Ex-Umsu pres AZIZ elected CFS chair

Outgoing CFS chair comments on his experiences with the position

TESSA VANDERHART

Former UMSU president Amanda Aziz was elected chair of the CFS at the organization’s annual general meeting, held May 28.

Aziz, UMSU president from 2004-06, served as the Manitoba representative to the Canadian Federation of Students’ national board for the 2005-06 academic term, as well as successfully campaigning to bring students at the University of Manitoba into the CFS.

And that campaigning — as well as her work planning the 2005 Day of Action at the U of M, and lobbying the provincial government for tuition fee freezes — is what Aziz says is the part of the job that excites her most.

“Part of the benefit of being on the national executive last year is that I have a very good understanding of what’s happening across the country,” said Aziz. “I’m not feeling like I’m coming in cold.”

A big part of Aziz’ work this year will be continuing the CFS membership drive that has increased CFS membership to 103 member students’ unions. Referendum campaigns will be held at Dalhousie, Trent, Wilfrid Laurier, Windsor and four other postsecondary institutions.

Aziz emphasized that decisions are made by the membership of the CFS: her mandate for the next year as chair is determined by the decisions made and ideas put forward at the annual general meeting, held each May in the Federation’s — and the nation’s — hometown, Ottawa.

And, Aziz added, with a minority government in Parliament she’ll have the opportunity to work with the stated operations of a government dependent on “avoiding or not avoiding elections.”

As of a referendum held Nov. 1- 3, 2005, every student at the U of M is a member of the CFS. UMSU now gets a vote at each of four national and provincial congresses, as well as representation through newly-elected Manitoba national executive representative Rachel Gotthilf and Local 103 UMSU representative, president Garry Sran.

Outgoing CFS chair George Soule cautioned that the job is not like a student union president’s: “we’re just one piece of the puzzle of 500,000 students.”

“It’s always exciting to go on to a campus and see people get excited about the CFS,” Soule said. “They don’t understand, but they know they pay too much in tuition fees.”

He added that the unusually high voter turnout (18.6 per cent) and support (86 per cent) U of M students showed in the 2005 CFS referendum was one of his most satisfying experiences as chair. Soule’s tenure saw a referendum campaign at the University of Saskatcehwan, though the legalities of the student-paid CFS levy are currently being debated by the U of S Board of Governors.

“All of our members can be proud of what we’ve done,” Soule said.