Even on the other side of the globe, students can still play a part in spreading awareness

In 2019, controversy surrounding a now-former McMaster Students Union club known as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association arose. 

The controversy began when activists came to the McMaster University campus to give a speech regarding the Uyghur Muslim camps in Xinjiang, China. McMaster Muslims for Peace and Justice and McMaster Muslim Students’ Association invited Rukiye Turdush, an Uyghur activist, to McMaster in February 2019.

Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is a region in western China populated by a great number of Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities. Since 2017, reports of disappearances of Uyghur Muslims began and there were suspicions about those people being taken away to internment camps.

China initially denied the existence of these camps, but later referred to them as re-education camps aimed at alleviating poverty and extremism

China initially denied the existence of these camps, but later referred to them as re-education camps aimed at alleviating poverty and extremism.

Turdush's speech sparked fury amongst some Chinese students, particularly because Turdush is considered a separatist. Several Chinese students filmed the presentation. The Washington Post directly translated group chat messages, letters, and conducted interviews with three event attendees. The Washington Post's translation confirms that some Chinese students contacted the Chinese Embassy. However, these students were acting independently and not acting on behalf of the CSSA.

Other screenshots, also translated by the Washington Post, showed that the Chinese Consulate of Toronto instructed those students to see whether university officials attended Turdush’s talk and whether Chinese nationals had organized the talk.

A statement signed by various McMaster Chinese clubs and organizations, including the CSSA, further evidenced that the students had contacted the Chinese Consulate of Toronto.

Here is the statement that the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at McMaster University issued after a Uighur young woman gave a talk there about the cultural genocide against Uighurs in China. H/t @ShengXue_ca for posting the original statement. My translation follows: pic.twitter.com/XSj5RT9jeL

— B. Allen-Ebrahimian (@BethanyAllenEbr) February 14, 2019

 

In September 2019, a report was submitted to the Student Representative Assembly in favour of revoking the CSSA of their club status due to a violation of Clubs Operating Policy, committing a Class C Offence under 5.1.3.

“Class C Offences are actions which endanger the safety or security of any person or property,” stated the MSU Operating Policy on Clubs Status. Further, 5.1.4 stated that “Class C Offences will always result in a punitive sanction.”

“Class C Offences are actions which endanger the safety or security of any person or property,” stated the MSU Operating Policy on Clubs Status.

The club was de-ratified by the MSU, stripping the club of its official club status.

In a second attempt to host a panel discussion at the university, Turdush and other experts were invited to campus once again on Sept. 27, 2019. Sara Emira is one of the students who attended the second panel. 

Emira shared that during the panel, one of the presenters, Olsi Jazexhi, recounted his experience of being invited by China to visit the camps. Jazexhi had originally believed that Western media coverage of the camps and the cruelty happening inside were untrue. However, Jazexhi was shocked by what he found during his trip to China.

“Reports that China was building internment camps and persecuting the Uyghurs seemed unbelievable . . . I was very eager to go to Xinjiang because I wanted to explore for myself what is going on there. But after visiting, I found that much of what we hear in the West about China is not actually “fake news”,” Jazexhi said in an interview.

"I was very eager to go to Xinjiang because I wanted to explore for myself what is going on there. But after visiting, I found that much of what we hear in the West about China is not actually “fake news”,” Jazexhi said in an interview

In September 2020, reports showed that China built nearly 400 internment camps. China continues to insist that the camps are meant to educate Uyghur people and that it is not a prison. While on a tour of a camp, BBC reporter, John Sudworth, spoke to a staff member.

“Doesn’t a place where people have to come, obey the rules and stay until you allow them to leave, sound more like a prison? Even if it’s a prison in which you can do art?” asked Sudworth. 

“Doesn’t a place where people have to come, obey the rules and stay until you allow them to leave, sound more like a prison? Even if it’s a prison in which you can do art?” said Sudworth. 

In response, the staff member said that he doesn’t know of any prison that would allow people to paint and that the camps are in fact a training centre.

In the same video, Uyghur Muslims can be seen learning Mandarin, studying China’s restrictions on religion and practicing loyalty to the Chinese government, rewriting lines such as “I love the Communist Party of China.”

In October, a House of Commons subcommittee in Canada denounced the mistreatment of Uyghurs living in Xinjiang as an act of genocide. 

In the same video, Uyghur Muslims can be seen learning Mandarin, studying China’s restrictions on religion and practicing loyalty to the Chinese government, rewriting lines such as “I love the Communist Party of China.” In October, a House of Commons subcommittee in Canada denounced the mistreatment of Uyghurs living in Xinjiang as an act of genocide. 

The subcommittee on international human rights said that they have heard from witnesses who survived the camps in China describe their experience as psychologically, physically and sexually abusive. Witnesses said they were subjected to forced assimilation and indoctrination into the Chinese culture. 

In thinking about ways students at McMaster and in Canada, in general, can play a role in the discussion of this situation, Emira noted that it is important to begin with raising awareness and educating people.

“[A]lso a lot of the torture that [the Muslims] are put through are things like drinking alcohol or eating pork and so your average person when you hear that, it's like, “oh, that doesn't sound like torture” and it's kind of like, “okay, well now we have to kind of educate people on why this is bad and what these people's values are”,” said Emira.

“[A]lso a lot of the torture that [the Muslims] are put through are things like drinking alcohol or eating pork and so your average person when you hear that, it's like, “oh, that doesn't sound like torture” and it's kind of like, “okay, well now we have to kind of educate people on why this is bad and what these people's values are”,” said Emira.

