Students have long been regarded as apathetic, only speaking up when issues such as parking or condoms come into question. Perhaps this might make some think that students, therefore, can be treated as a ping pong ball between “two selfish parties” who’ve been going back and forth with negotiations for the past 7 months, however, such a train of thought is wrong. Students do in fact care about something: their education for starters. Such an education, we feel, should not be used as a “bargaining tool” between such parties, it is our right to study at an institute of higher education without continuous hiccups, and yet ,such a right has been constantly neglected of late.

The impact of such action is multi-fold. Various milestones throughout the university calendar have each been marred by difficulties with negotiations causing superfluous worries and inconveniences to none other than us students, who can do very little save live with the situation. All this, needless to say, creates further stress to the average student, and even more so for students who choose to make the most out of their education and work hard all year round. Such stress may result in compromised physical and mental well-being and, coming from a psychological point of view, stress imposed upon students may well in fact deter students’ cognitive abilities and academic performance!

So, when students are finally speaking up about what it is they really care about – their education – please listen.

Glorianne Spiteri

President, Betapsi

Psychology Students’ Association