The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) June 28 meeting featured the creation of the Indigenization committee and the naming of a chair for the democratic reform committee for the upcoming school year.
CUSA council voted unanimously in favour of creating an Indigenization committee for the upcoming school year. This committee will be responsible for advocating on behalf of Indigenous students at Carleton and researching how the university experience can be improved.
The committee will be chaired by Mawandoseg Centre co-ordinator and fourth-year social work and Indigenous studies student Aurora Ominika-Enosse and vice-chaired by CUSA’s vice-president (student issues) Valentina Gonzalez. The committee will also consist of two elected CUSA councillors, three students at-large and a representative from the Centre of Indigenous Initiatives.
Saad Khan, a councillor representing the Faculty of Engineering and Design, said he hoped the committee would help implement Kinàmàgawin.
“I want to use this opportunity to urge the university to implement the Indigenous Calls to Action and increase mental health support and financial aid to Indigenous students,” Khan said.
In addition to the new committee, CUSA president Matthew Gagné said the Mawandoseg Centre, a CUSA-run service centre meant to support Indigenous students, would receive a brand-new space and a minimum budget of $20,000 this year. The new location of the Mawandoseg Centre has not yet been finalized.
The centre was closed last year due to a lack of eligible candidates for centre co-ordinator. The centre is re-opening this year following CUSA’s first Indigenous history campaign in March.
Council also filled positions on the newly-created democratic reform committee. Braeden Cain, a fourth-year political science and communications student, was voted chair of the committee.
“Some of the things I would like the committee to examine are the use of the slate system, how we can move to paperless campaigns instead of flyers, how volunteers are used and how to ensure that the CUSA Elections Office is transparent and able to be trusted,” Cain said.
Cain also said he previously helped campaign for the Ravens United slate but is committed to being transparent and neutral.
“I am politically active but I don’t believe that it interferes with the ability to do a job in a professional and nonpartisan way,” Cain said.
The meeting also included updates on ongoing projects and a proposed bylaw amendment.
CUSA vice-president (finance) Venassa Baptiste announced she has finalized the Student Price Card (SPC) agreement for Carleton students.
The SPC is a discount program for high school and university students. Baptiste said she plans to use fall orientation as a trial run by distributing 500 access codes for student discount cards to Carleton students.
Baptiste also said she started ancillary fee reform this past month by meeting with full-time staff members to review the fees being charged to students on the levy form.
“[Fee review] has not been done for quite some time. We want to save as much money for students as we can. Even if it is a couple dollars, it’s a couple dollars times 25,000 students, if not more,” Baptiste said.
The council also motioned to create an Urgent Support Centre which would combine the Carleton Food Centre and Foot Patrol into a singular service centre. The motion addressed amending a CUSA bylaw to make Foot Patrol and CUSA equally responsible for contributing funds to the centre. Previously, only CUSA was responsible for the Food Centre’s funds.
“[The bylaw] was designed to ensure that the Urgent Support Centre could offer consistent and reliable care for students and receive the funds to do so over the years,” said Liam Callaghan, Foot Patrol administrative co-ordinator.
Voting on the bylaw amendment was postponed to the next meeting on July 26.
Featured image from Screengrab.