Aside from spreading awareness, Emira suggested that in general, people can help shed light on the Uyghur culture and keep their identity alive. 

For example, Emira shared that there are activists such as Subhi Bora who run campaigns to educate others on the Uyghur culture and help preserve Uyghur traditions. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Subhi (@subhi.bora)

“[A]s you can imagine, this is a group that wasn't really known before. News of the camps started to kind of gain traction, so I think it's definitely important to do that and to also acknowledge that there are definitely refugees here as well from these Uyghur camps and a lot of them are running small businesses and things as well. So it would be nice to see people support them financially and have these conversations with them. Get to know them. What have they been through. It really helps to add that personal element to the issue and helps us feel less disconnected from it,” said Emira.

"Get to know them. What have they been through. It really helps to add that personal element to the issue and helps us feel less disconnected from it,” said Emira.

Correction: Dec. 7, 2020

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the McMaster CSSA was de-ratified "due to failure to report ties to external organizations". The CSSA was de-ratified due to Clubs Status Operating Policy 5.1.3 for committing a Class C Offence, action(s) which endanger the safety or security of any person or property. 

 

Clubs will be required to have a minimum $5 fee and 25 general members to be ratified for the 2021-2022 academic year

The McMaster Students Union recently made changes to the MSU Clubs policy which has sparked outspoken anger and frustration. Approved on March 26, 2020, the MSU Clubs policy was modified to include several notable revisions. Among those revisions were a mandatory minimum $5.00 membership fee for every general member, a minimum of 25 general members and the creation of the Clubs Advisory Council.

Current MSU Clubs Administrator Jenna Courage sent an email on Sept. 25 to club presidents in light of a Mac Confessions Facebook post released on Sept. 23 and other uproar from students. In the email Courage wrote, “[Y]ou [club presidents] are all aware that Clubs Department policies underwent major updates and revisions last year, prior to the COVID-19 shutdown and the start of online classes.”

https://www.facebook.com/macconfessionss/posts/377807706947621&sa=D&ust=1602100456184000&usg=AFQjCNH9mANFmouSbJo9fzA34XybIOABWQ

Contrary to what Courage wrote, these policy amendments were passed by the MSU Executive Board after the COVID-19 shutdown and start of online classes. McMaster cancelled all classes and moved to an online learning format on March 13. These policy amendments, including the mandatory minimum $5 fee and the 25 general members, were passed at the Executive Board meeting on March 26.

In a memo to the Student Representative Assembly dated March 8, then-MSU President Josh Marando outlined a staffing change to the Clubs Operating Policy that was to be voted on at the next SRA meeting. Marando wrote, “[The updated operating policy] does not highlight the changes to any aspect of the policy other than the staff as those changes will be coming to the next SRA meeting.” The motion to create three new clubs staff passed unanimously on March 8.

The clubs amendments were not on the agenda for the March 22, April 18 and 19 or April 26 meetings. The March 22 meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The new amendments were also not in the meeting minutes for April 18 and 19 as well as the April 26 date. The April 26 meeting was the last for the 2019-2020 SRA.

In addition, the current 2020-2021 SRA did not ratify the policy amendments. “These policy changes were months in the making, ultimately vetted and approved by the Student Representative Assembly,” Courage wrote in an email sent to club presidents on Sept. 25. However, the assembly as a whole did not approve the amendments. The 2019-2020 Executive Board passed these amendments on behalf of the SRA.

The motion to approve the amendments passed with eight in favour and one abstention. The Executive Board was composed of the 2019-2020 Board of Directors and five SRA members.

Then-MSU President Josh Marando released a statement on the MSU website on April 16, which highlighted some of the clubs amendments. “Additionally, clubs will now charge a single, standardized membership fee," wrote Marando.  The policy of 25 minimum members is not included in this statement.

On April 17, then-MSU Clubs Administrator Aditi Sharma sent an email to 2019-2020 Clubs Presidents. This email included a document entitled Clubs Policy Changes FAQ. The email also linked Marando’s press release on the MSU website.

The FAQ document does not include the minimum $5 fee but does include the minimum 25 members. The MSU press release does mention a new mandatory fee but does not specify the minimum value of that fee. Both the FAQ document and Sharma’s email stipulate that there would be no changes to the ratification process for the 2020-2021 school year.

In August, Courage sent the same FAQ document to club presidents. The document stated, “there are no changes for the 2020-2021 academic year. However, in December of 2020, as part of the 2021-2022 application cycle, all clubs (new and renewal) will require a minimum of 25 members to receive recognition. These 25 members exclude the president and executive members. All members must have valid McMaster email addresses and student numbers.”

Courage’s email did not link to Marando’s press release.

According to Christina Brinza and Febby Pandya, co-presidents of the International Women in Science Day Conference, current club presidents weren’t made aware of the $5 fee until clubs training began at the end of September.

Brinza and Pandya wanted the conference to be free this year and to increase accessibility, and they believe that the $5 fee to be part of the club contradicts those goals.

Forcing our members to pay $5 just to continue to receive information about this event that's still going to be free. It doesn't seem fair to them or to us . . . It really contradicts our intention or our objective of accessibility,” said Brinza.

"It doesn't seem fair to them or to us . . . It really contradicts our intention or our objective of accessibility,” said Brinza.

Pandya explained the concerns of the $5 specifically on their club, which would culminate in the conference in the winter term. She said, “Since we are hosting such a large event later in the semester we kind of have to allocate our sources to be able to support that kind of large event and we can't really have too many miniature events to, you know, pique interest in to keep students wanting to come back.” 

