Every year, full-time Carleton students pay $14.96 each for membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). This might not seem like a large amount, but it’s been the subject of recent debate at Carleton: is the amount we pay worth what we get from the CFS or should we defederate?
The debate itself is hardly new, but it was revived at Carleton in recent weeks when someone unsuccessfully tried to ask students that very question on the referendum. With a portion of the newly elected Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) executives having openly expressed dislike for the CFS, defederation — or at least an attempt to defederate — is now more of a possibility. Even though they’d be required to pay off roughly $150,000 of debt first.
Other student organizations have found themselves embroiled in bitter legal battles with the CFS over defederation, meaning that if CUSA attempts it, there’s a chance they could get caught up in one, too. Given that, campus politicians who argue the issue from a very simplistic, black and white approach do a great disservice to students.
If this is really something CUSA is going to consider next year, we need to go public with debate: hold open forums and run ad campaigns pushing students to inform themselves. In short, do more than just slapping the CFS logo on many CUSA-run campaigns. It’s the responsibility of those currently in government and those who will take over in May to ensure they don’t just further their own CFS agenda, but truly allow students to become educated and make their own, informed decisions. After all, it’s students’ money.
Let’s do this the right way and not repeat the “he said, she said” students lived through during CUSA’s own legal battle.
Click here for this week’s story on defederation from the CFS.
