The students, along with other graduates who began their legal studies before 2021, are experiencing struggles when trying to further their education in Malta. Despite having earned their degrees from University of Essex, they are now being told that additional requirements are necessary, contrary to what had been agreed on previously.

The Faculty of Laws is insisting on students requiring advanced A-levels in Maltese and English, as well as Intermediate certificates, for enrollment in the Master of Advocacy and Master’s in Notarial Studies. The students had previously been assured by the University’s rector, Alfred J. Vella, that they would have the possibility to sit for any needed additional study units, in order to ensure nothing is missing in their education received and to be pursue their studies seamlessly.

The students argue that now requiring the A-levels and Intermediate certificates doesn’t align with what was previously agreed upon, and doesn’t value the education they have received so far. They emphasize that considering their degrees are recognized in Malta as MQF Level 6, they should be able to be able to continue the Master’s program as initially stated.

The situation has escalated to a point where even the Maltese government is aware of the issue, nevertheless, no solutions have been put forward.

Since the Master’s program is a necessary step towards acquiring a legal warrant, the students are insisting on answers from those involved in the matter. They argue that they should not be penalized for pursuing their education abroad, and shouldn’t be going through obstacles based on outdated requirements.

The post Students Perceive Unfair Treatment From Malta’s University Faculty of Law appeared first on The Third Eye.

The full executive list is as follows:

President: Andrew Sciberras
Vice-President: Katrina Borg Ferrando
Secretary General: Giuseppe Gatt
Financial Officer: Cristina Schembri
Public Relations Officer: Marelaine Formosa
Academic Officer: Philip Gatt
International Officer: Alessia Bonanno
Legal Aid Officer: Kimberly Axisa
Leisure Officer: Michael Gatt
Marketing Officer: Hayley Borg
Moot Court Officer: Laura Chetcuti Dimech
Policy Officer: Andrew Drago
Publications Officer: David Chetcuti Dimech
Resources Officer: Michaela Giorgio

Presidential Comment

I’m honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead this team of exceptional men and women who all wish to help law students in one way or another. I’m more than excited to see what the next year has to offer, and to see what ideas everyone has. I’d like to everyone who has shown support along the way, as without it I might not have arrived as where I am today.

The Third Eye wishes the new executive a fruitful year ahead!

The post Andrew Sciberras to lead GHSL for 2022\23 appeared first on The Third Eye.

On 25th January 2022, second year law students had their online two-hour criminal law exam between 8:30am and 10:30am. At 10:30am, towards the end of the exam, students received a text message stating there was a mistake in one of the questions and that the students had been given an extra thirty minutes to finish the exam.

This led to confusion amongst the students, with some of them already having submitted their paper as they did not have their phone next to them the moment the text was sent. Other students ended up not submitting the paper on time due to confusion and panic. They are currently left in the dark. Faculty has not yet made it clear if the late submissions sent by email to the faculty will be accepted or not.

Students from Faculty of Law have spoken up, with one student stating the following:

The confusion arose from the ambiguity regarding the submission time. The text message only indicated an allocated extra thirty minutes with no clear instructions regarding what to do next.

Our Anonymous Sources Fear Retribution

The Third Eye received multiple complaints from Law Students speaking up and reaching out to express their disappointment with their faculty. They felt the faculty did not manage their own wrongdoing effectively in one of the most important exams within the whole course.

The majority of those who reached out asked to be quoted with anonymity. The fear from retribution exposed the extent of the authoritarian-like administration in the Faculty of Law. The irony of such a statement is mind boggling.

I want to be able to pass second year without a mark on my back.

The Frequency of These incidents

This is not the first time faculty outright didn’t care about us.

It seems such behaviour has been a norm in the Faculty of Law. Students are expected to adapt to faculty’s poor administrative decisions. From radical last-minute changes to lack of proper informative communication with students; the threshold of patience is reached.

