[uberculture] UBERCULTURE WANTS YOU TO VOTE...

[reclaim your culture]

It's that time of year again, and we have a special announcement to make. 

So we know it seems extremely unlike us, but überculture has decided to officially support a YES vote to the Canadian Federation of Students! Today, we want to announce our unbridled, passionate, and totally un-sarcastic support for more of our hard-earned student money going to: 

A multi-million dollar corporation that exploits unsuspecting members and shoves punitive contracts down our union's throat! 


Legal threats to all student journalists who refuse to tow the party line! 

A federal "advocacy" organization that spends barely more than 5% of their annual budget on actually lobbying the government, and then claims victories they had nothing to do with! 

Collecting more than $5 million a year as a thinly veiled front for insurance, travel, and cell phone companies! 

and, last but not least, quashing your membership's democratic right to leave without an extensive court battle in the name of "unity!" 



That's right, you heard us: überculture is voting YES to the CFS, because we love financial mismanagement, career student politicians, propaganda, misinformation, and the corporatization of the student movement! It's like chocolate chip ice cream, sunshine and ponies all at once! 

Just kidding. At our Monday meeting last week we decided (by consensus) to support a NO to the Canadian Federation of Students, and hope you will too. 

Do your research, get informed, and vote on the 23, 24, and 25th. For more information, check out http://wewantout.ca 

love (and a little bit of sass) from: 

Nicola Kinley & Lex Gill 
Campaigns & Programming Coordinators 
überculture concordia 



Nevertheless, if you're curious, attached is the message that the Chairperson of the YES Committee spammed the entire clubs list with last night. 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Audrey Peek" <yestocfs at gmail.com> 
To: yestocfs at gmail.com 
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 10:05:54 PM GMT -05:00 Colombia 
Subject: Important information regarding the CFS referendum 



Dear Concordia Clubs and Associations, 

For over a decade undergraduate students at Concordia University have been part of a large coalition of Canadian students who have fought for high-quality, accessible post-secondary education. This coalition is the Canadian Federation of Students. For twelve years, regardless of who was on the executive, the CSU has had a positive relationship with the CFS, until this year. 

This year’s CSU executive have actively worked to hide the CFS’ services and campaigns from students and then told them that no services and campaigns exist. I would like to take the opportunity to tell you about some of the CFS’ victories: 

· In 2005 the CFS successfully lobbied the federal government to reinvest $1.5 billion dollars in post-secondary education 

· In 2007 the CFS again successfully obtained another $800 million in reinvested transfer payments to the provinces for post-secondary education 

· Again in 2007 the CFS, who hold the only seat on the federal Committee on International Student Issues, won the right to work off-campus for international students 

· Most importantly, in 2008, after years of drawing attention to the skyrocketing student debt, the CFS successfully lobbied the federal government to create the first national system of grants valued at $430 million 

This year’s CSU executive has also criticized the CFS for a supposed lack of democracy. Yet just last week I was informed by the CSU Chief Electoral Officer that the CSU by-laws and regulations no longer applied to the CFS referendum and that the CSU executive would be allowed to spend as much of their $1.8 million budget as they wanted on this campaign. CSU President Amine Dabchy even sent an email to every Concordia student yesterday night campaigning against the CFS. 

This vote could have a lasting impact on Canada’s national student movement. This choice is far too important to let the CSU executive play petty political games and, as an ordinary student, I do not have the resources to forward this message to all students to ensure that they are well informed before voting. I encourage you to discuss this issue with your club membership and forward this message to your members. This Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I encourage you to vote YES to the CFS! 




Sincerely, 

Audrey Peek 

Chairperson of the Yes to CFS Committee 
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