[GSA Council] Fwd: Referendum on Tuition fees to remove the CFS dues

[Angelica Restrepo]

Hi Carlos,

Thank you for forwarding this. Would it be possible to send out a doodle to select a new date for the next council meeting? I would also suggest to offer some dates that are not a month from now since it looks like we’ll have many things to address during the meeting and that appear to be time-sensitive.

Kindly, 

Angelica Restrepo

> On Feb 27, 2018, at 6:40 PM, meeting facilitator <meetingfacilitator.gsa at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello all, I am obliged to share this email with all directors as per this GSA members request. 
> Thank you,
> Carlos 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Alex Ocheoha <alex_ocheoha at hotmail.com>
> Date: Tue, Feb 27, 2018 at 4:44 PM
> Subject: Referendum on Tuition fees to remove the CFS dues
> To: "meetingfacilitator.gsa at gmail.com" <meetingfacilitator.gsa at gmail.com>
> Cc: "president at gsaconcordia.ca" <president at gsaconcordia.ca>, "internal at gsaconcordia.ca" <internal at gsaconcordia.ca>, "external at gsaconcordia.ca" <external at gsaconcordia.ca>, Thufile <academic at gsaconcordia.ca>, Irmak Bahar <mobilization at gsaconcordia.ca>
> 
> 
> PLEASE FORWARD EMAIL TO GSA DIRECTORS
> 
> Dear directors and executives,
> 
> This is to remind inform you that the GSA was supposed to have a referendum last year to remove the CFS dues of $14.04 from the GSA fees. This referendum has to be called this year.
> 
> When payments to the CFS was stopped, the additional $14.04 added to the GSA fee was supposed to be paid into a trust fund to pay the legal fees related to the CFS case. Payments into this trust fund was stopped in 2013. Last year 420 students signed a petition for a referendum to be held to reduce the GSA fee by this amount. The former president breached the GSA bylaws by not calling for the referendum.
> 
> The CFS case has been concluded. Students never voted to add this amount to the GSA fee, and it was never supposed to be added to the GSA fee, and graduate students have a right to demand a refund of the excess fees that have been paid over the years.
> 
> The GSA has not been abiding by its own by-laws and policies. Last semester 2 General assemblies, were supposed to be held, but there was only an attempt to hold one, which did not meet quorum. This semester there has not been any notice of a General assembly.
> 
> GSA is supposed to have a compulsory annual audit. GSA had a notice to the reader for 2014-2015 because there was a suspected fraud on the GSA accounts during the 2014-2015 year. The finance manager email was erased and several documents were destroyed. The bylaw changes in January 2016 that requested a compulsory added were not added to the bylaws which were supposed to be retyped. The last team voted not to have an audit and a notice to reader, which gives room for suspicion of fraud.   
> 
> GSA Council minutes which are supposed to be made available after 7 days are not being posted. The last meeting minutes which were posted was October 2017. Executive monthly reports have not been posted since October 2017. The financial statements have not been made available to students. This lack of transparency is unprecedented.
> 
> Students decided years ago to make closed session decisions available to students. The practice of not disclosing closed session minutes started with the last team and has continued. Last year a closed session was held without the council chair, which was never supposed to happen. There has been no minute taker appointed by council. A minute take is supposed to be appointed among the membership if one of the GSA staff is not taking minutes, to ensure that there is no bias. A voting director who is supposed to be taking part in decision making should not be taking minutes.
> 
> GSA representatives are supposed to be representing the interest of students. Students pay the GSA fee for a service and have a right to hold representatives accountable. As representatives you can always be held responsible for your actions or inaction even after you leave council.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Alex Ocheoha
> 
> 
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