(This is major story two)

MAJOR UPDATE:  LAST WEEK THE NATIONAL GRADUATE CAUCUS ELECTED A NEW EXECUTIVE – Mr. Newstadt is therefore no longer a CFS Executive, he was however one when hired to CRO at UTSU and RSU.  He was during the part of the election process that occurred prior to the change over at NGC

Much has been recently written about Eric Newstadt.  Eric Newstadt holds an impressive array of positions: President – York University Graduate Students Association where he is listed as VP Finance and Services on the website, and he is the past President of the GSA.  He is also listed as the CFS contact for the York GSA: http://www.cfsontario.ca/french/contact.php.  He is the CRO for the Ryerson Students’ Union and the University of Toronto Students’ Union.  He is also the Chairperson of the National Graduate Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students.  This last position makes him a serving CFS Executive.

This means that he is clearly in a conflict of interest as the CFS has a major stake in these elections.  The University of Toronto is the breadbasket of the CFS sending nearly a half-million dollars a year.  There are candidates in the UTSU election that are challenging the current slate running the UTSU.  Considering how closely this slate works with the CFS, this raises, at the very least, the appearance of conflict-of-interest.

I have to admit, I am impressed that Mr. Newstadt can do some much in his spare time. 

In his current role as Ryerson CRO, he gave demerit points to Engineer Candidates, who running on a Transformers theme, used the term “kick some Decepticon ass.”  The Decepticons, of course, being the enemies of the Autobots.  Newstadt had plenty to say about the use of that line according to an article written in the Ryersonian:

After taping about 30 of the posters around campus, Bakos and Petz were informed by the chief returning officer (CRO), Eric Newstadt, that “Decepticon” could be perceived to mean their competitors are “deceptive con artists” and were asked to remove the posters.

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More here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2243127653 …

This is the first of two major stories I am posting tonight.

I have received a copy of the Open Letter of Resignation of Devin King from the UWSA Board of Directors.  He names names and really develops his points.  His views are shared by many within student unions under the influence of the CFS, hopefully more will speak out.

I have taken screenshots of it:

I wish to thank my source on this.  …

The Ryersonian is writing some well-stated editorials recently. Here are some quotes:

From Tuition Protestors should’t twist facts:

A statistic listed on the CFS-run website reducetuitionfees.ca claims that “more than 74 per cent feel that Dalton McGuinty broke his election promise by cancelling the tuition fee freeze after only two years.”
Seventy-four per cent of those surveyed are welcome to “feel” that the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup last year, but that doesn’t make it so.
It’s one thing to hold profound beliefs in an ideal. Twisting the facts in order to achieve it is another.

From So, who’s lying now?:

The student union representatives who lied their way into a press conference under the guise of being student reporters last week only care about one thing — and it’s not getting their message out.
They just want attention, and this latest stunt has proven that there aren’t any depths they won’t stoop to in order to get it.

This photo shows that radicials are on all sides. I cannot believe this guy actually wrote that on his sign: http://www.ryersonline.ca/content_images/dayofaction/trentprotesters.jpg …

From the site of the Ryerson Journalism Paper: Ryersonline …

Watch my blog tonight.  I have received some news tip which I will be posting tonight.  These tips are going to really shake things up in student politics nationally.

Right now, I have to finish some school work and go to class… watch for the posts to start appearing after 10pm eastern time tonight.

- Joey …

One of the pro-tuition increase websites will be www.heckyes.ca

There is nothing up there yet.  I looked into the CIRA record on the site and can confirm that it was registered by an UManitoba Engineering student. …

The University of Manitoba Engineering Society Council passed the following motion last night:

MOTION — UMES COUNCIL MEETING 07R-15
Title: Tuition Surcharge Referendum
Mover: UMES Executive
Seconder: (Not Required)
WHEREAS the Faculty of Engineering is currently experiencing a funding shortfall that cannot be resolved directly by the means of the Faculty.
WHEREAS the Faculty of Engineering has requested that UMES determine if undergraduate engineering students support a proposal to add a per-credit-hour tuition fee surcharge for Engineering courses in an effort to maintain the quality of our academic programs.
WHEREAS the Faculty of Engineering has provided the UMES Executive with a copy of the tuition surcharge proposal, which will be displayed to UMES Council and UMES members at the February 21, 2007 UMES Council Meeting.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT UMES Council carry out a referendum to determine the will of the members of UMES, the undergraduate students of the Faculty of Engineering, with respect to the following questions:
1. I support a tuition fee surcharge to raise the per credit hour fee for Engineering courses to a maximum of $144 per credit hour (maximum $40 per credit hour for courses offered by the CIVL, ECE, ENG, and MECH departments, maximum $17 per credit hour for courses offered by the BIOE department) to be utilized as described in the “Proposal to Increase Engineering Student Fees” to provide the Faculty of Engineering with the resources to maintain the quality of its undergraduate programs, with the following understandings:
 That all funds collected from the surcharge will return to the Faculty of Engineering to address its budgetary shortfall.

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The following T-Shift is revolting.  I completely agree with the outrage expressed against it by the Canadian Federation of Students which runs a campaign entitled “NO MEANS NO.”  A campaign I strongly support and agree with.  I actually have one of the bottom on my UMSU lanyard that I worn working at McMaster in Housing.  The T-Shirt is sold in Canada by BlueNotes.  I do not shop there myself but I call on people to boycott the store for a period of time to sent a message.

