Moviment Graffitti hits out at ‘hyper-consumerist’ KSU Freshers’ Week

The organisation said that main areas of the University of Malta campus were crammed with major brands sponsoring KSU, suffocating any movement.

It also criticised high levels of noise, which were exacerbated by the loud music playing during lectures and prime library hours.

While a tent set up for student organisations was larger compared to previous years, it was a “sauna” due to lack of ventilation.

Studenti Graffitti further said it was “extremely discontented” that anti-abortion group Life Network Foundation was again given a space.

An educational institution such as the University of Malta should not promote intentional misinformation about abortion, the NGO said.

Studenti Graffitti’s statement in full

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.

Cover Image: University of Malta