Law Students Camping Outside the Faculty Office

In October of 2021, Indipendent.com published an article regarding Master of Advocacy Students camping outside their faculty office to secure their course choices after the faculty had added a cap to the elective study unit places. Faculty resolved the issue after the incident by removing the capping system.

Physical vs Online Exams?

Prior to the current January examination period, Law Students had reached out to the media to publish multiple reaction articles regarding faculty’s indecisiveness when it comes to either holding exams on site or online.

What Went Wrong?

There are certainly a few points to consider here:

1) The lack of appropriate and informative communication between faculty and its students,

2) The lack of action taken by faculty unless the media is involved,

3) Law students’ fear of retribution from faculty,

4) Recurrence of issues between faculty and the students creating a gap of communication.

As The Third Eye, we feel there is an obligation to report such incidents with the anonymous comments to keep up with our principles in giving students a voice and a safe platform to raise concerns. We do not accuse Faculty of Law of any incompetency; however, we feel the need to put forth Law Students’ concerns regarding their academic progression and Faculty’s shortcomings.

The Third Eye also encourages all students to practice their right of voicing their concerns and injustices by filing a complaint form with to the KSU here! This can be done anonymously too.

The Third Eye has attempted to contact the faculty of laws but so far received no comment.

The post Panic and Confusion During Law Exam appeared first on The Third Eye.

The new members of GħSL’s team are as follows:

President: Martina Cassar

Vice President: Sarah Mifsud

Secretary General: Andrew Sciberras

Financial Officer: Danielle Gauci

Public Relations Officer: Kezia Mallia

Director of Committees: Andrew Formosa

Fresh face and Current President of GħSL, Martina Cassar, shared some words regarding the election:

Last year was a very challenging year for us at GħSL and I think this year is not going to be too different in respect of the Covid-19 pandemic. This being said, I am determined to do my absolute best to preserve GħSL’s reputation as being the organisation by law students for law students. Despite not being with students on campus, our door is always open for students to assist them in their academic journey, and hopefully in their social experience at university at well. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work together with the rest of the team.

Martina Cassar, Current GħSL President

Former President, Matthew Charles Zammit also shared his remarks with The Third Eye:

I’m thankful yet nostalgic for the conclusion of this term, and the end of my GħSL experience. I thank my colleagues (Valentina, Maya, Diane, Martina, Sarah, Graziella, Kezia, Giuliana, Karl, Andrew, Alec, Matthew, Andrew, Danielle and Katrina) for a memorable year together. Finally, I wish all the best for Martina, Sarah, the Andrews, Kezia, Danielle and the rest of the new team for the upcoming year ahead. Ad multos annos GħSL!”

Matthew Charles Zammit, Former GħSL President

The Third Eye wishes the newly elected Executive Board the best of luck for the upcoming year!

The post Martina Cassar to lead GħSL for 21/22 appeared first on The Third Eye.

After seeking direction from the Registrar, Dr. Mifsud, Dean of the Faculty of Laws, has informed law student organisations on Monday, that study unit coordinators will start uploading past papers for free through VLE. This arrangement was brought forward after some questions were raised by fourth-year law students, arguing that this material should be provided for free. 

European Law Student Association (ELSA) released a statement on Monday declaring its position on this matter stating that they “strongly believe that students should not have to pay for past papers”.

Other Faculties within The University of Malta have been offering past papers to their students free of charge for a number of years, and we believe that law students are completely entitled to the same commodities and services.⁣

ELSA Malta

On Monday through an Instagram account, ‘lawsofmalta’, reacted positively to this arrangement. 

In their statement shared through Facebook, ELSA Malta explained that according to the communication received from the Faculty of Laws, past papers will be shared ‘starting from 2017, as long as the study unit coordinator agrees with such past papers being disseminated.’ 

In light of this decision, the organisation took matters into their own hands stating that ‘the problem has only been partially solved as it is still unclear whether past papers preceding 2017 can or cannot be sold’. ELSA invited students to send past examination papers dating back before 2017 through email, which will be compiled and then shared with students who will access them for free. 

