What’s So Great About Café Cuba?

Cuba means magical music and dance, cigar smoking, women and Che Guevara, rum and revolution. The very mention of this Caribbean island conjures up images of 1950s Cadillacs, colonial architecture, Ernest Hemingway sipping his daiquiri in a quiet corner of La Floridita and beautiful bodies swaying sensually to the sound of mambo and salsa. Cuba means easy living. Life moves slow there and people still have time to sing and play and dance in the streets.

Café Cuba

A Comfy Hangout Spot 

Thanks to Café Cuba’s comfortable seating that make it look like the set of “Friends” and a cosy setting, it’s the perfect spot where you can grab a delicious bite to eat, relax, or hang out with your friends! 

A High-quality Service 

Café Cuba’s staff are there to make your dining experience the best it can possibly be. While they guarantee mouth-watering food, they also make sure to not keep you waiting for your order. Since their most common customers are students with a busy and hectic schedule, they want you to have your meal as soon as possible so you can stop your stomach from growling in class and get on with your day!

A Great Place To Study

Café Cuba might not be the first place to come to mind when looking for a place to study, but it should be! Thanks to its various laptop points scattered around the restaurant, several seating options perfect for those who want to study alone or complete a group project, and a student-oriented ambiance, it has become the ideal spot for students to dine and study!

A Happy Time 

What makes you happy? For Café Cuba it’s having daily happy hours available for its customers to enjoy. Stop by between 16:00-19:00 and sip on refreshing cocktails to unwind after a hard day’s work. With a diverse cocktail menu to choose from, you’ll definitely find a cocktail that will hit the spot!

Hassle-free Parking 

We all know what a hassle parking can be, which is why Café Cuba wanted to give you one less thing to worry about. Dining at Café Cuba will give you two hours of free parking at Campus Hub!  

An Eventful Restaurant

Looking for a place to host your birthday party, work lunch, or student event? Café Cuba is available to book for both small and big events!

Speaking of events, the restaurant has two major events coming up in collaboration with The Third Eye that you surely don’t want to miss!

Join us on February 25 for a night of good music and where you’ll learn some amazing dance moves during our Salsa Night and on March 17 for an evening of poetry and prose at our Open Mic Night!

Keep an eye out on Café Cuba‘s and The Third Eye‘s socials for more updates and information on these upcoming events.

Head over to Café Cuba today for an experience like no other!

The post Café Cuba: Where Good Times and Good Food Meet appeared first on The Third Eye.

Last week, Campus Hub announced a drastic increase in their parking fees, with students and student organisation’s taking to social media to voice their disapproval with this decision and urging stakeholders to reconsider. Students and organisations joined forces to protest against these prices, with a protest going by the name of ‘Students Over Profit‘ set to take place on Friday, 4 November.

These new parking fees were to become effective immediately from November 1, however, Campus Hub announced on the same day that they were going to change their prices again. University of Malta students won’t be subject to the increased parking prices and would only have to pay €3 for a full days’ worth of parking, as long as they present proof that they are students at the University.

Even though the parking prices have gone down, the protest will still happen, with Giuseppe Gatt, Secretary General of GħSL stated, “the parking fee increase was just the straw that broke the camel’s back“.

The Four Protest Principles That Organisations Support

Different organisations, including The Third Eye, met together and decided on the below principles:

• The University conceded land to a private entity, having had no consideration of the effect it will have on students it supposedly caters for. Universities lack of consultation with the students throughout the curation of the project vis-a-vis student services, wellbeing and budget has lead to rampant consumerism taking over student life. The outlets currently operating from Campus Hub vary from eateries to retail outlets, with little to no consideration made to students, their wellbeing and financial limitations. Amenities that would have reflected the students’ needs would be; a pharmacy, groceries and essentials store, a stationery and so on.

• Student organisations’ concerns do not solely lay in the lack of parking, Campus Hub Limited was intended to serve as an extension of the University of Malta Lija. Land was granted by UM for the building of what is today known as Campus Hub. It is now clear that initial intention centred around student accommodation was a pretext to commercialise student life at the core of University.

• The recent decision to increase parking tariffs and subsequently decrease them to €3 per day is a testament to Campus Hub’s failure to consider the people it needs, students. The newly published tariffs are nothing except an abuse of power by a private company withstanding the knowledge that parking at University is already a burden on all students. In view of this, coupled with the questionable activities it holds on its premises, it is inconceivable to think that such a project is to be embraced, or appreciated by students when time and time again, it betrays its initial aim and purpose.

• The overarching issue of lack of effective alternative methods of transportation available for students has lead students to become dependent on parking and has facilitated the abusive consumerism present in student life. Proposals include, a more efficient public transport system, increasing bike lanes and implementing safety measure to protect cyclists and the improvement of the parking situation on University grounds.

KSU’s Take On The Situation

Alex Gaglione, KSU‘s president, put forward her view in light of this situation. Campus Hub’s framework originally was initiated on springing back life within the university regions, since the pandemic suppressed the vibrant student life. Although student presence has become vigorous, primarily because of the easing of restrictions, the outlets within Campus Hub brought about certain undesired repercussions. One of them is the promotion of fast food consumption, whereas bodies like Starbucks can lead to income to be chipped off due to expensive prices.

Subsequent to the proposition of the protest occurring next Friday, KSU has decided to support the initiative. The retaliation was sparked not only because of the erratic parking prices, but also due to what the entire project has become.

