issues & ide@as wrorsanamvor THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013 7 Duke's coffee sues union LSU promised to renew lease agreement then re- neged, claim cafe owners By TYLER HOOPER wners of the former Duke’s cof- fee shop have filed a lawsuit against the Langara Students’ Union alleging the LSU breached a lease agreement. Plaintiffs Dae Kyu Kim and Myung Sook Kim are seeking damages for al- leged failure to renew the lease agree- ment for Duke’s Gourmet Cookies & Cappuccino in June of 2013. Duke’s was located in the Students’ Union Building (SUB) for 10 years until it vacated the high-traffic retail space this past August. According to court documents, the LSU “negligently misrepresented to the plaintiffs that they would be offered a new lease and subsequently failed, refused or neglected to enter into a new lease with the plaintiffs.” Marcus Kim, manager of Duke’s and son of the plaintiffs, said that “despite all the support from the students and staff,” the LSU did not give a clear ex- planation regarding the lease. “T even told the LSU I would outbid anybody, even if they got a better offer from anybody else, but they just didn’t consider it at all,” Kim said. Kim also said that after 10 years of running the business, Duke’s never re- ceived a formal complaint despite heavy competition from Starbucks and Tim Hortons. “As a member of the LSU I am con- cerned that my needs as a student were ignored by the LSU,” Rachel Empson, a first-year business administration stu- dent and former customer of Duke’s, said by email. “Of course, maybe they had good TYLER HOOPER photo Before and after: an image of the forner Duke’s cafe located in the Students’ Union Building. reasons for getting rid of Duke’s and they just failed to communicate those reasons to students,” she added. The plaintiffs are also looking for compensation related to the January 2008 to August 2009 period in which they were unable to conduct business due to construction of the new SUB. Kim declined to disclose to The Voice the exact amount of compensation they were seeking in the lawsuit. “I can’t re- ally say at the moment,” he said. Janna Jorgensen, the LSU’s new ex- ecutive director, said in an email, “I can confirm that we have received no- tice of Duke’s Claim against [the] LSU,” said But she had no further comment upon legal advice from the union’s law- yer. Jorgensen, a management consul- tant based out of Victoria, B.C., helped the LSU develop controversial new by- laws last year that reduced LSU mem- bers’ access to LSU meetings. Jorgensen has just been hired as ex- ecutive director, an LSU staff position that was vacant. Jorgensen’s hiring brings the num- ber of staff positions up to four, in con- junction with the hiring of former elected council member and media-re- lations person Gurbax Leelh as the LSU’s resource coordinator. Newly-elected council member Ben Edelstein assumed the role of media relations person on Oct. 22. - with files from Nick Eagland WHAT will it cost? LSU LEGAL FEES 2012 $5,791 2013 = $40,513 2014 = $35,000 LSU RENTAL INCOME FOR COFFEE SPACE 2012 $18,000 2013 = $18,000 2014 $22,600 Source: LSU Budget 2013-2014 LSU officials raise own salaries And the real story behind your vanishing coffee shop in the Students’ Union Building LSU costs balloon without comment EXPENSES, Continued from page 1 The wage increases come after a year of increased expenses that led to the budget deficit. Expenses were up seven per cent over last year, for a total of $2,626,355 spent by the LSU. Its previ- ous budget report shows it ran surplus- es from 2010-2012. According to the report, students paid $1,088,618 in health and dental fees but those expenses went over budget by 15 per cent, costing the LSU $160,686. Health and dental expenses exceeded fees in 2012 by 15 per cent as well. The LSU estimates it will increase those fees to $1,271,240 next year. Other increased expenses include: * executive organizing: $65,307, up from $42,392 * membership awareness: $13,575, up from $995 * volunteer organizing: $7,158, up from $3,025 * professional management: $41,330, up from $1,565 * — legal fees: $40,513, up from $5,791 Wage expenses decreased two per cent to $251,770, but employee benefits increased 21 per cent to $71,628. The LSU’s financial statements show that the LSU holds nearly $1 million in cash, term deposits and bank shares. It holds close to $6 million in capital as- sets, including the net value of the stu- dents’ union building. The LSU’s new media-relations per- son, Ben Edelstein, who took over LSU media communications on Oct. 22, said he did not have enough time to provide an explanation for the budget before The Voice’s printing deadline. CUPE Local 15 representative Kathie Currie said in an email, “The parties have ratified a collective agreement which included changes that took into consideration the student require- ments as well as respecting the work the staff do on their behalf.” The memorandum of agreement ex- plaining wage increases is available on the CUPE Local 15 website: www. cupel5.org. The LSU’s budget report and financial statements are available in its office. Rabbi Lerner speaks to class on Israeli-Palestinian conflict Students and local activist groups respond to contro- versial rabbi’s address By NADIM ROBERTS Train stations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine advocacy groups, a California rabbi told students at Langara on Monday that the key to peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies in “changing the hearts of those in- volved in the struggle.” Rabbi Michael Lerner, an author and political activist who is a veteran of the Ae the fury of an ad war at Sky- ‘10s antiwar movement, told students that a first step toward reconciliation in the ongoing conflict is to “embrace both sides.” “If you want a resolution,” said Le- rner to students in a peace and conflict studies class, “you have to talk of the needs of both sides and tell the story of the other in a compassionate way that recognizes their humanity.” Lerner is a controversial figure in the American Jewish community be- cause he believes a “true friend of Is- rael is one who is not afraid to criticize it.” His Berkeley home has been sub- ject to vandalism and defacement by Zionists who claim he supports terror- ism. Rabbi Carey Brown of Temple Sho- lom in Vancouver said that Lerner’s views “represent one voice among many in the large spectrum of views in the Jewish community.” “Some of his views I agree with, and others I don’t,” said Brown. According to Brown, criticism of Is- rael that “comes out of a connection and love for Israel” is appropriate, but that which seeks to “delegitimize Isra- el” is dangerous. Brian Campbell, co-chair of the Seri- ously Free Speech Committee which is one of the groups that forms the Pales- tine Awareness Coalition that put up the “Disappearing Palestine” Trans- Link ads, said it is part of the “Israeli fantasy” that any criticism of Israel automatically delegitimizes its state- hood. “Criticism of Israel should be direct- ed towards the government and its policies, not towards individual Jews,” said Campbell. “Our aim is to end the occupation of Palestinian lands.” Adiola Barjami, a first-year student, knew little about the struggle for peace in the Middle East before Lerner’s visit and said she learned from his insights on conflict resolution. “We need to learn to live in peace with one another,” said Barjami. RABBI MICHAEL LERNER Author, activist $6. friend of TIsreal...is not afraid to criticize it.