Last Thursday’s all-candidates meeting was marked by agreement rather than debate, as candidates for this week’s SAC election presented their platforms at Hart House to an audience of less than two dozen people, most of them candidates or friends.
A slate of candidates closely allied with this year’s SAC executive are running uncontested for all but one position, chairperson. Only one of the two candidates for that position-Jen Hassum-showed up for the meeting.
Tuition fees dominated the agenda, as candidates presented short speeches and responded to questions from the moderators. Most candidates vowed to fight for the continuation of the tuition freeze that is currently in effect, including outgoing SAC president Paul Bretscher, who is running this year for the position of vice-president External.
“The answer is education, education, education,” Bretscher said in explaining his decision to not run for another term as president, a position that was recently renamed “chairperson.” Describing the coming year as “pivotal” to the future of post-secondary education in Ontario, Bretscher went on to declare himself to be the person most capable of preserving the freeze….But such positioning was hardly necessary: Bretscher is one of the candidates running uncontested, and risks only an unlikely “no” vote for his position.
The low turnout did not discourage those candidates who were present from articulating their platforms. Andréa Armborst enthusiastically vowed to improve all student services provided by SAC if elected Vice-President Internal. Armborst promised repeatedly to “make students’ time and money count.” Among her proposals was the addition of eye exams to the SAC’s Health and Dental Plan and additional locations for the sale of discounted Metropasses.
Chairperson candidate Jennifer Hassum displayed a similar energy in discussing the success of the SAC over the past year, stressing that it was one in which SAC kept “all of [its] promises and [had] no controversies.” Hassum, currently the Vice-President External, joined the other candidates in calling for the continuation of the tuition freeze.
Another aspect of her platform is her promise to engage students in the political process as well as campus life. As an example, Hassum suggested an inclusive town hall meeting to discuss the spending and distribution of the new funding for clubs obtained by the SAC in a referendum last fall. She emphasized a transparent and accessible SAC, expressing her desire to see it become a hub of student life. Hassum’s opponent Marco Fernandez was absent from the debate.
Running for vice-president Equity is Asma Malik, who plans to “keep working on the big issues,” which she defined as “cultural and political differences” on campus and gun violence in Toronto off-campus. Specifically, she mentioned plans to change the locations and the food of Sodexho food, as well as the expansion of childcare services on St. George and Mississauga campuses.
Malik also referenced the “extreme voices that have been emerging” on campus, perhaps alluding to the recent tensions between Arab and Israeli groups.
Ashwin Balamohan, running for the position of Vice-President University, had few tangible improvements to suggest other than the minor issues of smoother UTORmail service and 24-hour service at the Gerstein Library. He also spoke like most candidates did of an improved student experience and a sense of community on campus.
Also debating were candidates for Trinity and Victoria colleges as well as the Faculty of Nursing. The lone debate of the afternoon occurred between the candidates for the Victoria College seats, James Armstrong and Cecilia Bastedo.
Armstrong, the incumbent, vowed to continue serving his constituents as he had been.
Bastedo, for her part, observed that students on the east side of campus often feel isolated and disconnected.
