A Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) council committee set up to evaluate the association’s membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has recommended the association have a referendum on defederation.
The report submitted by the committee was reviewed by CUSA at an emergency meeting Oct. 16.
Debate centred around the legitimacy of the findings, the objectivity of the committee, and concerns that the committee did not have enough time to properly review or gather information for the report.
John Mesman, CUSA science councillor and chair of the CFS review committee, said the report was not comprehensive and, while an open call was put out by the committee for students to voice concerns and experiences with CFS materials and programs, the response was lacklustre.
He added he does not necessarily think the report encompasses the views of the entire student body.
The committee is neutral and objective, he said, and the defederation campaign would not be run by the committee. This would be run by CUSA, should council vote to proceed with defederation.
Gennesse Walker-Scace, CUSA public affairs and policy management councillor and member of the committee, said there’s “more work to do” and feels they have not fulfilled their obligations as a committee yet. As such, she did not attach her name to the final recommendation for defederation.
The report also mentioned CUSA’s troubled history with the CFS.
At the council meeting, CUSA president Folarin Odunayo said the student association has not paid fees to the CFS since November of 2012, amounting to approximately $300,000 in unpaid fees.
Graduate Students’ Association president Christina Muehlberger was also at the meeting. She said that, due to the CFS’ inactivity on campus this past year, students won’t get the full picture of services the federation offers.
“The CFS is more than pins and posters,” she said.
