Board of Governors candidates Eshana Bhangu, Kareem Hassib, Onyekachukwu Odenigbo and Sultana Razia agreed on all but the details at first debate.
Candidate Leonard Wang was not present as he is currently out of Vancouver on an internship.
On several questions, current AMS President Eshana Bhangu demonstrated more specific policy knowledge than the other candidates.
On a question about SC-17, UBC’s Sexual Misconduct Policy which is up for review this year, Bhangu said she would push to include the AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) in the policy review, and make UBC’s scope of responsibility clearer.
“I think the jurisdictional issue as to where the university is responsible in investigating … [is] far too vague and it needs to be clarified,” she said.
Other candidates seemed unaware of the policy.
Odenigbo said the policy should “benefit students more,” but with no specifics as to how.
Razia said she would try to increase awareness of the policy. She then claimed the policy had no definition of sexual assault, and that verbal harassment were not included in the policy, both of which are untrue.
Hassib said UBC needs more policies that “believe victims before perpetrators,” but also did not specify if this meant a change in SC-17.
When candidates were asked how the Board could improve accessibility, candidates agreed that UBC lacked accessible building design and should consider this when constructing new ones.
“We should definitely have disability rights advocates at the table … [when] we design our new buildings,” Hassib said.
Yet again, Bhangu was the only candidate who could cite specific policies.
She said UBC’s Disability Accommodation Policy (LR7) should undergo a review, and noted the recommendation in the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force Report to create a disability task force.
While candidates agreed that student voices needed to be better heard by the Board, they showed some platform differences on questions regarding engaging with student protests and the broader student body.
Razia said that if students were protesting a policy item during a Board meeting that was not on the Board’s agenda, she would attend the protest instead of the meeting. To engage students in Board business, she said she would implement informal polling.
“We need those polls coming in … [regarding] the students' opinions, what they want, coming in, because they won't be reading through meeting minutes,” she said.
Odenigbo proposed a new policy which would force the Board to follow student opinion if support or opposition of a policy passed a certain threshold.
“I believe the structure of the Board of Governors needs to be restructured to take the interests of students more seriously,” he said. “I believe communication … can be the best way to reduce protests.”
Hassib said he would bring his background as an activist to the Board and directly consult with student groups like Climate Justice UBC and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2278.
“I've been constantly protesting, and just because I get elected to a powerful position doesn't mean I'll stop,” he said.
In contrast, Bhangu said to consult with students she would go through “systems in place” and use existing communications networks like those supported by the AMS.
She also criticized the Board’s code of conduct rules that initially prevented non-members from speaking directly to the Board at a protest against tuition increases in December 2022.
Candidates will debate again today at 8:10 p.m. in the Lev Bukhman Lounge.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 27. This article is part of our 2023 AMS Elections coverage.