The Insiter Online - July 2016 by Insite - The Student Media Organisation

JUL16

Issue 9

July 2016 |

Contents

Welcome to The Insiter Monthly!

Oh the joy - it’s that other endlessly refreshing e-sims hoping results come in. Therefore, If we were to lose all basic human rights, whilst hoping to lighten up your mood, The Insiter Monthly is we would not have so many things we here again to give your refresh button a break.water, health care, take for granted-

roads, police, leisure, right to be who we want, fair representation in court….. In this month’s issue get to know your then rights as a again all the about list is endless, where would we be? We progress in rights to student through Julia Shabaan’s article, read all about Insite’s help ourselves and crucially leave the new adventure, Kwadranglu, started out by new CEO next generation in aour better position us. If University is the first foray Rights improve standards. They hold people (that’s Johann Agius, and finally meet than Kevin Attard through Manuel into the ‘real world’ then I think the students as well as staff) accountable to a professional Xuereb’s article learning all about his work to beat a Guinnesscode of ethics that safeguards both students and staff. same ethos should apply in university. World Record. They ensure that dishonest behavior doesn’t occur or that is adequately punished. Rights ensure the But there still lies some problems. appropriate person on person behaviour- believe it or I hope all of you get very good and results! Whydeserving are we afraid to say what we not, lecturers do not ever have the right to make you think? Is it fear of the unknown? What feel inferior, stupid, refuse help, or show favourites. ‘right’ did our teachers and family have, Rights ensure you have proper exam conditions and Nicole Borg to tell us, to keep quiet? Is it because fair, timely and appropriate assessments that match Executive Editor of the culture of their era? What is what is on the syllabus. They ensure students get the so difficult in supporting each other help they need. Rights prevent double standards. for important things that will benefit everyone as a whole? Is it because being So what are you going to do? Will you keep your head single minded is so much easier and down and live your life terrified that someone might familiar? Why do we put our lecturers make fun of you? OR will you take the chance to change or those in ‘authority’ on such a high something and benefit yourself, your colleagues and pedestal? Are they another species, or those who follow you? Will you let bad and unfair are they human themselves complete practice continue despite your conscience knowing with flaws, prejudices, preconceived better? Will you continue to ignore your gut feeling on what is right and wrong? Perhaps there is something ideas and tempers? Student Rights: Where do you stand? beneficial you would like to see happen? These are questions all students should be asking themselves. The I would like to close with this quote: Quadding on the Airwaves act of standing up for what is right is “I have learned that, although I am a good teacher, I am a an imperative part of life, no matter much better student, and I was blessed to learn valuable where you go. Something as important lessons from my students on a daily basis. They taught me Kevin Attard - ‘the Real Maltese Ironman’ as higher education should be no the importance of teaching to a student - and not to a test.” Erin Gruwell – American writer exception.

Contents

3 5 8

February 2016 |

Executive Committee

Writers and Photographers

Johann Agius Kristina Saliba Manuel Xuereb Nicole Borg

Julia Shabaan Johann Agius Manuel Xuereb

Administrative Team Jessica Arena Ciicy Delmas Charlene Arapa Matthew Debattista Sara Ezabe Matthew Charles Zammit 2

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Media Team Nicole Borg Andrea Said Federico Barbaro Sant Daniel Galea St John Charles Mercieca

KEVIN ATT ‘the Maltes Ironma

Cover Photo

Magazine Design

EveryoneVassallo had a favourite superhero Siobhan growing up. A hero with unimaginable strength and compassion that would fight for justice against the villains of this world. My superhero is Kevin Attard, ‘the Real Maltese Ironman’; the next Maltese Terry Fox. He is someone who should inspire us to challenge

challenge seconds, consisted bicycle ri running A year la Double

Opinion

Student rights where do you stand? Julia Shabaan What is a right? What is your right? According to oxforddictionaries.com, one definition is: “A moral or legal entitlement to have or do something”

stepped upon and dangled above us like a carrot to a hungry horse and then taken away, when we need them most, at someone else’s whim.

I suspect that you may have heard of human rights at some point, for example, the right to water, the right to practice one’s religion, the right to dignity, the right to marry whomever you want… the list goes on, but have you ever stopped to consider student’s rightswhat they actually consist of and how they should be implemented in an educational establishment?

