What is ASFA?

The Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) is the largest faculty-level student union at Concordia; representing roughly 17000 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Science. ASFA is a federation of student associations. This means we are made up of over 30 department-specific Member Associations (MAs). ASFA exists to pools resources in order to deliver faculty-wide social events, academic initiatives, and advocacy projects. Additionally, ASFA coordinates the administration, governance, and elections for all MAs.

ASFA is an accredited student union, registered through the provincial Act Respecting the Accreditation and Financing of Student Associations.

What are MAs?

A Member Association (MA) is a department-specific student association which makes up the arts and science federation. MAs represent the academic and accessibility interests of its members at the program level. MAs are important as they are the closest to their members, meaning they have the most democratic legitimacy of any student association at Concordia. ASFA exists to promote cooperative solidarity between departments and to ensure representation for arts and science students wihtout a MA.

While some MAs are independently accredited through the Act Respecting the Accreditation and Financing of Student Associations, many achieve their accreditation and funding through their membership to ASFA.

A


Applied Human Sciences Student Association (AHSCSA)

 

B


Biology Student Association (BSA)

 

C


Communications Studies Student Association (COMS Guild)

 

Concordia Association for Students in English (CASE)

 

Concordia Classics Student Association (CCSA)

 

Concordia Undergraduate Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics Society (CUBCAPS)

 

Concordia Undergraduate Psychology Association (CUPA)

 
 

Concordia Religions and Cultures Student Association (CRACSA)

E


Early Childhood and Elementary Education Student Association (ECEESA)

 

Economics Student Society (ESS)

 

F


First People’s Studies Member Association (FPSTMA)

 

G


Geography Undergraduate Student Society (GUSS)

Concordia German Language Student Association (CGLSA)

 

H


Health, Kinesiology, Applied Science Student Association (HKAPSA)

 

I


Irish Studies (ISSA)

 

J


Journalism Student Association (JSA)

 

L


Law and Society Student Association (LSSA)

 

Liberal Arts Society (LAS)

 

Linguistics Student Association (LSA)

 

M


Mathematics, Actuarial and Statistics Student Association (MASSA)

 

Modern Chinese Language Student Association (MOCHI)

 

P


Political Science Student Association (PSSA)

 

School of Community and Public Affairs Student Association (SCPASA)

 

Science College Students’ Association (SCSA)

 

Sociology & Anthropology Student Union (SASU)

 

Students of History at Concordia (SHAC)

 

Students of Philosophy Association (SoPhiA)

 

Sustainability and Diversity Student Association (SDSA)

 

T


Teaching English as a Second Language (TESLSA)

 

U


Undergraduate Student Association in Translation/ Association étudiante du premier cycle en traduction de l’université Concordia (USAT / AEPCT)

 

Urban Planning Association (UPA)

 

W


Women’s Studies Student Association (WSSSA)

FUNDING AND FEE-LEVY

ASFA receives its core funding through a fee-levy of credits allocated from undergraduate courses taken within the faculty of arts and sciences. The fee-levy was voted on and approved by the membership. Any augmentation to ASFAs fee-levy must be put to a vote by its membership. ASFA derives its ability to levy fees from the Quebec Accreditation Act.

The fee-levy provides ASFA with $1.22 per credit, and is inclusive of all credits allocated for all undergraduate Arts and Sciences courses. For example, when a student signs up for a 3 credit course ASFA receives 3 x $1.22 for a total of $3.66. The fee-levy is paid as part of tuition.

At the start of each semester, the university transfers the fee-levy to ASFA as a lump sum. However, if a student leaves a class or fails to pay their tuition, the corresponding fee-levy per credit is deducted from ASFA’s funding. In this way, ASFA’s funding is contingent but also stable.

Additional funding for ASFA and its Member Associations comes from ticket and merchandise sales at events. ASFA also applies for and receives funding for specific projects from sources on campus. ASFA and the Member Associations can seek sponsorships. However, ASFA is not a registered charity and cannot give tax receipts for donations.

OPT-OUT

Students are able to opt-out from the $1.22 per credit fee-levy. Students may opt-out at any point in the semester for reimbursement of fees incurred and paid in that current semester. All students requesting reimbursement must provide proof of enrollment as well as proof of payment of tuition to determine the number of credits to be reimbursed for. There is no deadline or opt-out date within each semester but opt-out reimbursements must be made within the current semester and cannot be applied for retroactively.

Students are not required to justify opting out. However, students who opt-out are not eligible to attend ASFA or Member Association events in that semester. Please contact ASFA at finance@asfa.ca to inquire about opting out.

Please note that ASFA only receives and therefore can only reimburse the $1.22 fee-levy. Additional fees levied on Arts and Sciences undergraduate students do not flow through to ASFA.

Funding