…

The Canadian Federation of Students sent out the following release today:

Attention News/Education/Parliament Hill Editors:

Students Say: “Bob Rae is a Disaster for Affordable Public Education” Urge Toronto Centre Liberals not to Nominate Bob Rae

TORONTO, Feb. 23 /CNW/ – Bob Rae, a champion of higher tuition fees and deeper debt for Ontario’s students, is an unpalatable candidate for the Liberals in the riding of Toronto Centre, according to the Canadian Federation of Students. Both George Brown College and Ryerson University have campuses in the riding and many students from Toronto’s eight colleges and universities live in Toronto Centre.

“Bob Rae has been a disaster for affordable education,” said Jesse Greener, Ontario Chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students. “His record as Premier speaks for itself and his most recent campaign to deregulate tuition fees hasn’t won him any friends among students and their families.

I agree with much of the release.  My only questions are which students? and why are no students mentioned or quoted in the release?  Could the CFS not find one?  Jesse Greener is not a student, I do not even know when he was last a full-time student.  He has been working for the CFS for at least two years now.

Source: CNW Group …

Just a quick reminder.  Due to the massive amounts of comment spam that my server is hit with every day, I have sent comments to require approval prior to appearing on my site.  (Since 1500GMT yesterday, I have received over 300 spam comments.)  I do use a registration service called TypeKey to authenicate users and grant immediately publishing of comment rights.  TypeKey is a free service of Six Apart Inc., the company that creates MovableType (which is the program I use to power my blog), LiveJournal, TypePad Vox and a few other services. 

Basically, go to TypeKey, register, log-in to TypeKey using the link in my comment section, post your comment, and then in the future you will see it on my blog right away.

A question, if I create my own registration system, will be use it?  I am planning to move my blogging on student politics over to another domain (in similar nature to www.studentunion.ca) where I will be creating a phpBB forum for discussion on student politics.  I could probably have the same registration system for both if I put my mind to it.

TypeKey Registration is at: http://www.sixapart.com/typekey/ …

 Reading Unlimited Rice Pudding today, and discovered that he/she had more to say related to their recent post that I linked, on Tuesday, to:

Well, in my last post, I devoted quite a lot of space to ranting about the Canadian Federation of Students and their empty rhetoric replacing genuine political discourse and discussion at my university. And while I’ve put some ideas out there, I have to give props to my buddy Mark for putting the point perfectly and brilliantly in his editorial in the issue of The Muse that came out earlier today. And it seems that I’m beginning to pay the price for my increasingly public political anger. I have taken the ultimate punishment that someone in my standing in society can receive - I have been unfriended on facebook by one of my former student activist acquaintances, who is now an employee of the CFS. She will go unnamed, but you and your corrupt national lobby organization will rue the day that you tried to interfere in a local political environment where you don’t belong. I don’t know how I will bring about said ruing - but I’m working on it.

Source: Unlimited Rice Pudding: The Terror of Politics …

I am very excited to read the following news:

CYO announces Marydale Park plans
Feb, 23 2007 – 3:00 PM
HAMILTON (AM900 CHML) – Plans for Hamilton’s first barrier-free park have been unveiled by the Catholic Youth Organization.
Marydale Park will be located in rural south Hamilton on a 35 acre site at Chippewa and Nebo Roads, adjacent to the Binbrook Conservation Area and Lake Niapenco.
The park will feature hard-surface recreation trails, wheelchair-entry pools, accessible boating and fishing, barrier-free picnic areas and more.
CYO Executive Director Peter Rosser says the park is needed, as the percentage of Hamilton’s population with disabilities is higher than both the provincial and national averages.
Camp Marydale has been without a permanent home since 2003 when the original site in Puslinch closed.
The 3.5 million dollar park is expected to open in 2009.

I went to Camp Marydale every year from 1986 – 1997 and I cannot even describe all the positive impact it had on me. I have some many great memories of my time there. For many years, it was the only thing I looked forward to. Summers were great there. I am very happy to hear that in three summers, it will be back for another generation. …

Fellow students, we’ve just been gangbanged Editorial
by Mark Cluett

  Many have accused this writer of being anti-MUNSU - that would be the Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union, the elected group of students who represent you when it comes to matters at this university. However, that is just simply untrue.

The problem is the fine line, and the increasing blur between the student union and the local faction of the CFS, the Canadian Federation of Students.

The CFS is one of the largest student organizations in Canada, “representing” students and their unions on a national scale for more than 25 years. They lobby for affordable tuition fees and higher quality education, or in the cases where tuition fees are reasonable, the complete abolishment of tuition fees.

We pay fees to each organization, but what do we get?

For the $38 you pay to MUNSU each term, you actually get quite a bit. MUNSU operates services like the Attic (post office) the Copy Centre, the Breezeway (as much as everyone complains about it, they still go there), a student planner, meeting space on campus, funding for student groups and projects, organization of winter carnival, CHMR, the paltry salaries of your elected representatives, and student representation when it comes to academic and legal matters like tenants rights. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, they pay some funds to the national wing of the CFS as well.

For the $3 you pay to the provincial CFS you pay for useless rhetoric and the salaries of provincial CFS employees; salaries that you, as a university student, won’t see the likes of any time soon.

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 This is an interesting small confusing post.  The title is SFSS forum and speaks about a vote on CFS membership.  There is nothing more, no details.  Someone at SFU, please enlighten me!

SFSS Forum
Posted around evening time on Wednesday, February 21st, 2007.
Welcome to the debate on CFS membership. Let’s vote.

Source: A Personal Reality » Blog Archive » SFSS Forum …