With this role occupied, Aquilina is the first person to take up the new role and the final student to join the KSU Executive for the 21/22 term. Aquilina was the only candidate contesting for the role, however, a vote of confidence was held during the first Education and Social Policy meeting, which saw Aquilina secure the approval of the newly merged Commission. 

The student activism journey

Aquilina’s journey in student activism started off in 2018 after enrolling at the University of Malta. He started off by attending various events organised by the MHSA and immediately formed part of their sub-committee. In 2019, Aquilina joined the executive board as the Social Policy Officer and in 2020, he served as the MHSA President.

In November 2020, he also became the student representative for the Faculty of Health Sciences which allowed him to further voice the concerns of the students. Together with his team, they also tackled the issue of the COVID-19 vaccine that was not being given to Health Sciences students.

The Third Eye got in touch with Aquilina to talk about his plans moving forward within the KSU…

You are the first person to hold the role of Education and Social Policy Commissioner, what are your plans for the future of the Commission within the KSU?

My plans for the commission is to truly make it the voice that represents the student body. Being the first year that the commissions are joined, ensuring a seamless transition between the two will be the challenge at hand. Therefore, ensuring proper communication between the Commission will be essential.

What is the first thing you plan on working on within the KSU?

One of the first things I’d like to work on within KSU is to meet with the individuals who make up the new Commission and understand the topics that they would like to speak about and discuss.

What is your favourite proposal from your manifesto?

My favourite proposal from my manifest has to be the campaign to promote student activism at university by creating an “Activism Expo” to promote the work of our student representatives and student organisations.

I’d like to thank the previous Commissioners for their dedication and hard work throughout their time occupying the post. I’d also like to thank the Student Representatives and Student Organisations for putting their faith in me, and I look forward to working with them to build a better university.

The Third Eye team wishes Nicholas and the rest of the newly elected team the best of luck for their coming term in KSU!

The post Nicholas Aquilina to serve as Education and Social Policy Commissioner for 21/22 appeared first on The Third Eye.

All eligible student organisations voted in the KPS Elections, resulting in a turnout of 35 votes. Zammit won with a total of 21 votes whilst opposing candidate Andrea Grima received 14 votes.

Julia Zammit is a third-year BA (Hons.) Social Policy Student who had the opportunity to served as Social policy Officer, Secretary General and most recently as President of Studenti Ħarsien Socjali (SĦS), the official student organisation representing Social Policy and Social Work students.

Zammit focused her manifesto on the well-being of others, in fact, she made it a point that the manifesto caters to all individuals, making it also autism-friendly. The manifesto is sectioned into four parts: Sustainability, Wellbeing, Activism and Social Policy, all holding a variety of proposals.

A brief of Zammit’s vision going into office can be found on our site or her full manifesto may be accessed here.

The Third Eye team would like to praise both candidates for their work leading up to the election, and wishes the best of luck to Julia Zammit on her upcoming work in the Council!

The post Julia Zammit elected as Social Policy Commissioner for KSU 20/21 appeared first on The Third Eye.

The Social Policy Commissioner (KPS) Election is happening this Thursday 14th May. Two candidates are contesting for this position and the vote is open to all student organisations on campus. Here is what your candidates have to offer.

Julia Zammit, third-year BA (Hons.) Social Policy Student who had the opportunity to occupy the roles of Social policy Officer, Secretary General and President of Studenti Ħarsien Socjali. Andrea Grima, a third-year law student who had the opportunity to join ELSA Malta as Secretary-General for 2019/20 and later elected as Director for Internal Management for the term 2018/19.

Zammit focused her manifesto on the well-being of others, in fact, she made it a point that the manifesto caters to all individuals, making it also autism-friendly. The manifesto is sectioned into four parts: Sustainability, Wellbeing, Activism and Social Policy, all holding a variety of proposals. Grima built his manifesto onto three pillars; Social Policy Papers and Campaigns, Social Policy Office Reform, and Restructuring of KPS Meetings, all holding different proposals.

Zammit’s manifesto starts off with the topic of Sustainability where she introduces the Beverage Container Refund Scheme.  This scheme aims that organisations and students alike are to recycle their waste more, and the funds that are collected will be going to student organisations. On this note, Grima plans to tackle the issue of construction and its effect on the environment by way of discussions and raising awareness. He also highlights his aims to push for eco-friendlier initiatives on campus, funding for a sea-bin and awareness on sustainable living.

Drugs has always been a prominent topic and both Grima and Zammit made sure to discuss this in their manifestos. Under the Wellbeing section for Zammit, she aims to raise awareness on drug use and what situation one may end up in because of drug abuse. On the other hand, Grima was specific on his proposal and what kind of drug will be discussed. He states that a paper is to be published analysing the implementation of the recreational use of cannabis in Malta and what kind of impact this will leave.

The promotion of student activism is mentioned in both manifestos however Grima focused primarly on student organisations and student representatives. He aims to promote them more on social media to give them visibility and recognition. He also seeks to use student organisations as a means to reach and involve more students in campaigns and papers. Zammit focused on promoting students that do not belong in an organisation, in order to bridge the gap that may be found between students and their respective organisations of the faculty.  

Both candidates brought up interesting proposals whilst taking different approaches. However, it is up to fellow student organisations to make the choice on what they believe is the best for the students they represent.

Andrea Grima’s Manifesto:

Julia Zammit’s Manifesto:

The Third Eye would like to wish a good luck to both candidates!

The post What are the 2020 KPS Candidates promising you? appeared first on The Third Eye.