Għaqda Studenti Tal-Liġi (GħSL) the student organisation in question, who previously took care of selling  past papers to students also released a statement on Tuesday, clarifying its position and explaining that; ‘the reason behind the purchase of past papers stemmed from a normative agreement which started as a collaboration between the Organization near its genesis and the Faculty.’ 

The organisation thanked ‘all those who have brought this issue to light, and who have pushed GħSL to collaborate with Faculty on a new agreement which is more suitable and reflective of students’ needs’. 

It is for this reason that the Organization would like to announce that it has heard the students’ wishes, and hence strongly agrees that past papers prior to 2017, which will not be under the care of Faculty as recently agreed, are to be distributed for free.

GħSL

Both GħSL and ELSA are on par with the fact that past papers prior to 2017, are to be distributed for free by the Faculty of Laws. 

This is an update to our prior article.

The post UPDATE: Past papers will now be provided for free to law students appeared first on The Third Eye.

A number of issues were raised by law students during the month of March 2021, stating that GħSL should not be charging students for providing them with past papers since they’re given to the organisation by the faculty free of charge. The Third Eye has been in contact with all the affected parties. 

Għaqda Studenti Tal-Liġi (GħSL), is a faculty-based non-profit organisation at the University of Malta representing law students. The organisation is currently in the process of updating its website which led them to move all law material on ‘ISSUU’, an online platform tailored for PDF viewing. 

With this change, the students noticed that the material provided on this platform cannot be downloaded nor printed, but only viewed within the website itself. Students argued that once the material is purchased it should be at their discretion, which raises the question; Why wouldn’t GħSL want the content to be downloaded?

According to GħSL, the reason is to prevent the circulation of this material amongst students. GħSL also said that printed copies are available upon request. Students expressed that once this material is purchased, it should be downloaded and printed by the users as they wish. 

Law students felt that this matter is not being rightly tackled by the GħSL executive, and decided to voice their concerns through an Instagram account;  ‘lawsofmalta’. Through the multiple Instagram stories published, they stated that Matthew Charles Zammit, current GħSL President has been ensuring students that there is a formal agreement between the organisation and the faculty on this matter.

Furthermore, certain students voiced their concern on the fact that certain past papers are not even legible and that the editing mentioned by the organisation only included the removal of scribbling from the papers and making them more readable, as shown on the Laws of Malta account.

When contacted by The Third Eye, the GħSL executive stated that ‘”the Faculty of Laws provides GħSL with a set of past papers of the previous period, ensuring that we continuously update our incumbent packs’ and that the income generated goes ‘solely for the upkeep and maintenance of the notes system, and a new website“. Furthermore, they stated that all this is “done with the direction and knowledge of the Faculty of Laws“. 

As it stands, Dr. Ivan Mifsud, Dean of the Faculty of Laws said exclusively to The Third Eye, that although he is not aware of any formal agreement between GħSL and the Faculty, the organisation has been selling past papers for many years. Dr. Mifsud even said that it seems that any agreement or arrangement dates back to many years. 

“It is a valid point in the sense that anybody has the right to raise such issues, so I have sought advice from Central UM Administration on how other Faculties go about this, and what are our obligations towards students, where past papers are concerned.”

Dr. Mifsud, Dean of Faculty of Laws

As it stands the process of distributing the past papers remains the same to this day. GħSL are selling the past papers on the website ISSUU for law students of all years. This situation is still ongoing and being discussed between the faculty, GħSL and the students. 

The post Law students seek clarification on past paper fees imposed by GħSL appeared first on The Third Eye.

It takes us a while for us to find our true calling. Roberta is a 20-year-old student, who went from Bachelor of Laws to Bachelor of Music, after realising it is no longer her path.

Roberta has never been 100% certain of what she wanted to do when she grows up. In fact, she never truly had the urge to take up Law but going through the syllabus and units, it sparked her interest. “I had my doubts till I finished my A Levels but I thought to myself that if I got to this point, might as well take up the Law course,” Roberta said. As uncertain as she was, she never gave up and pushed through. Perseverance and determination lead her to where she is now.

