Budget

CSU members (undergraduate students) pay the following fees to the CSU for the 2019–20 academic year:

In addition, undergraduate students pay $206 per year for the Health & Dental Plan. The cost of the Plan recently increased and now has more comprehensive mental health coverage. All fees above are used for the general operations of the CSU and the services that it manages. The use of the various funds is limited to the service they are collected for (i.e. the Clubs fee levy may only be used for Clubs activities, HOJO fees may only be used for HOJO, etc). Because of this, the CSU has multiple budgets to plan and manage.

See our Resources page to access Budget and Audit documents.

What are the CSU budgets?

Operations: This is the largest of the CSU budgets. It funds the day-to-day operations of the CSU and most of its initiatives. These vary a lot, and vary from year to year as student priorities change. Some examples of the operations budget include Orientation Week, staff salaries, office expenses, student life events, campaigns for student rights, sustainability initiatives, the CSU Farmers Market, the Hive Free Lunch at Loyola campus, student bursaries, and more.

Clubs: The Clubs fee is used to support the activities of the many diverse student groups registered under the CSU umbrella. The Clubs department organizes the annual Clubs Fairs and Gala, funds some renovations and furniture for Clubs spaces, and distributes annual budgets to the various Clubs. The department is overseen by the Internal Affairs Coordinator and the Clubs & Space Committee, as well as by one staff member, the Clubs Director, who provides administrative support to CSU student groups.

Student Space, Accessible Education, and Legal Contingency Fund (SSAELC): The SSAELC Fund is a large fund which can be used for specific projects set out in the CSU bylaws such as carrying out studies, retaining professional services and contractors, constructing/acquiring/renovating student spaces, and satisfying a legal action taken against the union. The fund is invested in stock holdings, of which the interest and dividends may be used to support student initiatives and Concordia student associations that vote for a strike mandate. A portion of the dividends are used to fund the Community Action Fund, which gives funding grants to external and student projects. The SSAELC fund is worth approximately $10 million as of late 2018.

Advocacy Centre: The Advocacy Centre is committed to the promotion and preservation of undergraduate students’ rights at Concordia University. Advocates can help students who find themselves in difficult situations by accurately identifying their needs and determining and executing the necessary course of action. The Centre can also act as a commissioner of oaths.

Daycare & Nursery: The CSU Daycare & Nursery provides accessible and affordable child care for Concordia undergraduate student parents. Located in the heart of the university’s downtown campus, the Daycare has an enriching and diverse curriculum inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach.

Off-Campus Housing & Job Bank (HOJO): HOJO is a CSU service located on the 2nd floor of the Hall building. It offers resources and legal information relating to housing and workers’ rights, a classifieds website for housing and jobs, and workshops for the community.

Legal Information Clinic: At the Legal Information Clinic, volunteer law students provide Concordia students with free legal information about a wide variety of issues.

Non-CSU Fee Levy Groups

There are a number of other per-credit fee levies collected by a variety of groups, such as Queer Concordia, The People’s Potato, the Centre for Gender Advocacy, The Link, The Concordian, and more. Fee levy groups are not under the management or oversight of the CSU; their budgets and internal processes are determined independently of the Concordia Student Union and Concordia University, though their fees are approved and modified by students in referendums organized by the CSU. All undergraduate students are members of these fee levy groups and are eligible to participate in their activities.

2019-20 CSU Budget(s)

The CSU annual budget(s) are approved by Council every year in June.

This year’s budget prioritizes student initiatives. With an increase in Special Projects Funding and new budget lines like the Competitions Fund, the CSU’s memberships will get more support from their Union to bring great events and projects to life on campus! To support these increased expenditures, savings were made across numerous budget lines (ie. online voting reduces elections costs, a cloud migration in the CSU offices last year has lowered IT costs for this year, etc.) and extra revenues will be brought in through event sponsorships.

Last fiscal year (2018-19), the CSU introduced a new step in the budget process: Budget Revisions. This is a mid-mandate review of the CSU’s budget plan, to see what, if any, financial plans need to be altered to better reflect the CSU’s needs and realities. This new budget will be presented to CSU Council for approval in January. By completing this revision process, the CSU will have a better chance to consult students while they’re more likely to be on campus, resulting in a budget more reflective of student priorities.

Audited Financial Statements

To ensure the highest standards of transparency, the CSU’s finances are externally audited every year. The most recent audit for fiscal year 2018-19 was approved by CSU Council on November 27, 2019.

The CSU’s daily expenses are available to all members upon request at the CSU’s main office on the SGW campus (H-711). Members can also meet with the Finance Coordinator in person if they wish to discuss CSU finances.

Do you have questions, ideas, or feedback regarding the budget and its accessibility? Feel free to reach out! You can email the CSU Finance Coordinator at finance@csu.qc.ca.