Let Me Introduce Someone Rather Important

By: Rebecca Firlotte

I had a chance to sit down with Andrew Koning, our Concordia Student Association (CSA) President. I asked him about his role within the CSA, his life outside of Concordia, as well as his hopes and plans for his term in office.

R: So, what is your role in the CSA?

A: “There are a few things that I am in charge of as President … one is the food bank. So, I work in conjunction with the university on making sure that it’s full of food, that it’s looked after, open, and accessible to students … not just students, anybody really can use it. I assist the Vice Presidents. So, if they need anything I help them out. I kind of set the tone for the CSA, setting the direction, a lot of the big picture stuff. Things that don’t fall under any of their roles specifically. I also … run interference, so if VPs are running into problems, if they are getting stonewalled from the institution for things [like their events] I go and talk to the institution and try to mediate … try to find common ground. [Although this] rarely happens.”

R: What brought you to Concordia?

A: “Kind of a long story. My brother went here. I went to St. Francis University in Nova Scotia when I first graduated high school. I didn’t do very well because of some of the choices that I made while I was there and I take ownership and responsibility of that, but Concordia was one of the only places that accepted me [after that]. I’m really grateful [to] them for taking the chance on me—for giving me a second chance. I am trying to do my best to live up to their [Concordia’s] expectations of me.”

It’s Parliamentary my dear Watson!

By: Rebecca Firlotte

As many of you may know, this year there will be an election in the United States for the next president. We see it happen every four years. There are a slew of campaign ads and speeches, a countless number of debates and tours, and a general craziness that cumulates in the American political system. I, along with many others, follow politics quite closely and am very interested in the outcome of such a historic event. There is one slight problem: the American system is vastly different from the Canadian system we know and love. For as long as I can remember, I have watched the American election process and still cannot seem to completely understand how their democratic process works. Therefore, I have decided to delve into the history of the United States a little and compare our system to theirs. In the long run it will make all of our lives easier, trust me.