And we do need student rights. Very, very, very much.

Students are a big reason for universities to exist. They are the largest group of people on campus, the ones whose achievements are able to build a university’s reputation, the ones who contribute to much needed research, the volunteers, the athletes, the artists, the debaters, the representatives abroad, the activists, the do-gooders in the community, the future academics, the philosophers, the journalists, the environmentalists, the promoters of well being and the makers of awareness. We do a lot. A hell of a lot. And it all benefits the university community too. The problem is, student rights are often lost and forgotten. They are ignored, twisted, 24

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Students spend 3-7 years of one of the best parts of their lives in some form of higher education. It is the first taste of the outside world away from the over protected cocoon of home life and sixth form. Suddenly, you don’t have to hand in a note from mummy when you miss a class, but if you do miss, this could impede your progress or affect you in an exam. The decision becomes YOURS. You will feel the outcome of such a decision, and no one else is to blame. Such decisions are one of the starting blocks of being an adult. This way of thinking will spread into other parts of one’s life, from deciding what to do with your salary, which house you will live in, which job you will apply for, who you will commit your life to. Every decision you make – you will pay for it or benefit from it. University changes students from children into adults- or at least it should be doing so. And part of this supposed maturing phase is students taking responsibility for their rights. Their student rights that is. Taking responsibility for the environment they July 2016 |

Opinion are taught in, the lectures they receive, the representation they achieve, the fairness of their assessments, the variety of opportunities, the behaviour of the lecturers both in a lecture and outside plus how they relate to students. These are all student rights. If we were to lose all basic human rights, we would not have so many things we take for granted- water, health care, roads, police, leisure, right to be who we want, fair representation in court….. again the list is endless, then where would we be? We progress in rights to help ourselves and crucially leave the next generation in a better position than us. If University is the first foray into the ‘real world’ then I think the same ethos should apply in university. But there still lies some problems. Why are we afraid to say what we think? Is it fear of the unknown? What ‘right’ did our teachers and family have, to tell us, to keep quiet? Is it because of the culture of their era? What is so difficult in supporting each other for important things that will benefit everyone as a whole? Is it because being single minded is so much easier and familiar? Why do we put our lecturers or those in ‘authority’ on such a high pedestal? Are they another species, or are they human themselves complete with flaws, prejudices, preconceived ideas and tempers? These are questions all students should be asking themselves. The act of standing up for what is right is an imperative part of life, no matter where you go. Something as important as higher education should be no exception. Rights improve standards. They hold people (that’s students as well as staff) accountable to a professional code of ethics that safeguards both

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students and staff. They ensure that dishonest behavior doesn’t occur or that is adequately punished. Rights ensure the appropriate person on person behaviour- believe it or not, lecturers do not ever have the right to make you feel inferior, stupid, refuse help, or show favourites. Rights ensure you have proper exam conditions and fair, timely and appropriate assessments that match what is on the syllabus. They ensure students get the help they need. Rights prevent double standards. So what are you going to do? Will you keep your head down and live your life terrified that someone might make fun of you? OR will you take the chance to change something and benefit yourself, your colleagues and those who follow you? Will you let bad and unfair practice continue despite your conscience knowing better? Will you continue to ignore your gut feeling on what is right and wrong? Perhaps there is something beneficial you would like to see happen? I would like to close with this quote: “I have learned that, although I am a good teacher, I am a much better student, and I was blessed to learn valuable lessons from my students on a daily basis. They taught me the importance of teaching to a student - and not to a test.” Erin Gruwell – American writer

University Feature Life

Photo: Siobhan Vassallo

QUADDING ON THE AIRWAVES JOHANN AGIUS October of last year marked the launch of one of Insite’s most ambitious projects yet; a weekly radio show by students on the University of Malta station Campus FM. Having had some previous experience on air, the Insite team agreed to have me host as well as manage ‘Kwadranglu’, and 18 successful episodes later it’s time to look back at how this might be the start of something bigger and broader for our media organisation in the future. In the summer of 2015, the Insite team approached Campus FM with the intention of possibly making use of the station’s studios periodically to record podcasts. Whilst sitting down with station managers, Fr. Joe Borg and Celaine Buhagiar, we were very positively surprised with the non-hesitant offer for Insite to have its own show aired every week. In a relatively short period, just in time for the start of the scholastic year, we had to set

