Following the unexpected events with Malta Health Students’ Association (MHSA), The Third Eye Team decided to approach a former student, who formed part of MHSA’s Executive board a few years ago.
Mark Grech occupied the roles of MHSA’s Social Policy Officer and Secretary General in 2011 and 2012 respectively, before being elected as MHSA’s President in 2013 and KSU’s Vice-President the following year. During a brief interview with The Third Eye, Grech did not only speak about the situation within MHSA, but also about the importance of conflict-management within any given organisation.
“The public image of a student association, similar to that of a for-profit company, is a dynamic, fragile, and psychological identity that takes years to shape while simultaneously being at the mercy of activity outcomes, media coverage, and internal turbulence,” explained Mark Grech. “The reputation of an association is merely the reflection of those elected to guide its fluidity and position within the hearts and minds of its followers, and the general public.”
“The similarities between a for-profit company and a student organisation’s corporate image unfortunately end there. While a company has various control measures in place to safeguard and enhance its market position, business objectives, and longevity, student organisations as a whole greatly lack measures of corporate governance. Equally concerning is the lack of support structures in place to guide an organisation out of a turbulent situation.
Mark Grech also spoke specifically about the situation which took place within MHSA.
“Such was the case with the recent surfacing of what should have been resolved internally at the MHSA, an organisation that I had formed part of for the majority of my undergraduate years, and therefore I am deeply fond of personally. I by no means wish to go into the specific details of what took place, as that would be beyond the scope of this article. The circumstances that lead to conflict are natural, healthy and also unavoidable. The issue here is how conflict is managed, which speak volumes of those elected to lead and act in the best interest of the organisation,” explained the former KSU Vice-President.
“It gives myself and the previous alumni presidents of MHSA satisfaction to be consulted with during the MHSA’s recent hiccup. President-elect Martina Darmanin and her team handled the situation with great grace and professionalism. That being said, it also shed light on how critical it is for student organisations to devise a working protocol on how to deal with conflict, how to contain it, and how to safeguard one’s image when in the public eye. Furthermore, support structures between one student organisation to another should be devised, to truly create a community of active students on campus.
“It’s business as usual now at the MHSA, and through the ad-hoc advisory committee devised, one can expect statutory additions at their next AGM to formalize conflict management procedures for future inevitable occurrences,” concluded Grech.