Like every other student, Roberta was extremely stressed during her exams; “I started questioning whether this is what I truly wanted,” she said. We all get this – that sudden urge to just drop out and kiss University goodbye. We feel like we have too much on our plate but then, the storm passes and suddenly we calm down as if nothing happened. However, Roberta made a great reflection on her career choice during the second-semester exams and it was her wake-up call that it is time for her to look for something that she truly is passionate about.

Even though Law was not for Roberta, there were still certain aspects that she enjoyed which played a role when deciding whether to drop out or not. During her first year, she got the opportunity to shadow the work of a notary. It first started as an internship and eventually it led her to work as a secretary there. “I wanted to become a notary and the work involved really interested me however that was pretty much it,” Roberta said. The rest of the subjects were just not her cup of tea.

When Roberta dropped out, she never planned on coming back. After experiencing the subjects and the job, she felt like she already saw what the course has to offer and she wanted to start looking for her true career. And that is where the music came in.

During her gap year, Roberta continued working as a secretary and made it a point to strengthen her skills as a musician. Music was always a big part of Roberta’s life, especially piano. “I focused on my skills as a pianist and worked on music theory and piano practice. I started learning with a different teacher and worked on getting my Music A Level,” she said.

Roberta started playing at the age of 10, with a year or two breaks along the way, but eventually, she has been playing the piano for nine whole years. At the age of sixteen, Roberta decided to explore the world of music a bit more and started playing the clarinet at the local band. “I still do it till this day and it is a wonderful experience – absolutely love it!” she said.

But from where the love for music stemmed from?

Her father. Roberta’s father is her role model, the person that has been very influential when it comes to music. Being in a local band himself, Roberta found it almost natural for her to start playing an instrument and taking music as seriously as her dad does. While her dad showed her the beauty of music, concerts deepened that love even more. “I noticed that in times of stress, I always turned to music, either listening or practicing. In fact, in a concert, I like to lose myself to the music,” Roberta said.

It is always a shock to the parents when they hear their child saying; “I want to drop out.” It is a hard pill to swallow when you believe your child has potential and suddenly, they just want to throw that all away. “When I told them I wanted to drop out from the Law course, they were surprised as they knew I was good at school,” Roberta said. However, her parents never held her back and this encouraged her from doing what she wants. While they continue supporting her decision wholeheartedly, Roberta still fears that her parents worry about her career because a career in music might be difficult in Malta.

When was that point in life where you told yourself; “This is it. This is what I want to do in life”?

During exam periods, Roberta turned to music as a stress-relief. “Not only did it serve as a stress-relief but it served as good procrastination as well” she joked.  Eventually, Roberta realised that she really wants to continue playing the piano and the clarinet, eventually becoming professional at it. She started seeing that a job in music was possible AND available.

As I mentioned at the very beginning of this article, deciding what you want to do in life at the age of eighteen might seem farfetched to some. In fact, when I asked Roberta what are her plans for the future, she bluntly said “I am still unsure of everything.” Arts are definitely pushed to the side here in Malta and the music industry is so limiting here, it can easily discourage aspiring musicians. However, Roberta wishes to continue teaching privately as she loves performing and composition. When the time comes, she will simply need to explore and see what is out there.

A piece of advice…

If you are going through the same dilemma, Roberta suggests you write down the pros and cons of the situation, reflect wisely, and plan ahead. “Be realistic. I did not leave Uni and expected everything to be presented to me on a silver platter, you must work on your dreams.” Surround yourself with people that inspire you and support you, get ready to chase your goal!

The post Switching school notes to music notes: Roberta’s love for music | ATG appeared first on The Third Eye.

By Amy Cauchi

A rape offence is not only a delicate topic, but one in which the consequences and mitigation are rarely discussed. For the longest time in Malta, such an offence based itself on the satisfaction of two elements; violence and carnal connection.