Both Pandya and Brinza are worried about the classist undertones of the $5 fee, including for students who may want to try new clubs or who want to join multiple. In the March 26 Executive Board meeting, SRA member Eric Sinnige asked about the membership fee and cited concerns of a financial barrier to students. Then-VP Finance Alexandrea Johnston responded that if a student couldn’t afford the fee, they could work with the Clubs Accounting Clerk.

Both Pandya and Brinza are worried about the classist undertones of the $5 fee, including for students who may want to try new clubs or who want to join multiple.

However, that information was not included in this year’s MSU Clubs training module.

Julia Wickens, current VP administration and former president of jack.org McMaster, also expressed frustration and surprise at the policy changes.

“One of our biggest things as a mental health club is that we want people to feel that they can commit as much as they want to. So we have some people that attend a couple of our events and we have some people that are really, really involved. So I feel like putting a dollar value on that kind of hurts that idea a little bit and then from a student perspective, I think that $5 means a different thing to different people,” said Wickens.

A reason for the $5 minimum fee was that clubs would have more money in their budgets. In response, Wickens believed that there is a better way to reduce the amount of funding that clubs are requesting. 

“Make it easier for clubs to have cheaper options for things like food . . . but also for room-booking and stuff like that. In the past, we felt pretty limited about what our options are,” said Wickens.

“Make it easier for clubs to have cheaper options for things like food . . . but also for room-booking and stuff like that. In the past, we felt pretty limited about what our options are,” said Wickens.

On Sept. 27, the SRA formalized the policy exemption to all clubs for the 2020-2021 school year. According to SRA Arts and Science representative Adeola Egbeyemi, clubs will not have to charge the $5 fee or have a minimum of 25 general members for this school year. However, the policy will be in place for the 2021-2022 school year unless further action is taken by the SRA.

The MSU website has every MSU policy and by-law, including the MSU Clubs operating policies. However, as of Sept. 29, the Clubs Operating Policy is not up-to-date. Section 8.1.3 still states that “[a]n MSU Club shall . . . determine its own program membership and membership fee, consistent with the policies of the MSU.” The updated Clubs policies can only be found through the Executive Board documents.

Section 8.1.3 still states that "[a]n MSU Club shall . . . determine its own program membership and membership fee, consistent with the policies of the MSU."

Going online means something different for many, especially for performance-based clubs

McMaster University has now announced that the winter 2021 term will be online. Students will continue online classes and while the McMaster Students Union has not given official word, many clubs are preparing for the possibility that students will not be able to meet in person for extracurricular activities, such as clubs. 

In previous fall terms, the McMaster Students Union hosted a Clubsfest for clubs to present information about their club and recruit new members. 

With the online fall semester, the MSU offered a virtual Clubsfest via Facebook and Instagram. The MSU has posted descriptions and contact information of various clubs and will continue to do so until Oct. 2.

Many recreational clubs, such as McMaster Yoga Club and MacUke, have announced that they will continue to operate with online meetings. 

However, meetings will look especially different for many performance-based clubs such as the McMaster Marching Band and Absolute Pitch

McMaster Marching Band is open to students of all experience levels and provides them with the opportunity to learn an instrument, as well as perform for local events such as Santa Claus parades. Typically, the band practiced at local churches.

"This year, there will be no in-person rehearsals or performances at local events. However, the band will continue to practice via monthly Masterclasses," said Mike Cummings, administrative director of the band. 

"This year, there will be no in-person rehearsals or performances at local events. However, the band will continue to practice via monthly Masterclasses," said Mike Cummings, administrative director of the band. 

Instruments will still be available for students to borrow and the band has a $40 refundable deposit to cover any instrument damage and repair costs.

Funding for the McMaster Marching Band is given through the bylaw 5 fee, which is a non-MSU non-McMaster fee that was decided by a referendum. Cummings explained that the fees not only goes towards staff and uniform costs, but a large portion of the fee is for instruments.

“This year we are going to be running a surplus so that next year we can put more into our instrument purchases because those are quite the investment and they take a lot of funds . . . We’re going to really build that up now so we don’t have to say to anyone “Well we’re actually out of alto saxophones, would you mind playing tenor saxophones?” We don’t like to have that conversation,” said Cummings. 

“This year we are going to be running a surplus so that next year we can put more into our instrument purchases because those are quite the investment and they take a lot of funds . . . We’re going to really build that up now so we don’t have to say to anyone “Well we’re actually out of alto saxophones, would you mind playing tenor saxophones?” We don’t like to have that conversation,” said Cummings. 

Absolute Pitch is another performance-based club that has changed rehearsals this year. As a show choir, members of the club are often involved in both singing and dancing during an in-person school year. The club typically runs a holiday coffee house event in November with a final showcase around March. The final showcase is centred around a theme chosen for the year, and this year, the theme is “best of the decade.”

Following the announcement that the winter semester will be online, the club is still in the process of deciding how the final showcase will look like and whether or not rescheduling is possible. Absolute Pitch President Areeba Sharafuddin said that the club is also considering other alternatives and should restrictions ease up in future months, the club may choose to film a showcase together rather than do one live.

As for the coffee house, Sharafuddin shared that the club may opt for an alternative such as an acapella style video, with members recording individual singing videos and combining them together. 

A fee of $25 is usually required for members of the club. However, Sharafuddin expressed that it has not been decided whether a fee will be needed this year due to a reduction in equipment and rentals. 

