Over at a soapbox of twigs, there is a post today about IGA’s customer loyality program and their shameful attempts to guilt people into joining it.
As part of the post, the author compares to Simon Fraser in philosophy towards charity. The author points out a really good thing that one of the SFU VPs does:
It is, however, interesting to note the disparity in perceived intention between IGA and Simon Fraser University itself. One of the Vice-Presidents of the University sent out an e-mail before Christmas that noted this:
Simon Fraser University, while not a giant multinational corporation, is run on a business model. They’re conscious about budgets, expenses, and revenues. And yet, they still manage to find a way to donate to the Food Bank. Nowhere in the rest of the e-mail does this VP note that this is contingent on people signing up to an alumni programme, or paying tuition on time. It’s a no-strings-attached thing.
I found this to be very interesting. I was really bothered by the MSU sending out hundreds of full-colour custom designed Christmas Cards with the pictures of the MSU Executive!
Now, this money the MSU wasted on self-promotion of the Executive (btw it was a good card, just a waste of money on a good card) could have gone to the Student Food Bank. Actually, I think I will put forth a motion at Student General Assembly on this. Student money should be well spend.
It was blatant self-promotion by them going into the Presidential Election Cycle using Students Union resources. It will easily be in the hundreds of dollars. Of course, students will never know if the current clique continues to hold power. They have not presented any financial updates with actually financial figures on the current state of the MSU.
Drew Mitchell, the VP Finance and the person leading the actions on the student press and other Enemies of The State, has not even done a mid-year budget review. Of course, he claims that he has and it shows this as his mid-year budget review:
Drew is wrong about the Audited Statements. The SRA NEVER approved them at the time with 5 days notice without entering into MSU Inc. They did make a motion and pass a motion to do so. It was of no force or effect. The Government came back to the MSU and told them to do it right.
The SRA (this years) with more than 10 days notice in MSU Inc approved the statements for 04/05, more than a year after the end of the fiscal year being approved, on June 11th of 2006. Drew knew this because he is the one that gave the explaination to the SRA that they had to do it cause it was not done right. Of course, the MSU does not have any minutes of Corporate Meetings available to students since students are not members (shareholders) of the Corporation and have no say in the Corporation.
Here it is the Mid-Year Budget Review of the MSU:
Are you confused like I am?
This is a mid-year budget review that talks about 05/06 and nothing about the 06/07 budget it is reviewing!
It must be nice to be part of a clique, hold an unelected office, be unaccountable to students and not have to even do your job. Just make sure you are not accused of exposing a corporate gift scandal (The VP Education three years ago was accused and the clique fought to fire her) or anything else in the students interest and you will do fine.
He is continuing his pre-campaigning by annoucing his main platform piece on the MSU website:
Here are a few points:
- Mohawk/McMaster Nursing Students are members of the Mohawk Students Association which has reject UPass many times. The Nursing Students held a vote on joining the MSU UPass a few years ago and overwhelming rejected it.
- The Graduate Students already have a year round pass and it is cheaper than any other year round pass in Canada. It is cheaper than pretty much every eight month UPass in Canada. They are not interested in having their fee increase to join Drew Mitchell’s Campaign Idea. The City has made clear that any expansion of the UPass will be at todays market rates for UPasses. For a 8 month pass, the cheapest that any Students’ Union has been offered is $150 in Winnipeg and that was on the condition that all five universities and the two colleges all be taking a UPass. The best UMSU was offered on its own is $200. The SU at UAlberta recently managed to get a $175 UPass for 8 months. By comparsion, the MSU has a $70 UPass.
- MAPS – The Part-Time students are absolutely not interested. It is a complete non-starter.
- Unionized Employees at McMaster – this will require a massive increase in Union dues for all employees at McMaster. The overwhelming majority of them do not live anywhere near the University. A large number of them work at night when there is little to none (depending on the night and shift) service to McMaster. There have no interest.
HSR Transit Terminal – Drew must have been informed that the City has had on the books for 2 years now in a ten year plan to build a transit terminal at the front of the Hospital beside the campus. This is something he has put down, will do nothing on, and it will appear anyway. Remember this is the same Drew Mitchell who voted against lobbying the city for larger buses to McMaster and voted against the MSU have a volunteer transit review committee. He also voted against exploring the possibility of a GTA OnePass for students. This vote being at the June 11th SRA meeting.