Arts Undergraduate Society Vice-President Events Marisa Leon-Carlyle resigned last month after she admitted to misappropriating a gift certificate to Montreal's Delta Hotel. According to several anonymous sources, Leon-Carlyle used the certificate, which was originally meant to be raffled-off to raise funds for the Red and White Ball, to throw a party for her friends in a Delta Hotel suite.
Delta Hotels was one of the sponsors for McGill's Red and White 2008 graduation ball. As part of their sponsorship package, Delta included a pair of gift certificates, which could be redeemed for two nights in the presidential suite of the Delta Hotel on Sherbrooke Street. The hotel valued each gift certificate at $2,000.
Last year's AUS executive intended to raffle the certificates to raise money for Red and White. However, the raffle only generated $30 in revenue, and the gift certificates were never given away.
This year's AUS Executive also wanted to raffle the certificates. However, the Red and White committee planned to use one gift certificate for the Red and White Hype Party instead. Anyone who bought a Red and White Hype Party ticket would be entered into a draw for the presidential suite.
On January 14, Leon-Carlyle contacted Delta Montreal. She booked the presidential suite for February 13, the date of the Hype Party, and negotiated an extension to the expiry date of the second gift certificate past its original February 28 expiration.
However, the Red and White committee decided to cancel the raffle for the presidential suite a few weeks before the Hype Party. According to Leon-Carlyle, with the room booked and the gift certificate set to expire on February 28, she used the room to throw a "Red and White Hype Party pre-party."
"Everyone was kicked out at midnight and told to go to the Hype Party," Leon-Carlyle said.
Facebook photographs of Leon-Carlyle and her friends in the presidential suite surfaced the next morning. AUS councillors immediately began asking questions, and the AUS executive started piecing together the facts. After a few days, Carlyle realized she was being investigated and approached AUS President Nick Wolf. She tendered her resignation on February 18.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 10
Alex
posted 3/10/09 @ 10:01 AM EST
Is this really so bad? If the certificate was set to expire anyway, isn't it better that it didn't go to waste? I feel for Ms. Leon-Carlyle. It's a real shame that council money is wasted on holding investigations over this kind of nonsense rather than planning events for students. (Continued…)
Anon
posted 3/10/09 @ 12:07 PM EST
No "council money" was spent on an investigation.
Reading online
posted 3/11/09 @ 2:42 PM EST
Underspoken irony of the week: 'According to one of the Tribune's anonymous sources, AUS Council didn't want the news appearing on the Internet.'
Anon
posted 3/12/09 @ 12:28 AM EST
First, the ticket was valued at 2,000 dollars which I will assume means no money was actually spent on acquiring the tickets. If this is the case then WHO cares! The AUS had ample time to use the certificates and I am probably more ashamed that they didn't do something else with them. (Continued…)
Andrew Parker
Andrew Parker
posted 3/12/09 @ 3:37 PM EST
Don't worry she still has her six-figure modeling contract in Europe.
PO'D
posted 3/12/09 @ 4:17 PM EST
"Council also didn't want to affect Leon-Carlyle's future job prospects."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Of course it should negatively affect Leon-Carlyle's future job prospects! She needs to be held responsible for her actions. (Continued…)
Fluey
posted 3/13/09 @ 1:10 AM EST
While I'm sure she did what she felt was right she should have consulted the rest of the council on what to do with the suite.
If it weren't for Facebook and those meddling kids. (Continued…)
Matt
posted 3/14/09 @ 9:29 PM EST
Send her to the electric chair with Madoff!
matthew.bouchard
Matthew Bouchard
posted 3/25/09 @ 9:01 AM EST
I might be biased due to my friendship with Marisa Leon-Carlyle, though I am also aware of the responsibilities we give our representatives in the AUS. (Continued…)
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