Photo C/O Catherine Goce

On Sept. 22, the Student Representative Assembly voted to de-ratify the McMaster Chinese Students and Scholars Association due to concerns that the club’s actions had endangered members of the community. An investigation by the Silhouette has found that there had been several instances of miscommunication in the months leading up to the de-ratification.

During the summer, the Student Representative Assembly were under the impression that MAC CSSA would be under probation during the 2019-2020 academic year. However, this was not the case. Miscommunication between members of the SRA and some MSU staff members led to MAC CSSA being ratified as an MSU club on July 21 without first being placed on probation. On Sept. 22, MAC CSSA was de-ratified due to reasons unrelated to this miscommunication.

Every summer, the Clubs Administrator provides the SRA with a list of groups to recommend for MSU club status, highlighting any groups that require additional monitoring. On June 18, Clubs Administrator Aditi Sharma released a memo that recommended 327 student groups for MSU club status. The memo drew attention to two McMaster clubs: MAC CSSA and LifeLine.

“Two returning clubs (CSSA & Lifeline) are marked with a double asterisk (**) which indicates certain issues that came up during the year and supplemental details for those issues,” Sharma states in the memo. 

The supplemental details that Sharma was referring to, titled “Clubs Ratification Supplemental Info #2 - CSSA and Lifeline”, provides some background on the clubs. It highlights concerns that members of MAC CSSA had endangered an activist who spoke on campus about human rights issues for Uighur Muslims in China on Feb. 11. The document gives no indication that MAC CSSA was to be put on probation. 

Putting a club on probation allows the MSU to monitor the group’s activities and evaluate the need for further disciplinary action. According to the MSU Clubs Operating Policy, if clubs are found guilty of certain offenses, they may be placed on a period of probation. During this period, the club is required to report all future events and meetings to the Clubs Administrator. If the club is found to violate the rules again, it is subject to disciplinary action.

During the June 23 SRA meeting, a motion was put forward to ratify new and returning MSU clubs as recommended by the Clubs Administrator for the 2019-2020 academic year. An amendment to this motion was put forward to ratify all clubs with the exception of MAC CSSA, McMaster Chinese News Network, McMaster Chinese Graduate Students Society and McMaster Chinese Professional Association. A motion to postpone this discussion to the July 21 SRA meeting was passed 19-1, citing the need for more information.

On July 21, the SRA voted 17-1 to ratify all new and returning MSU clubs as recommended by the Clubs Administrator for the 2019-2020 academic year. MAC CSSA was ratified without any probationary period, since the Clubs Administrator had not recommended that they be placed on probation. 

Email correspondence in preparation for an SRA meeting almost two weeks later indicated that there was an assumption that MAC CSSA had been placed on probation. In reality, however, nowhere do the meeting minutes state that MAC CSSA had been placed on probation.

On Aug. 12, Administrative Services Coordinator Victoria Scott sent an email to an SRA member in which she mistakenly stated that MAC CSSA was on probation.

“. . .I can tell you now that the Chinese Students and Scholars Association’s ratification was contingent on providing outstanding information, plus they are on probation for six months,” said Scott in her email. 

“One more clarification! They are on probation, but there wasn’t a time set,” Scott clarified through a second email that she sent the same day. 

Both clarifications were incorrect. 

“In my August 12 email to [an SRA member], I incorrectly referenced a memo from the Clubs Department that was circulated in June to the SRA,” said Scott, when asked by the Silhouette on Nov. 5 where she obtained the information on CSSA’s probation.

Neither MAC CSSA’s probation nor the length of time for a probationary period are mentioned in the Clubs Department’s June memo

On Aug. 14, an SRA member, who asked to remain anonymous, sent an email to MSU President Josh Marando to clarify MAC CSSA’s privileges including their access to MSU resources and the club’s ability to attend ClubsFest. 

“Towards the end of our meeting [on Aug. 13], I believe [one SRA member] had asked about the BoD [Board of Directors] about the current situation with [MAC] CSSA, to which they replied that as of now, the CSSA does not have access to MSU resources . . .” said the SRA member in the email.

“I know the end of the SRA meeting got quite confusing, I was confused as well so I apologize for that. [MAC] CSSA is currently under probation this year, which means they must keep clubs admin informed of all events they hold, are watched more closely, and will face serious consequences in the instance of another infraction,” replied Marando over email.

It is unclear whether both the SRA member and Marando are referring to an informal meeting, or whether records of this meeting are missing from the August 13 SRA meeting minutes, as this was an emergency meeting called to revoke the Dominion’s Society club status.

Almost three weeks later, on Sept. 3, the same SRA member sent a follow-up email regarding MAC CSSA’s supposed probation, which both Scott and Marando had confirmed earlier via email. 

“I wanted to ask — why exactly was the CSSA put on probation? I’m not sure if I missed it, but I don’t think it was ever clear about the reason behind this [decision],” asked the SRA member. “In addition, I don’t believe that there is actually any explicit record of the CSSA being disciplined.”

“I believe the terms this year are that all events go through the Clubs Administrator as well as conditions surrounding ratification should they breach policy this year. That said, I don’t fully know,” replied Marando, offering to check and meet with the Clubs Department after ClubsFest. 

After at least one month of miscommunication, on Sept. 13, Marando clarified that the Clubs Department had recommended LifeLine to be ratified contingent on a probationary period, but had not recommended this for MAC CSSA.

