It is abundantly clear that this weeks’ KSU Freshers’ Week was turned into a platform for big companies to sell their brand and create a hyper-consumerist environment on the University’s Quadrangle, Moviment Graffitti said in a statement.

“The lack of investment in students’ organisations was apparent due to the fact that student organisations were only given two small tents away from the main area, and the facilities provided were sub-par to those given to the companies,”  the organisation said in a statement.

This meant that the Quadrangle and all central areas, which are meant to be student dedicated spaces were deprived of student-led activity and displays.

The decision by KSU to host companies and corporations on Quad falls in line with more recent Freshers’ Weeks, which has been actively pushing away student organisations from the heart of the University of Malta for the last decade, the NGO said.

“This is a sorry state of affairs since students, particularly those wishing to engage in student affairs, should be at the forefront of this week,” the organisation continued.

Along with the private endeavour of the university student residence - Campus Hub - by the University of Malta, there are many clear indications that the university’s primary ethos has become consumerism, not the rich academic experience and social conscience that such an educational institution has to provide, it added.

“The money-grabbing incident at Campus Hub by FreeHour only highlighted these problems,” it continued.

“We demand that in future years, this week, should be led by students for students,” Graffitti said.

What was once a time for freshers to meet fellow students, organisations and familiarise themselves with the University has been turned into a week-long market.

Studenti Graffitti demanded that the respective institutions revise the layout of the KSU Freshers’ Week by consulting all relevant organisations, students and entities.