up a team of individuals committed towards amplifying the voice of young people, and representing our generation at Campus FM. Much like throughout the rest of this piece, I will most definitely sound biased saying this, but I do truly and honestly believe that we reached that goal, and then some. With each episode having to be recorded around two weeks prior to the actual date of transmission, it was not as expectantly easy a task to organise the content of 18 shows of half an hour each. For well-seasoned radio hosts and extremely experienced broadcasters, that might sound like a piece of cake and a ginger biscuit, but for a small team of students it took some getting used to. Luckily, both the name and concept of the show came quite naturally; Kwadranglu would be an ideal outlet of debate for as many young people as possible, with the aim of discussing issues that affect them,

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Feature but would simultaneously be interesting and relevant to listeners of practically all ages. In order to make Kwadranglu happen, I enlisted the help of a couple of people who in a span of a few months have become very dear colleagues of mine. Initially I decided it would be a good idea to not restrict the show to serious or heated discussions, but to also include short interviews with student organisations or with young bands and musicians. This decision produced results which were better than expected because, apart from offering a lighter angle to Kwadranglu, what the members of our team came to term as ‘the cultural section’ was the perfect way to promote the hard work of other organisations, as well as the up and coming musical talents that can be found on campus, which may easily go unnoticed otherwise. That is when, upon the suggestions of other members of Insite, I got to know Leon Xuereb and Karl Wismayer. Leon and Karl, like myself, are both heavily involved in student organisations. Leon is currently occupying the presidency of DESA (Department of English Students Association), whilst Karl is the Vice President of ASCS (Association of Students of Commercial Studies). Despite being very busy with duties for their own organisations, and of course their studies, both Leon and Karl jumped at the opportunity and whole-heartedly offered to contribute to the management and production of the show. Ultimately this resulted in Kwadranglu becoming a collaboration of sorts between three different student associations, something which Insite had not planned at all, but which turned out to make the project even more rewarding. Reflecting the aim of the show, that is: to be inclusive and hear what anyone interested in voicing their opinion has to say, the 18 episodes to come were the product of different minds working together, towards the common aim of bringing Kwadranglu to life. 6

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Visuals still played an important role in promoting the show and building up on its interest, which is all thanks to Insite’s very own Head of Design; the extremely talented Siobhan Vassallo. Being the creative mind behind the Kwadranglu logo, and the official photographer of every episode, Siobhan, undoubtedly made the promotion process that we embarked on, before the official launch of the show, just after Freshers Week 2015, considerably easier. With a tight deadline within which to put our name out there, and with social media practically being our only effective outlet, Siobhan delivered impressive designs quickly and was always available for any inevitable image editing emergencies. Discussions on Kwadranglu between October 2015 and January of this year ranged from the hot topics of migration, LGBT books in school libraries and the presence of underage teenagers in Paceville, to informative episodes about employability, stress management, as well as two shows before and after the reading of the budget document in Parliament. A large portion of the guests were students or members of student organisations, but professionals were also invited for certain discussions, so as to bring more diversity in opinion to the table. Additionally, it was an amazing experience to have many different local bands and musicians come to the Campus FM studios, to hear one of their songs as we played it on air, and to learn about the origin of their passion for songwriting. The likes of student bands Jack’s Fusion and WaterWings, together with wellestablished groups such as Cryptic Street and NoSnow/NoAlps, brought the show full circle and sprinkled it with the young contemporary vibe it needed as a last ingredient. As our team continues to grow, the concept of the show itself keeps developing, and the content-quality travels towards improvement. Goals related to the future of Kwadranglu are

Feature relatively endless. Wednesday 3rd February marks the beginning of our second season, with another 18 episodes covering more current issues and involving as many talented students as we can possibly handle. Without any complications to it, I am simply very excited for the future of Kwadranglu, and I aim towards it becoming an established staple of Insite in coalition with our work as a media and newscentred organisation.

guest on the show: I had never been on a radio program, so being asked by Johann to speak was quite a shock. Was it worth it? Heck yeah, I ended up going twice! And if a blabber like me can somehow do fine when being recorded, anyone can! Emma Grech: I was invited on the show to speak about the release of my band, Jack’s Fusion’s first single, ‘Electric’. It was great being on the show; I felt the questions were really centred around what we were doing as a band as well as plans for our future, whilst also managing to talk about us as five musicians on a more personal level. What benefits do you see from having a radio show on Campus FM like Kwadranglu being made by and for students? Matthew Charles Żammit: Thanks to Campus FM, students have a completely unfiltered medium in which to promote their message on a vast array of topics nationwide. It’s not something many people can say, but thanks to our wide-range of subjects discussed, I’d like to invite people to listen to our podcasts and send their ideas. A radio show by students, with students, for students.