“I am still following up with the minutes of the meeting as they haven’t been released yet, so I would interpret it as LifeLine’s probation still stands, but the CSSA one should be put forward again [...] Again, I’m still confirming to be 100%, but I would say it’s probably best to go ahead and put forward the CSSA probation motion again at the September 22 [SRA] meeting,” clarified Marando in his email on Sept. 13.

In an SRA Facebook group message following the Sept. 22 SRA meeting, Marando acknowledged the miscommunication surrounding MAC CSSA’s probation and apologized for the confusion.

“Regarding the confusion and mistakes made regarding the CSSA not being informed at the meeting and the initial probation. Overall, both are big oversites [sic], but please understand that they were not intentional by any means and we have put plans to ensure they do not happen again,” said Marando in the Facebook chat. 

When asked about this miscommunication at the Nov. 3 SRA meeting, Marando stated that he believed everyone on the SRA was under the impression that the Club Department’s  recommendation of probation applied to MAC CSSA, as well as LifeLine.

“It was really a procedural error,” said Marando. 

This was the first time that he publicly acknowledged the issue of miscommunication pertaining to the CSSA’s supposed probation.  

“Trying to rectify moving forward in terms of making sure that motions are more specific when it comes to ratifying clubs also, we are doing a full review of the clubs application process through our Internal Governance committee,” said Marando. 

In the President’s Report, Marando states that club policy review is ongoing. 

“Overall, I am hoping to have a bulk of the policy writing time in December, with conversations happening during November. We are looking at how funding works, improvements to [re-ratifications], how and who ratifies clubs, the Club Executive Council, and what qualifies a recognized club,” stated Marando in the report. 

Time will tell the impact any changes made to club policies will have on future communication within the MSU.  

By Anonymous

On Sept. 22, the Student Representative Assembly decisively voted to revoke club status for the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, ending months of disgraceful inaction from the McMaster Students Union board of directors and clubs department.

As a Chinese student, I applaud the SRA’s decision to stand up for student safety. The CSSA — which is linked to the Chinese Communist Party — has openly admitted to reporting people on campus to the Chinese government. By policing people and reporting them to a totalitarian dictatorship, the CSSA seriously endangered students who criticize the Chinese Community Party — especially Chinese, Tibetan and Uyghur students with family in China, given the Chinese government’s extensive human rights violations.

Many of us oppose the genocides in Tibet and Xinjiang, object to police brutality and rising authoritarianism in Hong Kong, and ultimately yearn to one day see freedom and democracy in our ancestral homelands. For us, the SRA’s monumental decision represents a strong affirmation of our right to exist safely on campus, and a rejection of Chinese Communist Party attempts to surveil and intimidate students.

Beyond my own opinion, the SRA has received sweeping praise. Rukiye Turdush, the Uyghur speaker condemned by the CSSA, applauded McMaster student representatives for standing up for our rights. Zhou Fengsuo, a famous Chinese human rights activist, called the vote momentous. Former Canadian ambassadors to China, David Mulroney and Guy Saint-Jacques, strongly commended the SRA’s move.

However, we should not let widespread approval obscure an important nuance: the SRA’s decision to de-ratify the CSSA was long overdue because of inaction from the MSU board and staff.

The SRA’s decision comes seven months after international media first reported on the CSSA in February. However, the MSU board and staff caused most of the delay, as they were occupied with speculation about lawsuits and fretting over potential backlash, instead of actually addressing the issue.

For starters, at the March 24 SRA meeting, then-MSU President Ikram Farah stunningly claimed that there was mere “speculation” about what happened — despite numerous detailed reports from international media and Human Rights Watch.

“We look at federal, provincial, municipal, and university [policies], and … based on the information we currently have, none of that had been infringed upon,” stated Farah in the Mar. 24 SRA meeting, oblivious the reason why international media sounded the alarm in the first place.

Beyond replying to SRA members who questioned them, the MSU board of directors did nothing to address concerns. There was no public response to the international news articles or Human Rights Watch recommendations. Meanwhile, the clubs department took no action either.

Finally, even immediately prior to the vote, the board of directors continued trying to avoid the issue in the SRA meeting on Sept. 22. Alexandrea Johnston (vice president finance) suggested moving the CSSA motion to the next meeting. Sarah Figueiredo (vice president administration) and Shemar Hackett (vice president education) refused to vote on the deratification motion. MSU President Joshua Marando had conveniently left the meeting earlier.

The board’s persistent attempts to avoid touching the CSSA fueled rumours of intentional efforts to hush this issue, or self-censor, due to pressure from university administration and fear of Chinese government retaliation. Although these rumours are speculation, the MSU’s ominous silence on social media so far (in contrast to Marando’s dramatic public statement excoriating the Dominion Society, another de-ratified MSU club) does nothing to reassure concerned students.

Faced with such cowardice from the MSU board and staff, the SRA cut through the nonsense and did what’s right. While the board and staff buried their heads in the sand for seven months, it was SRA members who gathered evidence, made a presentation, and motioned to de-ratify the CSSA.

Moving forward, SRA members should continue to keep the board in check. Evidently, the board’s approach is not always correct, so having the SRA hold the board accountable makes for a better MSU.

Marando, however, needs to show better leadership. Similar to his strong condemnation of white supremacy, Marando should publicly and unequivocally make clear that the MSU will not tolerate attempts to police marginalized students; efforts to surveil and control Chinese, Tibetan and Uyghur students on campus; or the hateful ideologies that enable genocide in Xinjiang. His silence so far on these concerns is deeply worrying.