However, as of ‘Act 13’ of 2018, the case of violence was substituted with the case of consent. Simply put, consent is now the deciding factor, whether the offence of rape was committed or not. One may wonder why would the legislator want to alter the element of violence? Is the judicial system fairer now than it was before? The answer is still quite unclear.

To begin with, the element of violence was very blurred as it was not defined by law. It was almost subject to interpretation in every case. It could exist in various forms; real or presumed, physical or moral. It could also mean consent was nulled through fraudulent behaviour. The circumstances of the case had to be examined by the court;

1. the victim’s vulnerability
2. predisposition
3. other situational conditions

The stumbling block

However, the main drawback was that violence must have been present at the time of the commencement of the act. This would mean that if violence commenced after intercourse had started, one would not be liable for the offence of rape. There have been cases where a person is injured and the court had to establish whether the injuries were caused at the commencement or after. This was clearly considered as a weak point.

Back in 2003, the case “M.C vs Bulgaria”, reports that the European Court of Human Rights had already harshly criticised those legal systems where violence was a key element of the offence as it could lead to leaving particular attempts of rape unpunished. This led to consent being the more plausible element, and thus enshrined in our legal code. Article 198 of the Criminal Code now states that the carnal connection must be non-consensual. Currently, the court must only determine whether there was consent. This, in a way, has eased the process as it has also done away with the difficulty of establishing the timeline of any injuries. But has it also brought different concerns to the table?

To mention a recent case, a 21-year-old university student was released on bail last July after being charged with having raped a woman. This charge was also placed 3 years after the incident. The court was in possession of chats in which the victim claimed “how much fun she had” and there was also continuous chatting between the two till May 2018. The accused was granted bail with a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €5,000. The court also imposed a protection order in favour of the victim. This is just one example of how “consent” can be established and ruled over. Essentially, it would be the victim’s word against the accused.

What does the public think?

When asking what general members of the public thought about these recent changes and how they interpret rape as the subject of consent, the below comments have been highlighted and translated;

“I believe in some cases it does favour women more as it seems to be based on how empathetic you make your case out to be”.

23-year-old university student, female.

“I agree completely with it being based on consent. If I say no, then I shouldn’t be forced or coerced”.

55-year-old housewife.

“Being based on either violence or consent, both seem to have their limitations. I think the law should actually be a combination of both to prove the act”.

45-year-old father & husband.

“I don’t know whether I agree or not to be honest. How is proof on consent actually considered?”

22- year-old university student, female.

“It’s my word against any person I’ve had sexual encounters with. If it’s really this vague, I think it should be reviewed”.

26-year-old single & employed male.

It was found that when the implications of both elements, violence and consent, were explained in detail, all interviewees thought twice about the subject and how it would be interpreted at court. However, by the end of each interview, none had a concrete answer.

The awareness of such frameworks was also found to be lacking as none of the interviewees knew about the recent changes.

The post When non-consensual sex hits the courts appeared first on The Third Eye.

Back in early November the Engineering Board made their draft changes to the Engineering Act public. Among these, was that the term “Engineer” would be completely deleted and replaced with “engineering services”. Understandable the latter is a more generic term referring to a vast number of engineering practices and disciplines. Even, the term “profession of engineer” was replaced by “profession of engineering” which refers to “reserved activities” that imply the certification of any service of a “mechanical or electrical nature”.

Reactions by the industry and academics

These proposed changes to the act were condemned by the Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Engineers, the University Engineering Students Association (UESA) and The Malta Association of Professional Engineers (MAPE).

MAPE condemned these changes claiming the reduction of “Profession of Engineer” to just certification. In reality, certification is just 10% of an engineer’s work, UESA clarified. They continued that the change outright disrespects the work of engineers by limiting engineers’ work to what was defined as “reserved activities”.

