For so many years, the KSU Freshers’ Week has been devolving more and more into a business-dominated event, and this year, a huge downward step has been taken. What should be a place for new and returning students to engage with student organisations, NGOs, and yes, companies in their field, has instead turned into an event entirely dominated by business interests.
This year, KSU have made the abhorrent decision to further push NGOs even further out of this event. In the past, NGOs were allowed to attend the Freshers’ Week for free, albeit in a poor location, while big businesses got the most central spots, but at least the presence was there. This year, NGOs are expected to pay the exact same price as these businesses – a price that starts at €1550. This will effectively totally push out smaller NGOs, as well as NGOs that use their funding to create direct impact, and cannot afford to fork out at minimum, one and a half thousand euros to attend a hyper-capitalistic event.
A decision like this shows just how much KSU perceives that its survival is in the hands of its corporate sponsors. It is ironic that in 2022, KSU took part in a protest against the overcommercialisation of Campus Hub. Now, it seems, commercialisation is the only consideration when planning the Freshers’ Week.
This is also conceptually alarming since it puts student politics closer to the problematic model of national politics, that is dependent on commercial relations for funding, which seriously compromises their output. This is the very model that is actively ruining the democratic foundations of our nation, and which, as concluded in 2021 by the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, culminated in the journalist’s assassination.
Hearsay of KSU’s intention to organise an “NGOs day” later on in the year does not make up for pushing these NGOs out of the biggest annual student event. We had hoped that a new KSU would do better than this, and we condemn the decision to go even further in the same, hypercommercialised direction as its predecessors.
This statement is signed by:
Studenti Graffitti
History of Arts and Fine Arts Students’ Association (HoASA)
Earth Systems Association (ESA)
Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM)
MGRM Youths
Classics and Archaeology Students’ Association (CASA)
Department of English Students’ Organisation (DESA)
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Il-KSU jeskludu lill-NGOs mill-Freshers’ Week
Il-Freshers’ Week tal-KSU ilha snin twal tinbidel dejjem aktar f’avveniment iddominat mill-interessi kummerċjali. Din is-sena l-avveniment mar lura waħda bil-kbir. Dak li suppost huwa spazju fejn l-istudenti l-ġodda u dawk li qed ikomplu bl-istudji tagħhom jistgħu jinteraġixxu ma’ organizzazzjonijiet tal-istudenti, NGOs u – iva – kumpaniji fil-qasam tagħhom, inbidel minflok f’avveniment iddominat għalkollox minn interessi kummerċjali.
Din is-sena, il-KSU ħa d-deċiżjoni terribbli li jeskludi saħansitra aktar lill-NGOs minn dan l-avveniment. Fil-passat, l-NGOs tħallew jipparteċipaw fil-“Freshers’ Week” mingħajr ħlas – għalkemm f’postijiet anqas favorevoli, filwaqt li l-kumpaniji l-kbar kienj jokkupaw l-ktar postijiet ċentrali; iżda tal-inqas kienet teżisti l-preżenza tal-NGOs. Din is-sena, l-NGOs mistennija jħallsu eżatt l-istess prezz li jħallsu dawn il-kumpaniji – prezz li jibda minn €1,550. Dan fil-prattika se jeskludi għalkollox lil NGOs iżgħar, kif ukoll lil dawk l-NGOs li jużaw il-fondi tagħhom biex joħolqu impatt dirett u li ma jistgħux jaffordjaw jonfqu, għall-inqas, elf u ħames mitt euro biex jipparteċipaw f’avveniment ikkaratterizzat minn kapitaliżmu sfrenat.
Deċiżjoni bħal din turi kemm il-KSU jħoss jiddependi mill-isponsors korporattivi tiegħu biex jibqa’ għaddej. Huwa ironiku li fl-2022, il-KSU ħa sehem fi protesta kontra l-kummerċjalizzazzjoni eċċessiva tal-Campus Hub. Issa, jidher li l-kummerċjalizzazzjoni hija l-uniku fattur li qed jitqies fl-ippjanar tal-Freshers’ Week.
Dan huwa wkoll inkwetanti mil-lat tal-prinċipji, għax iressaq il-politika tal-istudenti eqreb lejn il-mudell problematiku tal-politika nazzjonali – jiġifieri, id-dipendenza fuq relazzjonijiet kummerċjali għall-finanzjament, fatt li jikkomprometti serjament il-ħidma tagħhom. Dan huwa proprju l-mudell li qed jeqred b’mod attiv il-pedamenti demokratiċi tan-nazzjon tagħna u li, kif ikkonkludiet l-inkjesta pubblika dwar il-qtil ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia fl-2021, wassal għall-assassinju tal-ġurnalista.
Il-kliem dwar l-intenzjoni tal-KSU li jorganizza “jum għall-NGOs” aktar tard fis-sena ma jikkumpensax għall-fatt li dawn l-NGOs tħallew barra mill-akbar avveniment annwali tal-istudenti. Konna nittamaw li KSU ġdid se jimxi aħjar minn hekk, u nikkundannaw id-deċiżjoni li jkompli miexi fl-istess direzzjoni ta’ kummerċjalizzazzjoni esaġerata li ħadu l-kunsilli ta’ qabel.
Din id-dikjarazzjoni hija ffirmata minn:
Studenti Graffitti
History of Arts and Fine Arts Students’ Association (HoASA)
Earth Systems Association (ESA)
Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM)
MGRM Youths
Classics and Archaeology Students’ Association (CASA)
Department of English Students’ Organisation (DESA)
