate, something that is mandatory in accordance with university bylaws. For Lemieux, she hopes that the CSU will amend its bylaws to reflect those of the university regarding undergraduate seats on Senate and hopefully address the lack of independent student representation.
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BYELECTION RESULTS:
)25 ,1)250$7,21 ARTS AND SCIENCE CANDIDATES: Benjamin Prunty - 230 votes James Vaccaro - 218 votes Hardial Rosner - 215 votes Caroline Bourbonnière - 209 votes Patrick Lefebvre - 206 votes Ashley Walling - 184 votes Justin Occhionero - 181 votes JOHN MOLSON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CANDIDATES: Pierre Tardivo Martin - 45 votes Anja Rajaonarivelo - 39 votes Eugene Gusman - 29 votes
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>>Don’t honk at me A bus driver is in trouble after a heated argument with a pedestrian who refused to move out of the way from the front of his bus. The Saskatoon, B.C. employee was caught on film hurling colourful insults. “I think he did it just to prove a point,� Josh Swejda, a student who filmed the incident told CBC News. “I don’t think he liked the fact that he was honked at, so that’s what started the whole thing.� The bus driver, who asked others to intervene during the incident, has been suspended after the video made an appearance on YouTube due to his behaviour. Three individuals tried to step in with one caught pushing the pedestrian down after the bus drove off. Saskatoon police are now investigating the incident.
>>A first for everything In an oddly green move Saskatchewan is the first province to approve a new procedure of dealing with bodies that involves liquifying the remains. The process, called alkaline hydrolysis, uses a pressurized chamber to reduce the body to liquid and bone. It has been used for medical cadavers and animal remains for years but is now being accepted as an alternative to cremation in Canada, whereas it’s been common practice in certain states for some time. It is similar to cremation but more environmentally friendly since it doesn’t produce smoke.
>>Who let the cat out? The first feline rabies case since 2001 was reported by the New Brunswick Public Health Department last week. According to CBC News, the unvaccinated pet bit its owner after returning to the house and died the following day. Rabies in felines is extremely rare but is often seen in bats, raccoons and skunks. Since it is the first case in a decade, there is no need for panic, according to the president of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Mary-Ellen Themens. She did emphasize, however, that it is should serve as a reminder that the disease still exists and that precautionary measures are mandatory.