All Posts Tagged With: "Student Politics"
Despite deficits, student pols increase their pay
SCSU and MSU vote to increase pay; despite poor balance sheets and performance.
A story in The Strand this week reports the undergraduate student union at the Scarborough campus of the University of Toronto voted to increase their pay despite financial difficulties facing the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union.
The SCSU voted to increase executive pay by more than 30 per cent earlier this academic year.
Student union president Zuhair Syed told The Strand the student union executive were unable to sustain themselves on a salary of over $20,000 per year. “”We can’t even sustain ourselves. Many executives I know who have to take other jobs, even two part-time jobs, just in order to survive.”
Really? I know people who sustain themselves on less; they’re called students.
The SCSU is not the only group of student politicians increasing their bank balances from a dry well.
The McMaster Students Union executive are receiving a whopping 22 per cent pay raise after student politicians there decided they were underpaid as well.
Much like the SCSU, the student union at McMaster is facing a financial crisis and is making cutbacks to its campus bar.
The MSU’s financial situation is more serious, with student union going from a $615,202 surplus in 2006/07 to a $41,879 deficit in 2007/08, the last year financial audits are available.
The MSU bar, Quarters, recorded a $425,000 lost in 2007/08. Overall, the MSU bar has lost nearly $900,000 dollars in the last six years.
The financial situation didn’t stop student politicians from giving each other pay raises, as reported by The Silhouette.
(Disclosure: I contribute to The Silhouette but was not involved in this article.)
The wage of the McMaster Students Union president increase from $25,699 per year to $31,460 plus benefits and perks. The MSU president’s benefits worth are over $8,000 per year. The MSU president is provided a rent-free apartment, health and dental benefits, and transit passes. The MSU pays $8,000 for the president’s on-campus apartment. With taxable benefits, the MSU president’s compensation tops $40,000 per year.
Vice-presidents are seeing their salary increase from $25,688 per year to $31,460. The MSU also increased compensation for committee chairs from a $750 per year honourium to $2,340.
Sure, the student unions’ bank balances may be decreasing; but that’s no reason for student union politicians to forgo increasing their own balances. After all, they are only acting like “real world” politicians.
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A question to the readers: does anyone know of a student union compensating its president more than $40,000? Do you know the compensation rate at your student union? If so, please email me; I’m going to create a chart for public reference. Email: joey@joeycoleman.ca
Ubyssey: The People’s Peet
A couple of weeks ago, the unthinkable occurred; Darren Peets left the University of British Columbia for post-doctoral work in Japan. I profiled Peets back in January focusing on his attempts to elect his Fire Hydrant to the executive of student union. The UBC student newspaper wrote a fitting send-off piece for a man who [...]
A couple of weeks ago, the unthinkable occurred; Darren Peets left the University of British Columbia for post-doctoral work in Japan.
I profiled Peets back in January focusing on his attempts to elect his Fire Hydrant to the executive of student union.
The UBC student newspaper wrote a fitting send-off piece for a man who is a living legend in UBC politics.
Canada’s largest student union votes to downgrade CASA membership
I am told by a very reliable source attending the UBC Alma Mater Society meeting that the AMS has unanimously voted to withdrawal from downgrade their membership with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. The AMS will become associate members of CASA instead of the full members they presently are. With it, the AMS takes [...]
I am told by a very reliable source attending the UBC Alma Mater Society meeting that the AMS has unanimously voted to withdrawal from downgrade their membership with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.
The AMS will become associate members of CASA instead of the full members they presently are.
With it, the AMS takes 44,000 members out of CASA.
Interestingly, this also means that over 50% of university students in British Columbia are without external provincial or federal lobbying representation.
Both grads and undergrads at UBC-Vancouver and Simon Fraser University have recently decided to leave lobbying organization and pursue lobbying with their own resources.
More on the story as details emerged. (as of 2am EDT, I’m going to sleep)
UPDATES: I misinterpreted the text message I received to be full withdrawal. Another source quickly corrected me. Thanks to all.
Canada’s largest student union reviewing CASA membership
Canada’s largest students’ union, the Alma Mater Society – University of British Columbia, will be discussing its membership in the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations during a meeting tonight. I don’t know which way the discussion will go tonight and my sources are unable to predict an outcome either. Looks like we will have to [...]
Canada’s largest students’ union, the Alma Mater Society – University of British Columbia, will be discussing its membership in the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations during a meeting tonight.
I don’t know which way the discussion will go tonight and my sources are unable to predict an outcome either. Looks like we will have to wait until late into the night for more details.
