Candidates and a few attendees gathered in a small lecture hall in Harbour Centre yesterday to participate in the second all-candidates debate of the 2015 SFSS general elections.
After the first few candidates debated, it became clear by the varying level of applause that different slates had set up camp on opposite ends of the room.
The first of the executive positions discussed was VP University Relations. Brady Wallace (REAL) spoke to different student issues that would require liaising with the university, such as the closure of Louis Riel House. His opponent, Ali Najaf (SCHOOL SPIRIT), declined to comment as he has been working with SFU Residence and Housing on this issue.
VP External Relations candidates spoke about how they intend to advocate for and reach out to students, the merits of mailing lists, as well as how they would approach sponsorship. Arjun Mundy acknowledged the capability of his fellow candidates present, saying, “Anybody running for this [opportunity] would do a good job.”
Current board members then advocated for two levy-related referendum questions that would reallocate funds to grow the food bank program and to increase the society’s financial flexibility by moving more money into the general fund.
The two VP Student Life candidates discussed how to better engage council members and student groups.
During the VP Student Services debate, candidate Darwin Binesh (REAL) recognized that the society’s services are not perfect, but there are some that are used more than others that should be prioritized, such as the U-pass program. Both Binesh and Shery Alam (SCHOOL SPIRIT) stated that throwing a concert is not a part of their platform.
While the candidate participation had increased from last week’s Surrey debate, many sent in regrets, and some submitted a written statement. VP Finance candidate Karan Thakur sat alone at the table, talking about updating the society’s outdated timesheet system. “We’re not in the ‘90s,” he said.
Nearly all the presidential candidates were in attendance. Eric Hedekar (S.P.A.D.E.S. 2015) raced downtown on transit after a class on Burnaby Campus, but was ultimately too late to participate.
Johnny Aether (LAN Party) and Enoch Weng both spoke about wanting to change the negative associations students have with the SFSS. Weng asserted that the political atmosphere of the society was “alienating” to students, while Aether shared his dismay at how often he hears people use the word “hate” when discussing the society.
Kayode Fatoba (SCHOOL SPIRIT)’s platform focused on community building and furthering the efforts that he has already made. “The reason I’m running is that I don’t want all that to be in vain,” he said.
Fatoba came under fire twice during the debate when members questioned his attendance and tardiness, as well as being “disruptive” in his position as current VP Student Life. Fatoba returned that Student Life is a more “spontaneous” position, and that “The community knows my character.”
Zied Masmoudi (REAL) stressed the importance of hard work: “Inspiring people is not just about buzzwords and having people applaud you.”
He went on to say that ultimately, it’s wrong to get hung up on elections results: “It’s not a question of how many votes you got. It’s about doing your due diligence in a responsible way.”
