Below, an email I sent to the CFS today, in response to the email (below, below) from our CFS rep. The Board cancelled our delegation and assigned Capilano College as our proxy vote, and CFS, apparently motivated by an angry email from Margo Dunnet, has denied our proxy vote, although they did agree to cancel our delegation.
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To the CFS,
I am writing to express my deep concern about the the report that you are denying the SFSS proxy vote (through Capilano) at the national CFS meetings. I strongly urge you to reconsider your position on this matter. As Bhuvinder Vaid points out, SFU students pay almost a half-million dollars annually to the CFS, and it unacceptable that we should be denied representation. I am the SFSS Forum representative for the approximately 150 graduate students in my department, and I will inform them of this concerning matter. I urge other department representatives to do the same.
Sincerely,
Clea Moray
Biology Graduate Caucus SFSS Forum Representative
Member, Canadian Federation of Students Local 23
M.Sc. Candidate, Biology Department, Simon Fraser University
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On 11/24/06, Bhuvinder S. Vaid wrote:
Dear Shamus and Amanda,
I hope you are well.
After speaking with Shamus by telephone on Wednesday morning, I informed themembers of the SFSS Board of Directors (the unimpeached Directors) of thedecision by the CFS National Executive to not recognize the SFSS vote(transferred by proxy to Capilano) at the current national meetings.
When I spoke with Shamus, he informed me that the main reason not to respectthe SFSS Board of Director's decision to have our vote transferred by proxywas that National, recognizing the incendiary e-mail sent by Margo Dunnet,was thereby 'proceeding cautiously' by not recognizing the right of local 23to transfer our vote.
This action on the part of National is not only unwarranted, butunacceptable to the members of the CFS represented by local 23 and their~$400,000 in CFS membership fees.
Ms. Dunnet and her fellow impeached Directors of October 25th, havesabotaged the running of the SFSS since their removal - based almostentirely on their displeasure of being removed. Ms. Dunnet's e-mail, havinghad the affect of denying local 23 of its voting right at National is yetanother example of the malicious intent undertake by her and her fellowimpeached Directors to sabotage the proud contributions local 23 has made tothe CFS in the past and the future.
By paying heed to the e-mail sent by Ms. Dunnet, and thereby rescinding thevoting proxy of local 23 - SFSS, CFS National has effectively taken themembership fees of local 23 (~$200,000 to National, ~$200,000 to Provincial)into its coffers, while at the same time taking away local 23's right to berepresented.
The question I have been asked, and have no answer for is as follows: Whatare we paying our CFS Membership fees for?
I must inform you that if the local 23 proxy vote is not recognized at thecurrent National meetings, the question as to why the SFSS pays $400,000into an organization which is willing to strip it of its right torepresentation by the mere receipt of an 'angry e-mail' from aformer/impeached Director will be put forward at our next Board meeting.
At that time, if the local 23 proxy vote was not honoured at the Nationalmeetings, I will be recommended to the SFSS Board of Directors that theybegin the defederation process from the CFS - as any organization willing tosimply take the money of SFU students without allowing them their right tobe represented in how their money is to be spent, is an organization that Ido not personally believe represents the interests of SFU students.
In Solidarity,
Bhuvinder
Bhuvinder S. Vaid
SFSS Graduate Student Representative local 23 - Canadian Federation of Students BC Component Executive
Education Rep., Graduate Issues Committee (GIC)
http://www.educ.sfu.ca/egsa/
Chair, GIC Autonomy Subcommittee (GIC-AS)
Grad Caucus | Information for Biology graduate students at Simon Fraser University.