Moreover, KSU highlighted how Campus Hub has contributed to the rampant commercialisation and how the projects is “pushing towards a car centric University when we should be doing the opposite“.

“The parking tariff increase was simply a consequence of a culmination of events, including the recent money drop, involving the rampant commercialisation of student life”

Alex Gaglione, to Lovin Malta

Moviment Graffitti’s Reaction

The facilities surrounding the University of Malta have become a capitalist social space that forces students to be consumers in order to make use of them. As the site of the last bookshop is proposed to turn into hotels, we question the representation of commercial outlets compared to spaces that foster more student-centred characteristics, such as bookshops, common areas and work areas. Campus Hub, a capitalist venture on public land with only profits in mind, has brought this fact into the limelight.

Moviment Graffitti went on to state that Campus Hub is going against what student life should be. They believe that this should be “a time for learning and exploring new viewpoints” and not pushing students to “mindlessly take part in the current status quo that ultimately aims to exploit students and workers“.

The organisation concluded with the following

The development of students into key players in society must be given priority over their perceived role as consumers and future workforce. We are therefore calling for the concession agreement for Campus Hub to be published, and ultimately for the space to be nationalised and run by the University in conjunction with students. The privatisation of the land has ensured that it can only be enjoyed as a consumer, when it could have been a prime social space. We are also demanding more direct and frequent bus routes to the University, as well as safe and efficient walking and cycling routes leading to University.

Chris Vassallo, Campus Hub CEO, Defends Project

Vassallo has pointed out the benefits that Campus Hub brings to students; with the premises being able to house 800 students, has a gym and pool, a laundry service, stationery and bookshop, and free WiFi.

A new medical school is also being built, but because of an inability to come to agreements with the authorities, construction has been put on hold.

Vassallo acknowledges the students’ right to protest, but wishes to have a meeting with KSU. Gaglione intends to accept the meeting invitation, but has made it clear that the organisation will not change its stand.

I’m not going to into a meeting to have my opinion swayed or to endorse anything that might come out of it

Alex Gaglione, to Lovin Malta

Protest Details

Protest will take place outside of Cakebox, on Friday 4 November, at 12:30.

The Third Eye has always been on the students’ side and will continue to do so in this protest

The post ‘Students Over Profit’ – The Student Protest That Will Still Happen appeared first on The Third Eye.

Parking at Campus Hub has increased and students are not happy about these changes, with everyone pointing out the very obvious parking problem that University students have to face every day.

Ever since Campus Hub was announced, students eagerly awaited the opening of this new building. With big names, such as Burger King, Starbucks, and so many others set to open their doors within the hub, it was surely a promising proposal.

Campus Hub has rooms and apartments students can rent out, as well as facilities for students living on campus. These facilities range from a pool, to a gym, comfortable lounges equipped with TVs, and a fully-furnished kitchen.

Local students also benefitted from Campus Hub’s opening as their 24/7 parking served as a space where they could easily find parking instead of having to circle around Ring Round several times hoping to find a vacant space. Parking was free for the first 15 minutes and students only had to pay €2 for 24 hours.

However, that luxury is no more. Campus Hub announced their new prices and the students are not happy with the changes.

SDM’s Statement

SDM took to social media to express their disappointment regarding these changes. They have pointed out how many students “do not have the income required to make use of the facilities as it stands” and are urging the stakeholders to reconsider their decision.

It is blatantly obvious that these tariffs were decided in order to take advantage of an already and growing parking issue currently present on campus, and goes against what was initially promised by the project, in order to make parking more affordable and available.

SDM

The Turning Point For Students

The spike in prices for these parking spaces will certainly lead to a huge hit on students. Traffic within the island is already a major issue, particularly during rush hours. Whilst parking is a headache, students could have previously resorted to parking at Campus Hub, given the very scarce parking spaces within the vicinities of University.

Serq minn fuq l-istudenti

This may no longer be a feasible option due to the new price structure, especially for students who have long hours at university. In fact, the amended system seems to encourage very short stays which can rack up loads of revenue if one accounts for the large volume of cars.

A vital factor, such as income earned from part-time jobs, will allow for some breathing space. Albeit if one uses the Campus Hub parking space frequently it will accumulate to significant expenses, which is challenging to sustain for the upcoming months.

You have to consider we are dealing with students who live on stipend and some income earned from part-time.

KSU’s Statement

KSU stated that they are “disappointed to see that students’ troubles to commute & subsequently park at UM are being capitalised & abused of.”

Furthermore, KSU is already working alongside the Ministry for Transport “to explore university catered routes of direct transportation to University“.

KSU Initiatives For Easier Commutes

• Students can make use of KSU’s carpooling feature by applying through the website of the KSU app
• KSU also funded GreenFund, which is aims at “subsidising cleaner, alternative modes of transport that students are eligible to apply for“

Pulse’s Statement

While Pulse recognises Campus Hub as being a separate and independent from the University, the organisation believes that Campus Hub should

Consider the financial burden it will add on students

Increasing parking prices should be the last thing to do for students who are still in their studies.

Pulse concluded their statement by saying “parking is not a luxury but is a necessity“.

The Verdict

It is evidently clear that students and organisations are not happy with these price increases. Students have pointed out time and time again how difficult it is to find parking at University and to increase parking prices near the University is certainly not the answer to solving this issue.

The post Business First, Students Second – Are We Really Surprised? appeared first on The Third Eye.