Incumbent student governors criticized a newcomer candidate’s affiliations with Students for Freedom of Expression (SFE) and simultaneous electoral pursuits at the first Board of Governors (BoG) debate last night.
On policy, candidates generally agreed across the board.
Candidates all spoke of different methods they would take to improve student engagement — Tate Kaufman said the BoG should improve its website and meet people in person, incumbent Max Holmes said it should get control of the governor section of the AMS website and incumbent Georgia Yee emphasized using social media.
Holmes did defend the incumbents’ record of engagement, however, noting all of the groups and Council he and Yee have spoken with. Holmes is running for a fourth term on the Board, while Yee is running for her second.
On revisions to Policy LR10, the policy on financial aid, Holmes spoke in the most specifics. But all three candidates found consensus on the need to ensure that this policy applies to international students as well as domestic students.
A conversation on Indigenous people being left out of budget consultations last year started with consensus, but came up again later when Holmes pointed out the hypocrisy in Kaufman’s positions.
Initially, candidates agreed that proactive consultation is essential. “I think it’s really important that it’s also not just a checkbox process when consulting,” Yee said.
Holmes added that he’s spoken “closely” with Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot, the senior advisor to UBC’s President on Indigenous affairs, about this issue and they’re currently working on a protocol for this going into UBC’s budget season. Kaufman stressed the need for “open dialogue and consultation.”
But soon, a back and forth between the three candidates began, mainly between Holmes and Kaufman, on the latter’s work with SFE.
Last fall, UBC cancelled SFE’s room booking after public backlash to Lauren Southern’s appearance in the event discussing the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools across Canada. Southern has questioned the genocide of Indigenous peoples at residential schools.
Kaufman said that he would want the BoG to take the Senate’s Policy on Academic Freedom seriously.
Holmes and Yee shot back with some caveats to academic freedom, including the need to consider safety risks and the respectful environment policy.
But Kaufman swung back, arguing that “language is not violence, never has, never will.”
“It’s important that the Board of Governors, which has this policy on their website as well, takes this seriously when they consider denying and shutting down events based on threats of violence from protesters,” he said.
He did not answer questions on how he would advocate for student voices on this when he has such a strong opinion and interest in this topic.
“[UBC has] a history of supporting the residential schools that were used for genocide,” Holmes said in reply. “And the reality is, if one candidate up here says he wants to work with Indigenous communities while, at the same time, their club was inviting people that denied that genocide to this campus, that can promote violence towards that group.”
Holmes also challenged Kaufman on how he would manage conflict of interest on the Board if he was elected to both AMS president and the Board.
“I will follow procedure. If that means that I don’t get to vote on a certain thing? Well that will also mean I’ve already done my advocacy in that arena,” Kaufman said.
However, with only three student seats on the Board — two of which are dedicated to UBC Vancouver — a representative often not being able to vote due to conflict of interest could limit students’ power. But Kaufman said he would work to convince other members of the Board to agree with his position.
“I think having an AMS president on the board allows you to have that additional information and persuasive position.”
The candidates will face off again at the Great Debate today at 4:30 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 28. This article is part of our 2022 AMS elections coverage.