(This is the second UBC-related post, the third will be when I find out what occurs tonight)
No matter where they are, many student unions are the same
In New Zealand, the largest national student lobbying organization doesn’t particularly like opening it’s meetings to the media. There excuses sound oddly familiar to me too! ‘We need safe space’ and/or ‘not enough time to think about it’. Funny how students’ union need to think about transparency no matter where they are. I like the [...]
In New Zealand, the largest national student lobbying organization doesn’t particularly like opening it’s meetings to the media.
There excuses sound oddly familiar to me too!
‘We need safe space’ and/or ‘not enough time to think about it’. Funny how students’ union need to think about transparency no matter where they are.
I like the writing style of The Salient (one of the reasons that I read it every week) especially the style of Conrad Reyner who’s blogging student politics for the paper. To quote him on why media coverage is suddenly an issue there: “I assumed it’s because media cant be fucked going to these events, so there was no need.”
In other “it’s the same elsewhere” news, off-campus bars aren’t popular with universities.
CASA and SSMU in court
Maclean’s has learned that the lawsuit filed by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations(CASA) against the Student Society of McGill University(SSMU) is currently being argued before the courts. CASA is suing for $28,000 plus interest. CASA claims that the SSMU failed to fully pay their required membership dues in 2005. The SSMU disputes this stating [...]
Maclean’s has learned that the lawsuit filed by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations(CASA) against the Student Society of McGill University(SSMU) is currently being argued before the courts.
CASA is suing for $28,000 plus interest. CASA claims that the SSMU failed to fully pay their required membership dues in 2005. The SSMU disputes this stating they paid what they owed.
The SSMU voted to leave CASA in 2005 and pursued membership in a rival lobbying organization the Canadian Federation of Students.
CASA also sued the University of Manitoba Students’ Union(UMSU) for dues they owed when left the organization in 2005.
CASA and UMSU reached an out-of-court settlement in the fall with UMSU paying $28,808 in back dues to CASA.
Talks between the SSMU and CASA were unsuccessful in reaching a out-of-court settlement.
The two sides have submitted arguments before the courts. A decision date is not yet known.
University College of Fraser Valley joins CASA
Third students union to join CASA in a year
Students at the University College of Fraser Valley in British Columbia have decided to join the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.
Students voted for membership in CASA during a week long referendum with 74 per cent of students voting in favour of membership. CASA is the second largest national student lobby group in Canada, a rival to the Canadian Federation of Students.
The union is the third new member for CASA in the last year. The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union became full members in April 2007 and the University of Prince Edward Island joined in November.
“This is an important step for students who hope to participate in national change for post-secondary education,” said Churchill. “We look forward to working with the SUSUCFV; their perspective and insight will be a welcome addition to the CASA table.”
SUSUCFV joins Canada’s largest students’ union, the University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society, as CASA’s two members in British Columbia.
Ryerson election results rolling in
Race is now even close, independent candidate trailing in last place
The Ryerson Students’ Union election results are rolling in. I find interesting that the independent candidate is not doing well.
For up-to-minute coverage visit the campus media:
Student lobby group sues students’ unions
CASA could lose credibility over suits: student leader
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations(CASA)has filed lawsuits against two students’ unions, a move that some student leaders are calling hypocritical. The suits claim that the unions owe membership fees from 2005, the year the unions terminated membership in CASA.
CASA—which is the second largest student lobby group in Canada after the Canadian Federation of Students(CFS)—is suing the University of Manitoba Students’ Union(UMSU)and the Student Society of McGill University(SSMU)for the outstanding fees. Both unions left CASA in 2005 to pursue membership in a rival lobby organization, the CFS. The suit is asking for approximately $28,000 plus late charges per student union.
The suit has at least one student leader calling the group hypocritical. "We think that it is rather ludicrous that CASA, who spends a lot of time criticizing CFS for suing students is doing so themselves," said Max Silverman, SSMU vice-president external.
Silverman believes that CASA will lose credibility over the lawsuits. "They regularly, and I think rightfully, criticize the fact that the CFS, while claiming to represent students, sue students associations. I think that’s absolutely a legitimate criticism of CFS. However, now that CASA is engaging in it, they lose all creditability in terms of the ability to have moral high ground."
However, CASA maintains that there was no choice other than to go ahead with the lawsuits. "Our hand was forced," said Zach Churchill, national director of CASA. "We have an obligation to our members to get the owed funds."
Both UMSU and SSMU are disputing the claims of CASA that they owe money to the organization.
Eric van Eyken, a former vice president of SSMU noted in an email that La Federation etudiante universitaire du Quebec—Canada’s third largest lobby group—has also considered a lawsuit over unpaid fees. "If all three major student societies in the country have at least one lawsuit against members, it stops being an issue [...] and simply establishes a norm that contractual obligations should be respected."
Churchill stated that CASA is currently negotiating with both organizations in the hopes of settling the case.
