by Bryna Hallam

Campaign promises, slogans and a pie or two flew across the stage at last Thursday’s debate between the two contenders for the position of chair of the UVSS.

Joanna Groves and Dallas Henault went head to head, pitting Henault’s Students for Change (SFC) slate against Groves’ Putting Students First (PSF) at the face-off debate hosted by the Martlet.

In an election that seems to be boiling down to provincial political allegiances, Thursday’s match-up gave the 60-person audience a chance to see who they must choose between: the BC Liberal-loving Henault or the card-carrying New Democrat Groves.

“What I do in my own life is my business,” said Henault, trying to convince students his connection to the provincial Liberal party wouldn’t influence him as chair. Henault played down his political affiliations and refused to say which party he supports, citing it as irrelevant.

Groves said she doesn’t see how it is possible for Henault to support both the Liberal provincial government and represent students. “If people have certain political interests in their lives then we need to look at that when we vote,” she said.

“For example,” she continued, referring to Henault’s work with UVic’s BC Young Liberal club, “if you’re sending out press releases congratulating the government on eliminating student grants and putting that money back into the university for capacity, and then saying that somehow you’re going to fight the eliminations when you get elected as chairperson—I don’t think that adds up.”

Henault retorted by asking about Groves’ own political affiliations and continued to insist that his personal political beliefs would not influence him as chairperson. “I might be mistaken,” he said, “but I don’t believe this is a BC Liberal-NDP debate. This is a chairperson debate, and I believe that what happens in my personal life stays in my personal life.”

Groves responded by calling Henault’s platform “wishy-washy and non-committal.”

Henault said, if elected, he will do what students ask him to. “I would lobby,” he said. “I would not continue the tactics of the past. I would not go protest. I would sit down and have a discussion with government.”

Tensions in room were eased with several comedic interventions. The highlight came when robe-clad engineers marched into the room and, with great ceremony, smashed two vanilla cream pies into the faces of the candidates.

The Order of Pi, a group of engineering students raising money for the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children, was called to the debate to try the politicians for “taking student politics far too seriously.” Both candidates were found guilty.