The Chamber of Engineers compared this change to that of re-imagining a lawyer as ‘legal services’ or a doctor as ‘medical services’. The main concern of the Malta Chamber was that broadening the term would lead to unqualified people to act as professionals. In return the quality of services provided by the local engineering industry may greatly suffer. Thereby the change may also imply health and safety related risks.

Looking forward…

The Chamber of Engineers agreed that “the Engineering Profession Act needs to be updated to address the challenges within the local and international market … [to] make the profession more relevant to today’s needs of the country.” The general consensus was that the best service should be provided to the industry and the public. However, there needs to be consultation with the professionals in the industry to properly update it in everyone’s best interest.

As of recently the Chamber of Engineers has been discussing with the Bboard to extend the deadline and to continue discussion regarding the changes in the Act.

The post Dear Engineering graduates, you may no longer be Engineers appeared first on The Third Eye.

ELSA (European Law Students’ Association) is an international, non-political and non-profit organisation run by, and for students, and recent graduates, who are interested in achieving academic and personal excellence in addition to their legal or law-related studies at university. ELSA is made up of over 50,000 students represented through 375 law faculties throughout Europe. ELSA Malta, founded in 1986, forms part of the European Law Students’ Association and is recognised as a voluntary organisation. ELSA Malta’s main objective is the representation of all law students at the University of Malta.

Why should you be a part of ELSA Malta?

Being part of a European network, ELSA Malta provides law students with the incredible opportunity to expand their legal education and to develop long term and fruitful relationships with other European law students. ELSA Malta also offers an array of academic and social events locally to help the students integrate, forge friendships and make their university experience much more memorable.

The academic events offered to law students by ELSA Malta include moot court competitions, international institutional visits, informative seminars and countless other events. Moot court competitions are especially important in order to familiarise yourself with moot courts from your 1st year of studies. These sessions allow participants to take part in simulated court proceedings, which enable them to develop a better understanding of the fundamentals of litigation and participating in a verbal argument. One of the annual moot courts organised by ELSA Malta is ‘Crime 101’. This Moot court allows students to develop their analytical skills, whilst also delving into the basis of what makes a potential court case in the criminal field.

We will also be guiding you through the law course with a variety of informative sessions and seminars. ELSA Malta hosts a number of ‘How to Sessions’ which are there to help law students in dealing with particular topics and aspects of the law course. This is especially beneficial towards first years; as they will gain some helpful tips and tricks on how to successfully navigate the law course, for example how to conduct research and write assignments. ELSA Malta also offers ‘Project Jurisprudence’ for sale; with ‘Project Jurisprudence I’ dealing with the topic of Criminal Law. This is an excellent guide to help you in studying Criminal Law during your first year of studies.

Apart from our academic events, ELSA Malta is also known for organising some of the best social events on campus. ELSA Malta’s social events include Booze Cruise, Inception: The Law Live-in, and FRAT; a 6 hour frat themed open bar. ELSA Malta also organises ‘ELSA Goes To’; which is one of our biggest international events of the year. This year we are heading to Amsterdam for 4 jam packed days. This trip is the perfect way to develop friendships with fellow law students which will last for years to come.

Check out the event by using the link below:

Freshers’ Drinks is up next!

Luckily, ELSA Malta’s Freshers’ Drinks is right around the corner. Here you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow freshers over a drink or two. Join ELSA Malta for a fun and informative event on Wednesday, 31st July, from 19:00 till 22:00 at the Crust Bakery – Bar – Bistro in St. Julian’s, by reserving your place through the link below:

ELSA Malta’s goal is to support fellow students along their journey to reach one common goal – a successful future. ELSA Malta strives to uphold ELSA International’s motto, “A world in which there is respect for human dignity and cultural diversity”. So don’t miss out in the ELSA experience; one which is like no other and has created friendships and memories which are cherished for life.

Follow ELSA Malta’s Facebook Page and Instagram to keep up to date with any updates:

The post Calling all Law freshers: Get to know ELSA Malta appeared first on The Third Eye.