The SRA has taken a bold first step in making campus a safer place, especially for students with family in China. Now it is time for Marando and the rest of the MSU board to stop twiddling their thumbs, match the SRA’s courage, and speak out against the threats and intimidation that students face.

 

[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]

 

Photo by Cindy Cui / Photo Editor

The Government of Ontario’s Student Choice Initiative was announced on Jan. 17, 2019. It called into question the tuition and ancillary fee guidelines that many students across the province had grown accustomed to.

The SCI is part of the Government of Ontario’s plan to make postsecondary education more affordable in Ontario. The new framework has already attracted much attention due to its changes to tuition and OSAP support. This year, the SCI will also allow students to opt-out of ancillary fees that have been deemed non-essential by the Government, which includes fees allocated towards clubs and student organizations.

The McMaster Students Union has created a webpage that advocates for students to support the non-essential fees and explains the impact the SCI may have on student life. The MSU represents over 20, 000 full-time undergraduate students and over 30 student-oriented services. Typically, money collected through the MSU fee that students pay as a part of their tuition is distributed amongst various student services on an annual basis.

According to the webpage, the MSU will change to a pay-per-service model in the coming year. Many services that were previously guaranteed will now be subject to optional funding. The list of optional services includes the Child Care Centre, Campus Events, Mac Farmstand, The Silhouette, CFMU and emergency student grants. In addition, all student clubs will be at risk of losing all or a significant portion of their funds. 

“The MSU has consistently been our biggest source of funding, and for that, we are very grateful, but that also means we will likely lose a significant portion of our funding under the new opt-out policy,” said Edward Cui, co-president of the McMaster Dragon Boat Club.  

One of the primary concerns for many presidents, executives, and general members is that decreasing financial support will reduce the accessibility of club activities. 

“I'm sure other athletic organizations at McMaster would agree: sports are not cheap. Yet they are so integral to the health and wellness of our student community,” said Cui. “The team fees of McMaster Dragon Boat have been historically lower than the dragon boat teams of neighboring schools, but there have still been instances where the financial burden becomes a barrier to student participation.” 

Katie O’Donnell and Sara Elgadi, co-presidents of the McMaster Classics Club, are worried that without financial support from the MSU fee, they will be unable to afford the larger events that they have offered in years past. They recognize that they will likely no longer be able to execute high quality events, which makes them fear that students will lose interest in Classics. For them, this idea is upsetting because everything they do is for the benefit of students, and to lose their support would be detrimental to their club.

The MSU promises that all of its services will continue to operate this year. However, everyone is already planning measures to face future years of reduced financial support. Elgadi and O’Donnell are already working on fundraising opportunities such as T-shirt sales, book sales and bake sales. Some clubs are turning to external support from the community. Cui and his team have been reaching out to various community partners for potential sponsorship opportunities. He sees a bright side to all of this, noting that regardless of how their budget turns out this year, this is a good chance for the club to establish long-term relationships with local businesses and increase their reach for years to come. 

Currently, MSU club members fear that students are not aware of exactly how club budgets will be impacted by SCI. They believe that McMaster clubs are an integral component to student life on campus. 

“While we understand the decision to opt-out, we would like to remind students that the fee is very minimal and helps support our clubs which aim to give you a better university experience,” said Elgadi and O’Donnell, “Opting out doesn’t take [money] away from McMaster itself, but rather, it takes opportunities away from you as students to network, make friends and receive guidance.”

Despite the possible changes and challenges that MSU clubs may face, a strong sense of optimism remains for the school year. 

“To McMaster students: this policy change may seem to put a damper on your plans for the year,” said Cui, “but don't let it stop you from exploring your passions and interests on campus.” 

McMaster students will be able to opt-out of non-essential fees through an online process available on Mosaic from Sept. 12 - 20, 2019 on Mosaic.

[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]

Content warning: white supremacy

At an emergency meeting last night, the Student Representative Assembly voted unanimously to de-ratify the Dominion society due to concerns that the club had neglected to disclose its affiliation with an external organization with alleged ties to xenophobic individuals.

The Dominion society was ratified alongside 337 other clubs at the July 24 SRA meeting. Prior to ratification, concerns were raised about the club’s affiliations, but SRA members stated that they had no way to verify these claims.

Two days after the club was ratified, an anonymous Twitter thread published photographs of the Dominion society leader attending events hosted by the MacDonald cultural and historical society, an external organization with no stated ties to McMaster. The thread also showed pictures of other people attending the group’s events, and posted screenshots of explicitly xenophobic comments that these individuals had allegedly made in private Facebook groups.

The Dominion society, formerly called the MacDonald society, states that its aim is to celebrate Canadian culture and history. The leader of the Dominion society denies that the club has any connection to white supremacist individuals or organizations.

The release of information sparked considerable community backlash. The day after the Twitter thread was posted, McMaster students union president Josh Marando issued a statement urging SRA members to de-ratify the club in light of the new information.

During the emergency meeting last night, Marando reiterated that he had recommended de-ratification because the Dominion society did not disclose its alleged ties to the MacDonald cultural and historical society, and because people tied to that organization had allegedly expressed white supremacist beliefs.

Despite a delayed start while waiting to meet quorum, the meeting lasted only 15 minutes. All SRA members who spoke during the meeting agreed that the club should not be allowed to exist on campus.

For SRA (arts & science) representative Catherine Hu, this incident highlights the need to reform the ratification process so that the same thing does not happen again.

