PLAN OF ACTION KPS Commissioner Election
Alexander Hili European studies with Communication
FOREWORD Accessibility, Transparency, Sustainability and Continuity; these are the four main points I will push forward if elected. I believe that these core values will help achieve a united university; a community unlike any other, within our own university. This can only happen through an inclusive, proactive approach, and through the empowerment of the students. This action plan is aimed at long term solutions, using achievable goals, and education. The aim behind the projects and proposals I am pushing forward is to create a community. Having a strong community is imperative for the implementation of policies that are truly representative of the student body.
ACCESSIBILITY I am a very outgoing person and thus it will be my pleasure to be in direct contact with the students, and to reach out to as many students as I can. I believe that representation is nothing if you do not know who you represent and thus I am determined to get to know those whom I will represent. I will use my time wisely and build a relationship with the student body helping them to feel comfortable to participate in the community on campus as well as encouraging them to involve themselves as much as possible and become active, interested students.
TRANSPARENCY I will be open to debate and discussion; whenever, however and whatever anyone wants to discuss. I believe it is something that is necessary for the inclusion of students in what KSU does, and I believe this will push more students to join and work with KSU and student organisations making the community on campus a wider reaching reality.
SUSTAINABILITY Every project, can be impressive, but not every project can stay strong or even grow stronger for years. I will do my utmost to promote sustainability, long term projects and aims which will benefit not just the present students but those in the future. My proposals are aimed at growth, with each project and policy targeting the long term welfare of the community.
CONTINUITY Above all else I am not going to start building a new structure, I will build on what is there. On what those before me have left and this is the way forward. We are always carrying on what our predecessors have given us. I will be continuing to do what those before me have done, I will push forward their projects and make sure they reach the standards set by those before me.
KPS Elections 2015|16
POLICY MAKING My main proposals are the making of new policies that will be representative of a University that anticipates taking a proactive stance. KSU is expected to react to the society as it is changing as well as think for the future. This is why, while I am proposing new ideas aimed at avoiding future problems, we will be constantly updating and holding current policies that KSU holds on various issues. The following proposals are to be discussed with the KPS Co-ordinator Etienne Buttigieg and worked on through the KPS in collaboration with the commission that is made up of the student organisations.
WATER SCARCITY "if the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water -- unless we change our approach to managing this precious and vital resource". Ismail Serageldin Our climate and our geology have their limitations, however this should not stop us from using the technology and knowledge available to us to promote and push forward an awareness campaign, paired up with a policy that would be backed by the student body. This would help shine the light on KSU on a national scale, since we would not just be tackling issues which are affecting Malta, or issues which just affect students. We would be taking a proactive approach to safeguard Malta’s future.
09/04/2016 We are running the risk that within the next ten years, we will not be able to access water at will, within twenty years we will have people in Malta who will not have access to clean and fresh water. This is why I am proposing this as one of the main policies for next year. If we are to see anything from what happened recently. I am sure everyone has realised the massive change that happened this year due to the El Nino which caused excessive rain in certain locations and extreme heat and drought in others. What I am proposing is the creation of an informative campaign that works on showing the change that is happening to our world. Meanwhile, a team will work on writing a policy paper through research and data collection from the relevant authorities, resulting in a number of suggestions that can be carried out to improve our environment at University.
Digital Data Protection With the advent of the information age came the introduction of online media and digital publishing. This has brought with it both positive and negative effects. Currently our university is undergoing a large digitising process where our final year projects, theses and academic articles written are being made available both online and offline at our library. I am proposing a collaboration with the organisations to outreach with the students to bring an understanding about how this will affect them and as a student body put forward the option of the student on the forefront of this initiative. While touching on this topic, it would also be helpful to make the relevant patenting laws and how they affect research carried out at the University of Malta more accessible.
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KPS Elections 2015|16 Apart from this policy, it is also necessary to touch on important factors such as the European data protection act which is a concept that has been in discussion for a long time in the European parliament. See how we can further work to improve this while working with MEP’s, since this issue is on a European level as well.
CURRENT POLICIES: The old and new It is very important that we work together to try and update policies which need updating. This is important because we are living in an ever changing society and there needs to be flexibility within an organisation that wants to be as representative as possible of its members. I believe this would be best carried out through the setting up of a dedicated team which would tackle one policy at a time rather than having a large number of working groups which divide the energy of the KPS office. Focusing on one problem at a time will give more focus on a particular issue hence resulting in high quality work. This as well as giving the team working with the KSU office a sense of belonging by being given a larger part in the working of policies and feeling empowered.
