HART HOUSE DEBATE

Heckling, booing and pointed questions kept things interesting at the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) debate last Tuesday.

The campaign period for the top undergrad leader position finished Sunday and voting runs from Monday to Wednesday of this week, on-line at www.rosi.utoronto.ca.

Rocco Kusi-Achampong and Noel Semple squared off in the Hart House Music Room, with each trying to convince students present they were up for the job of SAC president next year.

“What’s been offered in the past isn’t cutting it anymore,” Semple said as he launched into a campaign speech that was hesitant at first.

But as his rhetoric heated up, Semple grew more confident and began to attack his opponent by linking him to the government of current SAC president Alex Kerner.

Semple referred to SAC as a “clique” that is not serving the interests of students. He claimed that he could cut 10 per cent of SAC’s budget “without anyone noticing” because so much SAC spending is devoted to executive perks.

Kusi-Achampong countered by claiming that Semple’s ticket, Take Back SAC, is “part of this university elite that has failed us.”

“In the 2002-2003 school year, you’ll see a lot of changes,” Kusi-Achampong promised.

Kusi-Achampong said the discount TTC metropass, long a Holy Grail of SAC politics, will be delivered up by his We the Students ticket—if only students stop being apathetic, Kusi-Achampong added.

“Take Back SAC is an experiment that’s not gonna work,” Kusi-Achampong concluded.

Kusi-Achampong proved an effective speaker, gesturing animatedly and pounding the podium for emphasis.

After the opening speeches, the candidates faced questions from the audience of approximately 30 students.

Current SAC president Alex Kerner asked Semple a question about accessibility in education—secret SAC code for Semple’s stand on the Canadian Federation of Students, a nationwide student lobby group that the U of T joined as a provisional member this year.

“The CFS has been spending money on this for 20 years,” but has failed to achieve its goal of lower tuition across Canada, said Semple.

Muhammad Basil Ahmed, vice-president of the Muslim Students’ Association, asked the candidates where they stood on the multifaith levy, a proposed $2 student fee to fund the activities of religious on campus.

Semple’s bland answer caused Ahmed to ask, “Were you spoon-fed your answers today?”

A question about next year’s frosh orientation from Trinity College’s SAC rep, Forrest Pass, elicited bland answers from Take Back SAC’s Andrew Hawkins. “I’m sure it will be a positive time,” Hawkins said.

Emoline Thiruchelvam, from We the Students, countered with an equally boring statement.

The debate was haunted by the ghosts of SAC presidents past—Chris Ramsaroop and Matt Lenner were in attendance, despite having served their terms of office three and two years ago respectively.

Current SAC directors and Governing Council representatives asked pre-cooked questions concocted to help out the candidates they support. Booing and cheering, and catcalls like “Tory, Tory,” added some life to the debate.

For detailed looks at what separates the two SAC candidates, visit www.thevarsity.ca.