“If we have adjustment to our policy of how we go about ratifying clubs, it would solidify why we should or should not ratify certain clubs,” said Hu.

SRA (social science) member Vania Pagniello stated that the SRA needs to take concerns of white supremacy more seriously. Pagniello noted that, while not explicit, there were warning signs in the Dominion society’s application that warranted closer investigation. In previous meetings, concerns were raised about the club’s plans to run events celebrating Canadian colonial history, given Canada’s history of colonization and state violence.

“In the future we need to be a lot more thoughtful and stringent about the people that we’re giving resources to,” stated Pagniello. 

The vote to de-ratify the Dominion society was unanimous. 

“We made a mistake, but we’re going to fix it,” said SRA (science) representative Armand Acri.

[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]

Photo C/O Kyle West

By: William Li

Content Warning: White supremacy

On July 21, the Student Representative Assembly briefly discussed concerns about clubs engaging in foreign surveillance and white supremacy — but in a shocking move, put these concerns aside and simply ratified all proposed clubs anyway, triggering an intervention just three days later by McMaster Students' Union President Josh Marando.

Although Marando’s quick response to concerns of white supremacy and threats to marginalized students is a good start, this incident remains problematic: Why did the SRA ratify the Dominion society in the first place, even though these exact concerns were brought up in the SRA meeting prior to the ratification vote?

Currently, the clubs administrator processes club applications and provides a list of clubs to the SRA, which usually votes to approve all at once. However, the clubs administrator is an unelected person, and they are historically either unwilling or unable to act when clubs promote or endorse actions that put students at risk.

For example, they declined to take action in February, when the McMaster Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) publicly declared that they reported an event on campus to the Chinese government for discussing China’s human rights violations against Uighur Muslims. Soon, there were international headlines and concerns that such surveillance on campus puts Uighur and Chinese students at risk, since criticism of the Chinese Communist Party is often grounds for imprisonment in China

The clubs administrator then took months to prepare a memo in response, which the SRA quickly overlooked as they re-ratified the CSSA at their July 21 meeting without addressing the memo’s concerns of surveillance and harassment.

The still-unresolved CSSA fiasco is a great example of how the Dominion society is not a one-time thing, but rather, just the latest symptom of a much more serious problem: the MSU’s glaring inability to manage clubs, and an urgent need for major reform.

Although we have a new clubs administrator now, the systemic issues with this model of governance persist: the SRA expects the clubs administrator to manage problematic clubs, but the clubs administrator does not do much beyond preliminary research and providing information to the SRA upon request.

The result is that nobody does anything. Anybody who can successfully fill out forms simply gets stamped and approved. Clubs get away with everything from foreign surveillance to peddling false medical information, while MSU officials busy themselves tossing political hot potatoes at one another.

We saw such political runaround in action when SRA members tried asking clarifying questions about certain clubs, and the clubs administrator wrote in their response, “I strongly recommend ratifying the majority of clubs such that the MSU Clubs Department can move forward with our activities for the year. If there are still concerns about certain clubs, it would be better to bring your questions directly to them.”

Given this apparent urgency for SRA members to stop bothering the clubs administrator with questions about clubs and just move on, there should be no surprise that the Dominion society escaped the proper scrutiny that should have happened before—rather than after—the rushed ratification vote.

While the SRA and clubs administrator have rightfully gotten flak over these decisions, we must remember that the problem is systemic. The clubs administrator job description does not explicitly require them to supervise clubs, ensure truthfulness in club applications or even enforce the clubs operating policy. Meanwhile, the SRA appears ill-equipped to pick up the slack on this front.

In order to address this, the SRA should not simply rubber stamp whatever is put in front of them by the clubs administrator; rather, they should take the time to do research and get fully informed before voting. Additionally, as our elected representatives, they should make the political decisions that the clubs administrator cannot, which includes exercising their power to withhold club status.

Although some may argue that revoking club status should not be used as a tool for censorship, we must remember that club status is a privilege, not a right. If clubs expect to access funding, ClubSpace and other such perks paid for with student fees, then the SRA should hold clubs to the same standard as other MSU departments.

Next, the SRA must revisit the rushed July 21 ratification vote and actually scrutinize clubs properly (perhaps at the emergency meeting that Marando has called for, though it remains to be scheduled). Instead of having the MSU President intervene each time there is a problem or waiting for issues to blow up in the media, the SRA should proactively resolve issues. The consequences of inaction can be clearly seen in how Chinese nationalists have instigated violence on other university campuses, while white nationalists have been provoking violence right here in Hamilton.

Finally, in the long-term, we need systemic change. Even though the clubs operating policy was recently amended in June, the updated policy quickly flopped in action when it failed to prevent the Dominion society ratification about-face. Furthermore, even Human Rights Watch has felt compelled to provide recommendations for more substantial change to address the Chinese government’s threats to academic freedom. The recent amendment’s stunning failure, the recommendations from HRW, and Marando’s intervention show that band-aid solutions will be insufficient — the entire clubs operating policy is no longer viable and must be overhauled.

The SRA must now show leadership so that these troubling incidents do not happen again. If nothing significant is done, then this cycle — where the MSU condones clubs that endanger students and then pauses to reflect only after enough controversy is attracted — will simply continue.

[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]

Photo by Kyle West

On March 29, the Ontario government unveiled guidelines for universities to follow in order to comply with the “Student Choice Initiative” policy, which allows students to opt out of paying ancillary fees.

According to the document, students will be allowed to opt out of fees that are allocated towards clubs, student organizations and programs that do not fall into the government’s criteria for essential fees.

