Incumbent student senators Kamil Kanji and Kareem Hassib along with newcomers Alex Chui, Jasper Lorien, Solomon Yi-Kieran, Sahib Malik and Taushifa Shaikh took the stage at Michael Kingsmill Forum once again.
Kyle Rogers and Ferdinand Rother were not present, Rother was not present for either debate.
Most candidates expressed support for increasing library hours, however, Shaikh expressed concerns about 24-hour library access, saying she'd spoken to library staff who said extended hours would lead to unhealthy work-life balance.
Both incumbents disagreed with Shaikh. Kanji said “the issue is actually not staffing when it comes to the library” but rather that the Library Committee felt 24/7 access was “not the right use of resources”.
Referencing closures of commons blocks at 11 p.m. and long wait lists for student housing, Hassib remarked that “there is literally no building unless you have card access” at late hours. He also called the lack of 24/7 libraries “an equity issue” for students who have jobs during the day.
In response, Shaikh offered a more moderate stance of libraries having extended hours till 3 a.m. to allow for custodial staff to clean up before the library reopens.
Next, candidates discussed UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan and their common interest in supporting Indigenous initiatives through funding and academic innovation.
Hassib proposed the creation of an advisory group of Indigenous Queer people, Two Spirit people and women to emphasize truth and reconciliation. Meanwhile, Kanji suggested the inclusion of Indigenous resources in syllabi as well as course credit to explore Indigenous histories within a major field of study.
Malik and Lorien shared similar ideas in implementing Indigenous involvement and leadership within curriculums.
However, when asked about the importance of academic freedom, most candidates did not answer the prompt, instead discussing a multitude of other issues related to funding.
Lorien referenced the lack of dialogue on Israel and Palestine in their classes when answering and Kanji said academic freedom has made it difficult to implement lecture-capture technology, but that he was pushing for it.
Voting opens March 1 at 8 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. on March 8.
This article is part of our 2024 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting February 27.