The York Debating Society is staging a public debate Jan. 30 about a proposal by the York Federation of Students to include the cost of TTC Metropasses in student fees.
This is the first public debate the club has held and it is sponsored by the York Centre for Student Community & Leadership Development.
Hussein Panju, the York Debating Society’s event director, explains the magic of live debate. "Debates aren’t just about a few smart people arguing with each other. They’re about rhetoric, analysis and above all, provoking thought. That’s what I think the York community will get out of the event and it’s definitely something that people will be talking about for a long time."
Facing off on the question will be students Michael Payton and Michael Soo.
While some students applaud the proposed plan, Payton isn’t one of them. The fourth-year Faculty of Arts student majoring in cognitive science has this message for the student government: "If you want to lower tuition fees, you can start by not raising them."
Soo, a second-year political science undergraduate and the debating society’s treasurer, will base his argument on a flyer that stated: Higher tuition is something that affects every York student, whether it is to their advantage or not.
Soo sees the event as a great opportunity for York students. "This will be an excellent event for people to decide where they stand."
The debate takes place Tuesday, Jan. 30, in Stedman Lecture Hall F, from 7 to 9pm.