[GSA Council] Upcoming Legal Proceedings

[Alex Ocheoha]

Dear Councilors,
I received the minutes of the march 6, 2015 minutes with great shock. I had family commitments on that day but attended the meeting because of some very important items we had on the agenda.
Besides my work as the GSA president, I have a shared responsibility to raise my children. I have a wife and 2 kids dependent on me. My youngest daughter is 6 weeks old. I would have been on paternity leave if not for the work I had to do at the GSA.
I joined the Quebec student movement in 2011 to fight for the rights of students, to support the anti-tuition hike campaign and for other causes which students care about. I decided to run for the president’s position to help improve the GSA for the benefit of students. I'm not here for the money, but for students. I earned more money in my previous employment. The most important reason why I came to Concordia is to get a degree.
One of the objectives of the GSA is to “Represent, promote and defend the individual rights of the association’s members”. Besides being the president of the association, I am also a member of the association. I don’t know if this is the new culture or the way some people feel I should be treated.
I expressed some concerns at the beginning of our term, which were ignored. I started a business at 16 and have never treated anyone in the manner, which I am being treated. I have worked for different employers, I have had people work for me, and people work under me.
I want to confirm that the Agenda Item “upcoming legal proceedings” is an upcoming hearing on May 25, 2016 on my psychological harassment. You can get more information on this from the council chair who received the notice to appear.  I wanted this to go on quietly. I wanted discuss this, but things took another turn. I prefer not to make any further comments on this until after the hearing.
My psychological harassment has been going on for months. I had no choice but to report to the authorities, because I was not sure of what next would happen to me. I prefer that this matter is restricted to those involved, whose names are already known.
I don’t know how anybody would feel after being informed of a motion for impeachment, and suspension, after a closed session that was not transparent. I don’t know how anyone would feel when charges are being laid against you in your absence, without the chance to defend yourself. I don’t know if this is right.
I was not allowed to see the charges on the day of the meeting. I only became aware of the charges when I received the minutes of the March 6, meeting. I think the motion is defamatory. I will be making a formal request for the closed session minutes. I was democratically elected. I wish to know whose Idea it is to suspend me when this is not specified in our by-laws.
To enable me better respond to the charges, I need clarity on who said what. I will need a list of the falsified information I was said to have provided.  I don’t think that it is right that I am being blamed for something that should be somebody else’s responsibility in the present circumstances. I think I have the right to face my accusers.
I will not be able to comment on all the charges for legal reasons. I have not done anything detrimental to the GSA's honour and its functioning. I have sacrificed a huge amount of my time to ensure that the GSA functions properly despite all the problems. I sometimes feel that I am being treated like a slave.
I pray that justice takes its course regardless of the outcome of my unjustified accusations. I don’t think anybody is above the law. I am currently facing psychological trauma. At this point, I am not sure if I have rights anymore in the GSA.
If you have not walked in my shoes you will not understand the pain I feel. I have been criticized for complaining about conflict of interest. I don’t know if I will be criticized for writing this. I apologize in advance. I had to let it out.
We are preparing the accounts for an Audit and I want to ensure that the GSA meets all its obligations before we leave. There is still a lot left to be done because things were not done properly in the past.
We have a little over 2 months left. I believe that we all came to the GSA to do things for students. I think that we should focus on the upcoming elections and what we can do for students before we leave.
We have apportioned part of our meetings to informal discussions. I have always been truthful and honest and open to questions. Please always feel free to ask me for any information or clarifications.
Thank you.
Regards,
Alex Ocheoha

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