Concordia Student Union

Concordia allows CSU to book spaces on campus for elections

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Photo Caroline Marsh

Hannah Scott-Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

The decision comes after the union filed a “motion to stay” in court

On Feb. 28, Concordia University officially agreed to grant temporary booking privileges to the Concordia Student Union (CSU). The decision was made after the CSU filed a motion to stay–a formal request asking the court to suspend proceedings in a case on Feb. 27. 

In a letter sent to the CSU, Concordia University’s lawyers confirmed that the union will be temporarily allowed to book spaces on campus, but only in relation to the upcoming CSU elections. 

This decision comes after nearly a month of dispute between the CSU and Concordia. 

The university launched an investigation into the union and suspended its ability to book spaces on campus on Feb. 6 due to claims that the CSU allegedly breached multiple university policies, as well as the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, during a Special General Meeting (SGM) on Jan. 29. At the SGM, the overwhelming majority of students present voted for the union to adopt two Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions motions. 

In response, the CSU sent Concordia a cease and desist letter on Feb. 20 and accused the university of restraining freedom of speech. The letter also outlined how the union needed to be allowed to book spaces on campus to hold its upcoming elections.

The union gave Concordia 72 hours to rescind its suspension. A week after the cease and desist, the CSU filed a motion to stay to the Montreal Division of the Superior Court of Québec, aiming to halt Concordia’s booking sanctions. 

In the 24-page document filed by the CSU, the student union asked the court to order Concordia  to suspend Dr. Anne Whitelaw and Dr. Michael Di Grappa’s decision which revoked CSU’s right to book space on campus, “until the outcome of the Application for judicial review.” 

According to Concordia spokesperson Vannina Maestracci, the university has agreed to temporarily allow the union to book certain spaces on campus solely for the purpose of their elections.

Maestracci added that, for the polling period from March 11 to 13, polling stations can be booked in the lobby of the Henry F. Hall Building, the John Molson School of Business Hall lobby, the EV basement, the LB Atrium, the SP Building and the CJ Building. Maestracci said that, apart from election-based bookings for polling and campaigning, no other bookings will be accepted for the CSU. 

According to Concordia’s letter to the union, the university will temporarily grant access to booking but would still proceed to contest the union’s allegations in front of the Court. 

With files from Maria Cholakova 

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CSU council fails to reinstate judicial board

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Councillors elected one person to the CSU judicial board. Photo Ireland Compton

Geneviève Sylvestre,
Local Journalism Initiative

Councillors only appointed one of the three positions needed for the board to be active

During the latest Concordia Student Union (CSU) regular council meeting (RCM) on Jan. 22, councillors appointed one student to the CSU judicial board.

A minimum of three members must be appointed for the board to be active.

The CSU judicial board acts as the judiciary branch of the union. It serves to render impartial judgments on complaints and cases by using and interpreting the CSU’s Bylaws and Standing Regulations. 

According to the CSU website, the last judicial board ruling was in 2022.

The meeting lasted over three hours. Councillors interviewed four applicants for the position, but only Suzana Ek received the two-thirds majority vote needed to be appointed. 

The first interview was scheduled for 7 p.m. but began late as council members debated on how to proceed with the meeting. The Link has granted this candidate anonymity due to privacy concerns. 

Councillor Drew Sylver asked the first candidate whether or not they were involved in an altercation on Concordia property, which some members of the executive team deemed inappropriate. 

Sylver disagreed, stating that it is important to know if judicial board candidates are impartial. Loyola coordinator Leen Al Hijjawi replied that a candidate can remain impartial in their position regardless of personal politics or affiliations. 

During the deliberation period, Sylver asked to “admit evidence” to the council. He alleged that he possessed one photo and one video of the first candidate at the Concordia University Hall building altercation on Nov. 8, 2023.  

Councillor Mohamad Abdallah shared concerns with Sylver sharing the image and video, as he believed it to be an attack on the candidate’s privacy. Sylver agreed and chose to instead describe the “evidence” he had acquired. 

He alleged that he obtained a photograph of the candidate present at the Hall building altercation and a video of them seemingly “yelling at a student at a thousand-person riot.”

