| Do Brandon University students really have a choice? |
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by Kim Olson, VP Finance, BUSU
As I have become involved with the events and procedures in preparation for the Brandon University Students' Union CFS referendum, set for September 25 and 26th , I have really begun to question whether or not the students at BU actually have a 'choice' at all. When I was elected onto BUSU council at the end of last term, we were told that our council would be conducting the upcoming Canadian Federation of Students referendum in the fall. Referendum, as defined by the Merrian-Webster's Dictionary, is the principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative. Sounded simple enough, all we'd have to do was present the student body with the question of whether or not they wanted to defederate from CFS. It only seemed 'natural' that we would run the referendum of our students. In reality, quite the opposite has transpired. In their last feeble attempts to hang on to our membership and money, the Canadian Federation of Students has tried to hold an 'iron fist' over every aspect of this referendum.
The referendum was initiated by a concerned group of students who collected over 250 signatures requesting a referendum to review their membership with the CFS. When a campus with such a track record for apathy makes as bold a statement as this, it is the responsibility of the student council to pursue their initiative. In response, the BUSU council of 2001/02 began preparations for this referendum. This is the point at which I became involved.
I was chosen to serve on the Rules Committee (composed of two BUSU reps and two CFS appointed reps) created to oversee all procedures governing the referendum. The first order of business was to determine the ballot question. It seemed logical to myself, and the other BUSU rep, Katie Pollock, to word the question using language directly from the student-signed petition. This was language that the students were familiar with and was clear to them. We did not expect the wording of the question to be a point of contention, but I can assure you that this process could be compared to running head-on into a brick wall.
The two CFS appointees attempted to dictate to us what would be most clear to OUR students. As a fourth-year student here I am confident that I know the students of BU better than any salaried CFS employee from Ottawa, especially considering that neither of them had ever set foot on this campus before. They attempted to impose questions upon us that had apparently "worked" at other universities. This completely overlooks the fact that every school is different and, although they may not have heard, we consider BU to be "something special".
This is a prime example of the Federation's attempt to run programs as a 'cookie-cutter' operation...if it worked at York it will work in Brandon. This mentality is not sensitive to the varying needs and political dynamics that exist within a nation as vast and diverse as ours! This insensitivity to our needs was demonstrated last year when CFS attempted to hold a nationwide "day of action". A box of 200 signs, umpteen posters and 10 BU students did NOT add up to much of a "protest"... you do the math. If the Federation had any intention of taking a genuine interest in our school, they would have known that Manitoba is a small enough political arena for us to speak directly with our MLAs and a protest is not necessary or effective.
I find it almost amusing that they preach their concern for a fair referendum, yet they demand the right to have a CFS representative sitting at each polling station on referendum day. After threatening that they could just decide to send two CFS reps to man each poll, they pulled through with a favor and graciously agreed to let a student from BU sit at each poll as well....thanks for going out of your way to be fair!! This arrangement would resolve the issue only if the BUSU representative was a supporter of the 'no' campaign. The Brandon University Students' Union has never hired on the basis of an individual's political leaning and does not intent to start. As far as I am concerned however, it looks as though this arrangement will have to suffice.
Althought I have spent the majority of this article expressing my frustrations with the inner workings of the Federation, I do not aim to discount their ORIGINAL principles. The initial objective of this organization, to create a nation-wide unified voice to speak on issues affecting post-secondary education, is extremely admirable. Unfortunatly they have become divorced from their constituency, the students, by allowing their focus to drift somewhat from these principles. One testament to this shift in focus is their pursuit of revenue-generating ventures such as Travel Cuts. Even more controversial is their involment in political issues not directly related to post-secondary education. Although it is not possible to brand all students with a single political view, the Canadian Federation of students attempts to do so by taking a forward position on controversial issues that not all students agree upon. As an orgaization representing numerous schools across Canada, my feeling is that if you can not ensure that you represent the opinion of the entire group, then you should not attempt to speak on behalf of the collective. It is time that the Federation took at step back from their political leanings and got back to their roots. I feel that they have expanded their scope to such a degree that they have ultimately lost sight of their primary vision.
Although this has been, and continues to be a difficult and time consuming process, I am committed to making this referendum a choice that remains in the hands of Brandon University students. It is my goal to create the opportunity for all students to become educated to make their OWN informed decision. Aside from all of this, I still find it interesting that when the CFS is threatened with the loss of our membership, and a whopping $26,000 annually, they care... from out of the blue... amazing (and timely) isn't it?!!
Kim Olson
VP Finance
BUSU