Services considered “essential” in the guidelines include “athletics and recreation, career services, student buildings, health and counselling, academic support, student ID cards, student achievement and records, financial aid offices, and campus safety programs.”

As such, much remains unclear about what the student opt-out fee mandate means for the funding of MSU clubs and services next year.

Sean Van Koughnett, McMaster associate vice-president (Students and Learning) and dean of students, confirmed that the opting out process will occur online through the Mosaic system and be part of the regular tuition payment process in September.

McMaster Students Union vice president (Finance) Scott Robinson is working on a final memo to submit to the university student fees committee, outlining exactly what services the MSU wants to deem “essential.”

The government has given each institution the autonomy to determine what falls under the “essential” categories, but there will be penalties if universities are deemed non-compliant with the SCI come this upcoming fall.

“We've been working closely with the university to determine as many of our fees as possible as essential fees,” Robinson said. “The priority for me again has been that students voted at large that we should have a mandatory MSU fee.”

Complicating the budget submission is the fact that the union will not know how much they will receive in student fees until September.

Robinson is basing the official operating budget on the estimate that 35 per cent of students will opt out of non-essential student fees.

At this point, the framework is such that students will be able to choose which “non-essential” individual MSU services to opt out of, but club funding will fall under one fee item.

A source of funding that will help mitigate the loss of student fees is a ‘significant’ MSU reserve fund, which Robinson said has enough to keep the MSU running for two and a half years.  

“Things like funding decreases and scale-backs are being planned right now for the budget, but it isn’t like we’re in total doomsday,” Robinson said. “How much money goes towards things will shift, but the MSU is still in a financially safe place to operate.”

The reserve fund will be used primarily to help fund services and clubs.

Robinson says there will not be ‘significant cuts’ planned for student-run services such as the Pride Community Centre and the Food Collective Centre.  

The MSU executive board continues to advocate against the SCI.

MSU vice president (Education) Stephanie Bertolo said she and the board have met with nine Conservative and New Democratic Party MPPs so far.

“We don’t want the Student Choice initiative to go forward. That’s our ideal scenario,” Bertolo said. “We’ve asked if they do move forward with the Student Choice Initiative, to delay it a year, because it’s such a crunched timeline.”

Robinson will be submitting the 2019-2020 operating budget to the Student Representative Assembly for approval at the SRA meeting on April 14.

 

[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]

Photo by Kyle West

By: Rimsha Laeeq

As a commuter at McMaster University, getting home early isn’t always an option. For students who commute, studying late for a midterm in the library or attending an evening event is hardly an easy decision to make.

When deciding to stay late on campus as a commuter, transit is an issue to consider. It is crucial for students to be involved in the many activities that the university hosts. Students should not have to worry about their safety when commuting home from school.

This is why the Hamilton Street Railway should extend their bus schedules to the later hours of the evening.

The HSR has many buses that operate throughout the day, from the eastbound to the westbound, including the 5, 1, 51 and the 10, otherwise known as the B-Line Express.

Nevertheless, after 7:00 p.m., the B-Line stops running, meaning off-campus students have to either arrange their own rides or take one of the three other buses, which usually requires transferring onto another bus in downtown Hamilton.

As an off-campus student, the last B-line bus I can take to reach home under an hour departs from McMaster at 6:43 p.m. With most events ending after this, it becomes difficult for me to get home.

My 50-minute commute on one bus turns into an hour and 15-minute commute over two buses, and includes waiting in the heart of downtown to catch the second bus.

Students living off-campus are often forced to leave campus early and miss amazing events that McMaster offers because their bus won’t run after a specific time.

Being a university student does not mean to solely “work with academics”. I believe it is important for the HSR to extend their bus timings not only for the safety of their students but to allow students to become more involved with the different events taking place on campus.

With extended bus timings, students can engage in the abundant cultural events occurring at McMaster, with the opportunity to meet several other students at the university from a variety of programs and levels. This gives students the benefit of learning about the diverse cultures present at McMaster.

Off-campus students shouldn’t feel like they don’t belong, or don’t have a say in many of the events taking place due to inconvenient bus timings. These students, including myself, need to be a part of the university culture.

When it comes to academics, H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering is open until 2:00 a.m. during exam season for students to effectively study, whether that be alone or in groups.

For most students, once you sit down to study and are motivated to do so, you can study for hours on end. With a restricted time period due to bussing, this can often demotivate students, as getting in a ‘grind’ mode may be quite difficult for some.

Additionally, students study differently, which means that they need to be able to switch up their study environments. Some students prefer to study on campus while others prefer their home. Students shouldn’t have to compromise their academics because a bus doesn’t run at a later time.

For students who commute using the B-Line Express, this bus only runs on weekdays. With midterms, exams or other events occurring on the weekend, students are forced to take two or more buses or find alternate means of transport to get on campus.

Students should not be afraid of staying late at the school they attend. They should feel safe and have no difficulty commuting back and forth from campus on the daily.

When considering the safety of students, their involvement at McMaster and networking with people to make their university career a more fun-filled experience, HSR bus timings should most definitely be extended.

For students who are currently commuting and have to stay late, the McMaster Students Union offers a volunteer service, the Student Walk Home Attendant Team, who will walk or bus with students to their destination. This service is open seven days a week from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

 

[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]

Subscribe to our Mailing List

© 2024 The Silhouette. All Rights Reserved. McMaster University's Student Newspaper.
magnifiercrossmenu