Women's rep candidates no shows at KSA debate

Arzo Ansary only nominee present.

By Matt DiMera
[coordinating editor]

Only one of three candidates hoping to be the student association’s next women’s representative showed up for an all candidates debate yesterday.

Incumbent women’s representative Arzo Ansary answered questions posed by the event’s moderator, Tanny Kabir, and taken from the small audience in the atrium in the Surrey Main building Oct. 21.

“For the last year and a half since I’ve been involved with the KSA, my goal was to bring to light some of the issues that women face not just on campus but in our communities,” says Ansary.

She notes that her immediate priorities are advocating for childcare on campus, for peer counseling space and for more awareness around sexual assault.

“We live in a developed world and an environment where everything else is so easily accessible, so why shouldn’t this be as well? They are basic rights,” she argues.

Ricky Ghuman and Kimberley McMartin, who are also running in the Kwantlen Student Association by-election, were both absent from the debate. Neither McMartin nor Ghuman responded to requests from The Runner for comment before deadline.

The debate was jointly sponsored by Women Organizing Opportunities for Women, the Political Science Society and the Grey Matters philosophy group. Students head to the polls Oct. 22 and 23 to vote.

Although there are nine vacancies on the KSA council, candidates were only nominated for three of the positions and only the race for the women’s representative is contested.

Eric Wirsching is running unopposed for the science and horticulture faculty representative and Leah Godin is running unopposed for the Langley campus representative.

The positions for Cloverdale campus representative, students with disabilities representative, and faculty representatives for academic and career advancement, community and health studies, design and trades and technology, will all remain vacant until next year’s general election.

Polls will be open on all four campuses Oct. 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.