Chopra also said the council must focus on student services in order to regain respect from students, work to restructure the Core program and centralize the process for student groups to get grants.

Smith pounded home his top campaign issues—expanding Crimson Cash to local restaurants, increasing the number of courses that would count for Core credit, pairing first-year students with graduate student mentors to improve advising and creating an ad hoc committee to examine the Ad Board and its sexual harassment policies.

The real contention in the debate stemmed from pointed questions and comments made by Smith, Chopra and Lurie.

When candidates were allowed to ask each other one question, Chopra asked Smith about how to improve Faculty diversity, which was one of Smith’s key campaign planks.

After Smith advocated implementing a mentorship program for minority and women faculty, Chopra spent his rebuttal time saying that this step has already been taken, with little success.

Smith asked Chopra about how to make the council’s committees accessible to the wider community, and Chopra responded that the meetings of the council’s Student Affairs Committee (SAC)—of which Chopra is chair—were always open.

Smith replied, “When I tried very hard to get on the e-mail list for SAC, I was denied.”

Lurie also took a jab at Darst, asking a question about the Fox final club and saying that instances of sexual assault had been connected to it. Lurie pointed out that Darst is a prospective member of the Fox.

Darst condemned sexual assault and said he’s in favor of prosecuting all instances of the crime.

In the final segment of the debate, when the vice-presidential candidates had the opportunity to speak before their running-mates delivered closing statements, more contention arose.

Justin R. Chapa ’05, Smith’s running-mate, directly attacked Chopra and criticized his policies.

“Rohit Chopra voted against increased student group funding,” Chapa said.

Chopra concluded his own speech by defending his experience.

“If anyone wants to attack my own record, feel free, because if the truth comes out, you’ll be embarrassed,” Chopra said, adding later that “I have never once voted to cut student group funding.”

Finance Committee Chair Jessica P. Lau ’04 said the budget Chopra voted to approve at the beginning of the year “did not have any decrease whatsoever in the percentage of money going to the grants fund.”