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ONLINE OPINION POLLS This proposal aims to have a section on the KSU website with a constant opinion poll on the topics KSU would be tackling. These would be announced through the relevant medium on opening and reminders would be sent at appropriate periods. This would allow KSU to have a live update of students’ opinion. With those topics that need a more in depth discussion, a forum could be set up allowing for debate to happen. These polls would be based on social policies and stands that KSU would be taking, giving an additional layer of representation that would be representative of a larger part of the student population in University as well giving more weight to the stands KSU takes.
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KPS Elections 2015|16
ORGANISATIONS
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CAREERS PROMOTING JOBS:
TRAINING I propose continuation of the concept put forward by my predecessors in the past years, whereby training seminars are held for students, with a focus on student organisations. However, I would like to try to change this to appeal to more students and perhaps find a time to hold it in the first semester allowing for the student organisations to hold training at the start of their year. This would then be followed by the availability of training done though workshops held during the year. This would be focused but not limited to: -
Leadership skills Team work Delegation Education Marketing Reporting
I believe that these skills would allow organisations to improve their efficiency which in turn would allow a larger amount of students to be reached and included in events held on and off campus.
New Organisations I propose that there is a structure that helps the many new organisations that are being kick started to represent new interests of the students. From this structure there would be a guide showing how to build the groundwork of an organisation, helping the establishment of the correct paperwork and through the aid of KSU the acquisition of the: -
Unemployment has become a big issue, especially with competition from graduates from universities across all of Europe. In an attempt to improve this situation occurring in Malta I propose to keep working and improving on the Careers Convention. This is an event of great importance in the KSU calendar. So as to improve this convention, I am suggesting that we bring on board representatives from each faculty, allowing for their input and suggestions. This could be backed by companies allowing for insight into what is needed so as to make our courses and our degrees more compatible on a national and international level in an ever changing, dynamic market. Apart from all of this I will push forward the work that has been done by my predecessors and make sure that the contacts that have been built and the projects that have been started will continue and come to fruition. Especially the work done with certain companies that are working for the empowerment of students and the creation of internships.
PREPARING FOR AFTER UNIVERSITY: I would also like to approach students who have graduated from university, and try to gather data showing the work and the relation to what they studied at University. This once more would help to provide information to be used by the relevant faculties giving students a better studying environment which is conducive to a better transition to a working environment.
VO number NGO status Recognition from University
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KPS Elections 2015|16
INITIATIVES DEBATING At our university this is highly lacking with students, often approaching issues with a closed mindset and not having room for flexibility. However this has been changing with the inclusion and work of several organisations which have been doing their utmost to improve opinion on campus through igniting several debating initiatives. This is something that allows the growth of discussion between students as well as awareness, understanding and acceptance of other opinions around us. I would like to propose more promotion of the Debate Society League. Giving this initiative more extensive exposure by better promotion of the debates is highly needed as the quality of the debates is exceptionally high however the audience for them is lacking. This requires looking into and understanding the problem. I also want to keep working on the Union debate society. This initiative is currently in progress by the current KSU and I would like to see this project come to fruition.
Green Initiatives This is a very important aspect of KPS that targets a very important part of our society; the environment. Although improvements are seen every year, this doesn’t seem to be attracting the attention of enough students, as I believe it should be. The best way to go around this is to urge organisations to come up with suitable work plan. Then approaching the commission and present their ideas and proposals. Apart from this I would want to link this with the Campaign+ so as to show the support KSU has towards these initiatives.
09/04/2016 I would like to also bring forward the importance that each organisation has their own green policy. This would be done though a short workshop during one of the early KPS meetings. Giving organisations the training they need to be able to be more sustainable in their events, using minimal effort.
BUDGET REPORT This is a very important report drafted every year. In this report KSU voices its opinion on issues that affect every student. With this statement I will try, along with my counterpart in social policy, to work to make sure they affect all of the students in the most beneficial way possible. This is very important, as it is a space which will allow the students to show their stance on a national scale. I propose the putting together of a team that will analyse and create a discussion between the students on how the budget will affect the students as well as how this can be better distributed. Giving our recommendation to the government showing them what the students’ voice says and representing our students to the authorities.
Campaign+ This innovative idea created by KPS this year was a massive success that allowed multiple organisations to push their ideas for a better and stronger community, forward that can express its ideas and commitment though KSU. Both students and organisations have been given the chance to invest time into concepts that they may not have managed to create on their own. The initiatives that I am suggesting to be included in this year’s campaign plus will include the following among others. -
Sports Recycling Social inclusion Inclusion 4|Page
Alexander Hili |99931803 Alexanderhili1993@gmail.com