FCSL Steering Committee
The steering committee of the Federation of Canadian Student Leaders is as follows:
The steering committee of the Federation of Canadian Student Leaders is as follows:
- Host School — Rick Powelson (MSU)
- BC — Tiffany Kalanj (SUVCC)
- Alberta — Garth Crump (NAITSA)
- Saskatchewan — Amanda Smytaniuk (URSU)
- Manitoba — Garry Sran (UMSU)
- Ontario — Paul Bretscher (UofT SAC)
- Quebec — N/A
- Nova Scotia — Ezra Edelstein (DSU)
- Newfoundland/Labrador — Stella Magolios (MUNSU)
- New Brunswick — N/A
- PEI — N/A
Labels: fcsl
12 Comments:
Its a little concerning to notice that most of those members are from CFS schools. Reason being is because CCSA was later incorporated by members of the CFS in a previous blog that Titus wrote.
http://www.studentunion.ca/2006/04/takeover-what-takeover-canadian.html#comments
I truly hope that the FCSL does not end up like CCSA. Actoins like this hinder the efforts of the student movement in Canada.
It is unfortunate that student leaders across the country can't get their act together and start working together to have a strong national voice. There are many times I wish that CFS and CASA did not exist for that very reason.
That's not entirely true, NAITSA is unaligned.
And Dal is CASA
I believe that the first comment said "most" meaning not all. The concern is legitimate.
Hopefully, it turns out to just be a concern, not reality.
That's exactly what I meant Joey. I know Dal is CASA and that NAITSA is unaligned. With the block voting tactics that CFS schools used at FCSL, I have no doubt that they would use the same tactics on the Steering Committee.
In the end, I know the FCSL was formed because CCSA was just not effectively run and then later on incorporated by key figures from the CFS. The steering committee of FCSL tried to change that but obviously overlooked some things which have turned it back to the same issues student leaders have faced at CCSA.
Hopefully this steering committee has the sense to realize the errors of the past and make it better. Hopefully
You guys are asleep, and possibly dreaming.
FCSL wasn't created in response to a poorly run CCSA: it was created by those who identified that CCSA had been taken over by the CFS.
As for 'fears' that FCSL might suffer the same fate, consider this: CFS schools blocked the constitution, they saw to it that next years FCSL will be hosted by an ardent CFS school, and they made sure the steering committee is dominated by CFS members.
I wouldn't waste time fearing that your FCSL might suffer the same fate as CCSA, but rather take the above as indicators that it already has.
CFS doesn't want any other national student conferences, except their AGM. That's why they took control of CCSA, and all of it's components. I'd expect to hear some time next spring that FCSL 2007 has been cancelled. And I'm sure you'll all be shocked and suprised, just like you were this year for CCSA.
When are you guys going to wake up to this crap? It's not like it's a big inside secret, when dozens of CFS students across the country are aware of the strategy. I guess you're either with them, or against them - sadly there is no middle ground...
Having attending FCSL, I can confidently say that it was originally meant to be a professional development conference-- stepping away from the political grounds.
I would like to have confidence that the Steering Committee will continue on with that spirit, regardless of their political alignment.
Its not a question whether people are not paying attention to the issue but what they are doing about it.
Most student leaders across Canada know of CFS and their efforts to control the student movement. Its when people give up and lay themselves out to let CFS do what they want. Sadly, there seems to be no middle ground when it comes to the student movement.
That does not mean that student leaders should just let CFS do what they want. That what the FCSL steering committee tried to do when they formed their conference. I don't think they did it as a means to take a stand agains the CFS. If that was their intentions, why did they invite CFS members then?
They would have just sent it to CASA schools and unaligned schools if their intentions were to run a student conference without giving CFS the chance to overrun it.
At FCSL, it seemed like members of the steering committee and the delegates just let CFS do what they want because they were not strong enough to stand up against CFS takeover tactics.
Unlike the other members of the steering committee, Tiffany Kalanj (BC rep) isn't *elected*. She's a staffer for SUVCC (title is "Organiser"). She's also one of the *biggest* fedheads around....
Just as an interesting point, when it came down to provincial caucuses, Alberta had come to consensus on not having a representative and making a stand largely due to the adversarial tone that was set, and the lack of relevance for some schools in the sessions. However, there was on individual who insisted on having represenatation, yet wouldn't step up to the plate. One of the new execs from NAITSA felt compelled to take that step up to the plate. This ruffled some feathers, especially those of one of his colleagues from Calgary who sat on this years Steering committee, and was both personally and professionally attacked by these adversarial antics.
If you ask me, the whole process is a farce, and I would be very shocked if it didn't come to another split in the student movement, one that sees students leaders from the Canadian Federation of Students member schools uninvited.
It seems like this blog has opened up some very old and ongoing concerns regarding the student movement and how it has unfolded over time.
Regarding the FCSL, it is slowly being taken over by CFS and there are no student leaders out there doing anything about it. Both CCSA and FCSL were made so that student leaders across the country so that they can learn from each other and possbily have a united student movement. Clearly, CFS does not want any type of unity of their own so they undermine everyone elses attempt.
That only reflects how ineffective CFS is at getting students to actually work together no matter what they claim they are doing. They hide their real intentions by masking it with student leaders so blinded by idealism to lead their cause when they really just want more money to fund their $hitty services.
Hopefully there will be some student leaders similiar to the first FCSL steering committee who actually tried to do something to unite and get Canadian Student Leaders working together (even though they failed) or else CFS will just continue to undermine and degrade the student movement across this country.
It's in the works... trust me, it's in the works!
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