He continued, saying, “I do not want someone adjudicating a judicial board case that has been present at a riot. I don’t care what riot, I don’t care what it was, I would much rather that person not be there.”

Al Hijjawi motioned for council to go into a closed session to view the video. 

Academic and advocacy coordinator Vanessa Massot said that they found the viewing of the video to be against procedural fairness, especially as the candidate was not present to defend themselves. 

The motion failed. 

After the first interview, council saw three more candidates: Nicola Woloz, Ek and Saraluz Barton-Gómez. 

Following the vote, council voted to adjourn the meeting before the completion of the agenda. 

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Concordia University president’s statement draws criticism

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On Jan. 29, 885 students voted in favour of BDS motions at the CSU SGM. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Geneviève Sylvestre,
Local Journalism Initiative

Activists raise concerns with Graham Carr’s statement following January’s BDS vote

Some student associations and organizations at Concordia University have raised concerns over a statement made by the university’s President Graham Carr on Jan.30. 

The Carr statement was released following a special general meeting (SGM) where undergraduate students voted in favour of two Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) motions. 

On Jan. 29, 885 undergraduate Concordia students voted in favour of two motions: for the Concordia Student Union (CSU) to adopt BDS demands and for the union to bring those demands to the Board of Governors. Only 58 students voted against the motions. The total turnout for the vote was more than twice the 450 student quorum—the number of people needed to validate the vote. 

In the statement released on Jan. 30, Carr reiterated that Concordia’s position on “such boycott campaigns” has been consistent, writing, “Such campaigns are contrary to the value of academic freedom upon which all universities are founded.” 

He continued, saying that reports from the meeting were “deeply troubling” due to “the presence of heavily masked individuals, complaints of discriminatory behaviour and the use of intimidation tactics.” He called the behaviour at the meeting unacceptable and said it contravened Concordia policies.

Following the release, the School of Community and Public Affairs Student Association (SCPASA) and four other student associations condemned the statement in a post on Instagram. 

“Despite a clear, democratically obtained majority, Graham Carr incessantly seeks to silence pro-Palestine students, claiming the motions to be ‘contrary to the value of academic freedom,’” the post read. 

SCPASA executive secretary Samuel Gold said that he takes issue with Carr’s statement because it showed an “attitude of distrust” for student democracy. 

“I think it really just demonstrates that this administration is not in it for the students at all,” Gold said.

The CSU has also released a response to Carr’s statement on Instagram, stating, “Graham Carr’s statement draws upon existing anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and Islamophobic sentiment to present the result of a democratic vote in favour of BDS […] as illicit, hostile and non-binding.” 

Concordia spokesperson Julie Fortier told The Link that Concordia is “troubled” that people have chosen to “misread” and “purposefully miscommunicate” Carr’s statement. 

“President Carr’s statement does not say that the motions […] are contrary to the value of academic freedom,” Fortier said. “President Carr reiterates what has been Concordia’s position for years and that is that boycott campaigns are contrary to the value of academic freedom upon which all universities are founded [italics in original].”

CSU academic and advocacy coordinator Vanessa Massot said they want to ask the administration if they believe academic freedom is a universal right. 

“The entire point of us wanting to boycott, divest and sanction is the fact that people in Gaza, right now, do not even have shelter, food, medicine, let alone universities,” Massot said. “The entire point of what we’re doing is for academic freedom and overall liberation.”

Michael Bueckert, interim president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), sent a letter to Carr to express grave concern over Carr’s comments. 

In it, Bueckert listed several academic organizations in support of BDS, including the Middle East Studies Association and the American Studies Association. Bueckert also referred to the growing global concern that Israel is committing scholasticide in Gaza. 

“When universities, students, and academic bodies hold Israel to account for its role in apartheid, this is an affirmation of the very values that underlie academic freedom, not an attack on it,” Bueckert wrote.

Director of media advocacy at CJPME Jason Toney also raised concerns with Carr’s statement and how it may make students fearful of advocating for Palestine.  
“To use that kind of language that stifles debates and that stifles democratic expressions as it relates to a decision made by the CSU in a situation that seems to have followed all procedures and protocols,” Toney said, “it is extremely disappointing and highly concerning.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 9, published February 11, 2025.

