Noel Semple is a classic progressive conservative, modelled to at least some degree on the a leader he respects a great deal—federal Tory leader Joe Clark. He favours chopping the SAC budget to give students the equivalent of a tax cut, and believes in decentralization—giving more power and money to colleges and student groups.
His competitor, Rocco Kusi-Achampong, prefers to run on his record and experience with student life, most notably as president of the Black Students Association, which has organized the successful Black History Month at U of T, among other major events. He is not in favour of much in the way of a big overhaul, saying that his top priorities are things SAC has worked on this year, like fighting for a tuition freeze, working more closely with student groups and working for a discount TTC pass for students.
Semple believes tuition freezes do not always help students most in need, the TTC pass is a pie-in the sky dream, and, to a large degree, the two are empty promises. “I’m not convinced that they really have a grasp on the issues,” Semple said of his opponents.
Rocco says Semple is an ideologue who will not work well with those who disagree with him and will axe services that don’t fit within his political mindset. “Take Back SAC is just an experiment in practice,” Rocco said. “SAC belongs to the students.”
But even at this young age, they both bear classic marks of politicians that make them seem more similar than different. For instance, when asked how they planned to vote on the myriad of small levy questions asked for by a number of student groups, they largely declined comment, perhaps fearing that a response either way would surely end up alienating someone.
That said, there are differences in a number of key areas, and these differences are important because they will shape the way students are represented next year and the way a sizable chunk of their money is spent.
SAC GOVERNANCE
When it comes to how they want to run student government next year, the two begin to drift in different ways.
Rocco does not believe SAC wastes money, but believes some of it needs to be reallocated to focus on his campaign’s axiom of “practical solutions for practical problems.” What that means is meeting with student groups and ensuring they are properly funded, and building more institutions that ensure school spirit. Rocco thinks that with a few reforms, SAC and the administration can work more closely together: “It’s bureaucracy. Let’s relax the red tape between the two.”
Rocco said he would devote more spending “to the overall building of school spirit” if elected.
He noted that the now-defunct SAC pub, the Hangar, was a place where students from all across campus could get together and socialize.
He also aims to simplify the opt-out process for the health plan by allowing students to opt out on-line. He notes that many students have dental and health coverage from their parents, but are not able to opt out of the large SAC fees because they presently can only do so if they go to the SAC office in person.
“I don’t think SAC wastes money per se,” Rocco said.
Semple wants to cut red tape and cut back fees, saying SAC wastes a lot of money. For him, budget areas that should be cut back or eliminated include food at SAC meetings, large travel and conference budgets, and funding for unprofitable student services like the Vegitarium, a student-run vegetarian café. What was supposed to be a temporary loan “has become a regular line item on the SAC budget, $7,000 per year,” Semple said of the café.
If extra money is left after a 10 per cent cut to SAC fees, he would put it toward student groups and college events. “When colleges organize parties, they are often better than SAC parties,” Semple noted, adding he would work closely with colleges to run joint social events. Take Back SAC also wants to overhaul the SAC website, with the aim of making SAC an informational hub for students. He says currently when students want to find out information about student services, they often have to go through a complicated process which discourages campus involvement.
“We’re thinking of turning SAC into a service that co-operates” with other student services on campus, Semple added.
THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS
The divide between the two grows further when it comes to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and the issues it supports. The CFS is one of two national student lobby groups, and will be having a referendum on campus next year to decide if U of T students wish to join.
Semple had nothing positive to say about the CFS, except for the fact that he likes the idea of a national student lobby group generally, and that he likes non-political services the CFS provides, like their ISIC card, which students would get for free if they joined CFS. He doesn’t think the $12 per student fee CFS membership is worth the cost, saying, “They have got an over $4 million budget and they haven’t frozen tuition yet.”
He hinted that there is a strong chance he or other members of his campaign team would step down from their posts at SAC and actively campaign against CFS.
“Our policy on this is to encourage all students to come out and vote,” Semple said.
Rocco supports the CFS. He said he was initially skeptical about the organization, but after a talk with Alex Kerner, the current SAC president, Rocco said he was convinced that the organization would benefit U of T. “He was able to reasonably convince me,” he added, saying he likes the CFS’s strong stand on tuition, and stand that the CFS says has helped net tuition freezes in some provinces.
Rocco concedes that the CFS’ fee is unpopular, noting that “you’re working against the grain” of cutting tuition. That said, he says when the CFS and its rival CASA presented at U of T, he says many believe CFS made a far better presentation.
Rocco said he won’t be getting involved in the eventual referendum that would ratify U of T as a full member of the CFS: “I think it’s important… I’d like to see it done, but I’m going to stay clear of it.”
NEXT WEEK: The Personal Record, the Administration and Tuition.
