Mud-slinging at the Students’ Administrative Council continued last week as SAC executives sniped at each other, alleging a toxic cocktail of incompetence, insubordination, and reckless mismanagement. The invective flowed after articles in campus media outlets, including The Varsity, detailed overspending on a frosh-week trip to Canada’s Wonderland. The conflict escalated, however, as SAC VP Student Life Dylan Rae tried to remove Promotions Commissioner Berkha Gupta from her position.

The problem? Rae alleged that Gupta is not actually a U of T student.

“We had a non-student controlling SAC funds and it seems that a number of SAC executives knew and tried to cover it up,” said Rae. “It’s because of a by-law that she’s still on the board. SAC’s constitution should be changed because that position’s vote has been used repeatedly and illegally. How is she getting paid $12,000 a year as Promotions Commissioner and isn’t a student? Definitely there are a lot of problems with SAC right now.”

Gupta called these “false accusations.”

“[SAC’s] by-law requires a course being taken starting in the summer session and gives a maximum limit. I took 1.5 credits over the summer and therefore, I am eligible according to the by-laws. Until the board advises otherwise, I am still the Promotions Commissioner,” said Gupta. “I do not have any voting rights on the executive, and I do not have a budget for my commission. I do not have the right to sign checks and all of my check requests are signed by two executives. I wish [Rae] would provide hard, straight facts, rather than making false accusations and tainting SAC’s name.”

UTM VP Moneeza Ahmed agreed with Gupta.

“Dylan Rae’s comments about Berkha Gupta are a truly pathetic attempt to discredit the SAC Promotions Commissioner. What is most disturbing is that Dylan has no real accusations against Ms. Gupta,” Ahmed wrote in an email obtained by The Varsity. “Dylan Rae is the only individual on SAC who is attempting to create a poisoned and unprofessional environment.”

Rae said these accusations were just a deflection from the real issue of SAC’s budget.

“We just bought two new laptops costing nearly $3000…but we’re turning away campus clubs and student groups, saying ‘we have no money, come back next year.’ It’s horrible. I think we need a fully independent investigation of Berkha and her spending spree. They’re accusing me with trumped up charges in order to silence me and I’m not going to stop asking questions.” Ahmed said that Rae was out of line in calling for an investigation.

“If a whistleblower were appointed to SAC, they would clearly find Dylan Rae ignoring and flouting his duties. He has proven himself incapable of being a diligent steward of students’ money. Dylan has, for the second year in a row, massively overspent his budget. If Dylan Rae wants to improve SAC, I suggest that he do so by actually doing his job and keeping the best interests of our organization in mind, not by merely attacking adversaries that he fears in his upcoming SAC presidential candidacy.”