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CSU sends Concordia a cease and desist

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Photo Matthew Daldalian

Geneviève Sylvestre,
Local Journalism Initiative

The student union accuses the university of restraining freedom of speech, cites concerns with upcoming election

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) sent a cease and desist letter to Concordia University on Feb. 20 following the university’s announcement that it would launch an investigation into the student union.

In the cease and desist letter, the CSU claimed that Concordia’s actions will cause “irreparable harm” to the union. As such, the CSU has given Concordia 72 hours to rescind its suspension or they will undertake legal recourse against the university.

Concordia first informed the CSU of its investigation on Feb. 6 following claims of alleged breaches of university policies during the Jan. 29 special general meeting (SGM). At the SGM, a significant majority of undergraduate students voted for the union to adopt a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) motion and for the union to bring the motion to Concordia’s Board of Governors.

Primarily, Concordia pointed to alleged breaches of the Policy on Student Associations and Groups, the Policy on the Temporary Use of University Spaces, and the Code of Rights and Responsibilities. 

The university specifically outlined allegations that the auditorium was overfilled during the vote and that the CSU used the mezzanine to accommodate additional student voters without proper authorization. Concordia also pointed to allegations that the CSU permitted intimidation during the SGM, claiming that it received reports of “heavily masked individuals” creating “an intimidating climate.”

As a result, the university suspended the CSU’s ability to book spaces on campus and rescinded all the union’s past bookings. 

In the cease and desist letter addressed to Concordia provost and VP of Academic Anne Whitelaw, the CSU outlined how the alleged accusations “are very serious and are made without specifically referring to any articles of the three policies mentioned.” 

The cease and desist also claims that the university failed to provide details on the formal complaint that prompted the investigation.

“Limiting CSU’s rights on this basis goes against the CSU’s freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly and association, which are guaranteed to all students in section 1.3 of Concordia’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities,” the cease and desist reads.

The CSU also claims, contrary to Concordia allegations, that organizers counted and registered each student coming inside the building for the duration of the SGM. 

The union’s lawyer also wrote that Concordia Campus Safety and Prevention Services (CSPS) officers raised no concerns with organizers using the mezzanine as an overflow space to accommodate additional students. The cease and desist claims that CSPS officers even helped organizers install chairs in the mezzanine. 

“Accusing the CSU organizers of using space without authorization while, in reality, security personnel employed by Concordia helped them use this space constitutes an attempt to intimidate and stop students from being active in politics,” the cease and desist reads. 

The CSU also claimed that it provided students at the SGM with masks to ensure safety, claiming that concerns were raised by immunocompromised students who wanted to attend the vote. The union also noted that students were able to communicate their concerns through an anonymous text line to the moodwatcher throughout the SGM. 

“No concerns of discrimination or intimidation were brought forward beyond requests to mitigate cheering and prevent attendees from filming each other, both of which were then directly addressed by the chair,” the cease and desist reads. 

The CSU claims the administration did not try to get the CSU’s version of events or communicate with CSU executives except to clarify the effects of the suspension. 

The union’s concerns with the suspension come as the campaigning phase of the CSU General Elections is set to begin on March 3 at 9 a.m. 

The union claims that Concordia is causing “serious and irreparable damage to student democracy and freedom of speech” by preventing the union from booking the spaces needed to hold the elections. 

The cease and desist continued by stating that it is inconceivable for the union to hold “proper and valid” elections and organize debates in accordance with the CSU bylaws without access to the requisite spaces on campus. 

The letter also states that the governance and decision-making power of the CSU would be rendered null if the general election results were deemed illegitimate following the university’s actions. 

“The CSU is a multi-million dollar non-profit for students by students, so if these services were to be rendered null it would mean that millions in student funds would be put to waste,” the cease and desist reads. 

Concordia spokesperson Julie Fortier told The Link that the university does not comment on pending legal matters and that it “is not restricting freedom of speech or student democracy on campus.” 

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