Studenti Graffitti, the student wing of Moviment Graffitti, was present once again at KSU Freshers’ Week to welcome students to the University of Malta. Although this year was a successful one for our organisation, we could not ignore the many shortcomings of this event.

We are very disappointed that despite the numerous statements and complaints put forward in previous years, Freshers’ Week remains a hyper-consumerist event centered around the business interests present at KSU and the University of Malta. It is deeply concerning that private companies have once more been placed at the forefront of the event, as opposed to student organisations or other academic entities on campus.

The main Quad outside Student House, Parking Area 4, and the area leading towards Gateway were crammed with major brands sponsoring KSU, suffocating any movement or creative spaces for student organisations. Naturally, this meant that the area had high levels of noise, exacerbated by the loud music playing during lectures and prime library hours. While we acknowledge that this year student organisations were placed in a bigger tent with proper stands, this does not compensate for the fact that the tent acted as a sauna without proper ventilation and cooling measures.

Furthermore, we are extremely discontented that, for at least the eighth year running, Life Network Foundation was given a space to participate in Freshers’ Week. This organisation intentionally presents misleading misinformation about abortion and actively pushes against family planning services in Malta. An educational institution such as the University of Malta should not promote such misinformation.

Moviment Graffitti’s fight for the students’ rightful spot at Freshers’ is a long-standing one. In 1997, we were not afraid to set up a stand on Quad despite being denied one. We will continue to put pressure on KSU as long as the KSU Freshers’ Week remains a corporate event that favours private companies, and not the students it claims to represent. We hope that in the future this week-long event is truly led by the student, for the student.

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Studenti Graffitti, it-taqsima tal-istudenti tal-Moviment Graffitti, għal darb’oħra ipparteċipat fil-Freshers’ Week organizzata mill-KSU biex tagħti merħba lill-istudenti ġodda fl-Università ta’ Malta. Għalkemm din is-sena kienet suċċess għall-organizzazzjoni tagħna, ma stajniex ninjoraw il-ħafna nuqqasijiet ta’ din l-attività.  

Ninsabu diżappuntati li minkejja d-diversi stqarrijiet u ilmenti li għamilna fis-snin li għaddew, il-Freshers’ Week baqgħet attività konsumerista għall-aħħar, iffukata l-iktar fuq l-interessi kummerċjali tal-kumpaniji privati li jisponsorjaw lilll-KSU u l-Università ta’ Malta. Huwa ferm ta’ tħassib li l-kumpaniji privati għal darb’oħra ingħataw post prinċipali f’dan l-avveniment, għall-kuntrarju tal-għaqdiet tal-istudenti u entitajiet akkademiċi oħrajn fuq il-kampus.  

Il-pjazza prinċipali quddiem Dar l-Istudenti, il-Parkeġġ numru 4, u l-ispazju li jagħti għall-Gateway kienu fgati b’ditti prinċipali li jisponsorjaw il-KSU, bil-konsegwenza li ma ħallewx lok għall-ebda spazji jew attivitajiet kreattivi li setgħu jagħmlu l-għaqdiet tal-istudenti. Naturalment, dan kien ifisser li f’dan l-ispazju kien hemm ħafna storbju li ġie aggravat b’mużika qawwija li bdiet tinstema’ waqt il-lezzjonijiet u waqt il-ħinijiet prinċipali tal-librerija. Filwaqt li nirrikonoxxu li din is-sena l-għaqdiet tal-istudenti tpoġġew fi spazju ikbar ġewwa tinda bi stands sura ta’ nies, dan ma jpattix għall-fatt li din it-tinda ma’ kellha l-ebda ventilazzjoni jew sors ta’ arja friska u spiċċajna qisna qegħdin ġo sauna. 

Barra minn hekk, ninsabu wkoll ferm urtati li għal tal-inqas it-tmien sena konsekuttiva, il-Life Network Foundation ingħatat spazju biex tipparteċipa fil-Freshers’ Week. Din l-organizzazzjoni tagħti informazzjoni mhux korretta dwar l-abort u taħdem b’mod attiv kontra s-servizzi tal-ippjanar tal-familja f’Malta. Istituzzjoni edukattiva bħall-Università ta’ Malta m’għandhiex tippromwovi dawn l-affarijiet.

Il-ġlieda tal-Moviment Graffitti biex l-istudenti jkollhom il-post li jixirqilhom waqt il-Freshers’ Week ilha għaddejja. Fl-1997, ma bżajniex narmaw stand fil-Quad għalkemm ma tawniex permess biex narmaw. Biħsiebna nkomplu nagħmlu pressjoni fuq il-KSU sakemm il-Freshers’ Week tibqa’ tkun attività kummerċjali li tħares l-interessi tal-kumpaniji privati qabel dawk tal-istudenti li suppost tirrappreżenta. Nittamaw li fil-futur, dan l-avveniment ta’ ġimgħa jkun verament immexxi mill-istudenti għall-istudenti.