While the first Student Legal Fund Society election debate last Thursday featured half an hour of debate between two rival slates, the audience at Tuesday's Great Debate only heard from one.
Not a single candidate of the Students for Responsible Leadership slate was present at the SLFS Great Debate on Tuesday or provided an explanation for their absence. As a result, the Students for Accountability had the floor to themselves for the duration of the debate.
The Students for Accountability Slate reiterated several ideas that they presented at the previous debate, with the addition of some new initiatives.
In their slate's opening statement, candidate Jude Crasta again reinforced his slate’s vision to create an SLFS that provides better outreach and accountability to students as well as builds effective partnerships with on-campus groups.
“Currently, the Student Legal Funds Society collects $1 from students and that money needs to be better spent insofar as services to students,” said Crasta.
New matters that the Students for Accountability Slate brought up during the Great Debate revolved around how tenancy rights and graduate-supervisor relations are two of the more prominent student legal concerns that the SLFS would be likely to encounter.
Tanner Bokor, Students for Accountability candidate and current AMS president, said that the Residential Tenancy Act does not apply to accommodations on the UBC campus. According to Bokor, UBC students that encounter tenancy issues such as maintenance, relocation or unfair evictions would be among those in most need of legal assistance.
Bokor also said that graduate students at UBC are another student group that will require the attention and services of the SLFS.
“If you’re a graduate student and you have challenges with your supervisor, unfortunately once again, there is very little recourse filled to you,” said Bokor.
In addition to tenancy issues and graduate-supervisor relations, the Students for Accountability again addressed the means by which they will increase the visibility of the SLFS to UBC students -- better advertising and wider outreach.
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