Democratic Representation

From the CFS website:

"Decisions made democratically

Each students' union has an equal say in setting the policies, direction and priorities of the Federation including how funds are spent.. All major decisions are made at provincial and national congresses four times annually at which every member students' union is represented"

Alberta does not have a provincial congress - the only other Albertan student group is the University of Calgary Graduate Students Association

What is CFS and why do we want out?

From the CFS website:

"The Canadian Federation of Students and the Canadian Federation of Students-Services were formed in 1981 to provide students with an effective and united voice, provincially and nationally. At the time, it was recognized that for students to be truly effective in representing their collective interests to the federal and provincial governments, it was vital to unite under one banner.

Today, over one-half million students from more than 80 university and college students' unions across Canada belong to the Federations.

Because universities and colleges are funded primarily by the federal government and administered exclusively by the provincial government, government policies and priorities determine the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada.

Tuition fee levels, student financial assistance programs and funding for research are all set directly or indirectly by both levels of government. Thus, it is vital that students collectively organize at the provincial and national levels to ensure that students' rights and concerns are fully represented."

We don't dispute the value of a national student lobby group, but is it worth $9,256.80?*

We say no.

*$3.99 per student, per semester mandatory membership fee collected by ACADSA on behalf of CFS

CFS Services - Handbook and Day Planner

From the CFS website:

"The Federation's handbook project was initiated primarily to reduce the cost of producing high-quality handbooks, particularly for smaller students' unions. Students' unions of all sizes soon benefited from the project, and today even the largest students' unions in Canada realise savings from the economies of scale enjoyed by the common handbook project."

ACADSA cost for producing the handbook last year was $3906. ACASDA is currently in discussion with ACAD to combine their student handbook with an agenda/planner for next year.

CFS Services - National Health Care Network

From the CFS website:

"Each year, the cost of prescription drugs and basic health and dental services, not covered by provincial health plans, take increasingly larger portions out of the limited budgets of many students. To address this problem, the Canadian Federation of Students-Services created the National Student Health Network. Established in 1985, the Federation's health, dental and vision plan assists students' associations with the design, negotiation, promotion, and administration of campus health and dental plans."

ACADSA does not utilize the health plan offered by CFS. We are covered by StudentCare, which was chosen as the best option by the last 5 ACADSA Student Legislative Councils.

CFS Services - Website Service

From the CFS website:

"The Canadian Federation of Students has developed a comprehensive web authoring solution for students' unions that allows them to publish and maintain database driven websites easily and cost effectively. The online content management possibilities are almost endless, and will be constantly evolving."

Costs for this service are not posted on the website. ACADSA has designed and maintained its own website. The current site www.acadsa.ca costs $300.

CFS Services - Student Phones

From the CFS website:

"The Canadian Federation of Students-Services has partnered with StudentPhones.com to get better deals on cell phones and accessories for students. StudentPhones is an international retailer that has the major Canadian carriers competing for student business. The result? Fair prices for students."

From the StudentPhones website:

"About This Page

This "Under Construction" page is an automatically generated placeholder Web page for a domain that is not yet attached to an active Web site. This page replaces the "Not Found" error pages and notifies visitors that a Web site is coming soon."

CFS Services - Travel CUTS

From the CFS website:

"Travel CUTS develops and promotes student oriented products and services such as student fares on airlines and trains, and student tour packages. Travel CUTS staff offer a wealth of information with years of collective student travel knowledge."

Travel CUTS services are available to the general public. Discounts require an ISIC card.