How was your experience being a guest on Kwadranglu? Matthew Charles Żammit: It was thrilling, yet simultaneously terrifying. Although the way Insite came up with the idea of a radio program was totally by accident, everything else was the fruit of the hard work of so many people, students and Campus FM personnel alike. Admittedly, I never expected to end up as a

Emma Grech: I think having a student-based radio show offers more variety and is a really good medium for students from all backgrounds to communicate, especially if those shows are recorded and released online. The popularity of radio has risen and fallen, but I feel that as a platform it’s really gaining ground. Maybe the most fantastic thing about talk shows, particularly ones with an aim to give a platform to students, is that they give opportunity to really boost those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get their message across, but most of all, to really capture the human connection between students and the different things which make us all tick. July 2016 |

Sports

Sport

KEVIN ATTARD ‘the Maltese Real Ironman’ MANUEL XUEREB Everyone had a favourite superhero growing up. A hero with unimaginable strength and compassion that would fight for justice against the villains of this world. My superhero is Kevin Attard, ‘the Real Maltese Ironman’; the next Maltese Terry Fox. He is someone who should inspire us to challenge our potential to the limit. Kevin Attard at the age of 41, has already completed the Ironman and the Double Ironman. He managed to finish the Ironman

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challenge in 12 hours, 13 minutes and 19 seconds, on the 29th June 2014. This challenge consisted of swimming, 3.86 kilometres, a bicycle ride of another 180.25 kilometres, and running 42.2 kilometres – without a break. A year later, Kevin went on to complete the Double Ironman Challenge in Germany, between the 12-14th June. He did the same journey as before, only this time everything was doubled up. His timing was a total of 32 hours, 28 minutes and 32 seconds.

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Sports

Sport

In 2017, Kevin will be challenging himself to go up to the next level. He will be attempting to break a Guinness World Record, that of attempting 52 Half Ironmans, in only 1 year. This means Kevin will perform a half Ironman every week, which is a very, very tall order for anyone. A half Ironman consist of a triathlon with a total distance of 113 kilometres. This is divided into swimming 1.9 kilometres , bike riding another 90 kilometres, and running the 21.1 kilometres left. On average it would take 5-7 hours to complete such challenge. He will be attempting one every week coursing through the whole of 2017. This means he will only have a few days to rest, before moving on to prepare for the next half Ironman after 1 week. Kevin, for me is a true hero for attempting a World Record, not only because of the demands of this challenge, but also because his goal is to challenge the label put over the Maltese population. Recently our country has been labelled as one of the laziest and most inactive countries in the EU. Therefor this posits a bigger challenge on Kevin, as he is not only challenging himself, but also a viewpoint. He will also be challenging each and every one of us to join him, and to start taking exercising more seriously. Through Kevin’s challenge some of us may even feel encouraged to join him in biking, swimming or running exercises throughout the year, as he attempts these half Ironman challenges. Surely many will spot Kevin some time throughout the year, since the distances he intends to cover are larger than the Malta and Gozo combined. Thus the duration of the challenge will increase his exposure to the community.

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However the biggest help Kevin needs is not only our emotional support but also our financial support. It is up to us, as a community to help out in sustaining Kevin financially and enabling him to become our ‘Maltese Ironman’. Whoever wants to donate or send a message of support to Kevin, can do so by visiting his website: www.therealironman.com.mt Currently the Guinness World Record is 22 Half Ironmans completed in 1 year. Kevin is not only aiming to do more than the record, he aims to double it, and more. Kevin is also calling out an open invitation for anyone who wants to join him in a training session this upcoming year. Furthermore Kevin’s motto for this World Record attempt is: ‘Dream. Train. Execute’. A motto I am sure Kevin will be sharing with everyone he meets throughout these two years. His current team consists of his Training Coach, William Brydon, and his Manager Elisa Calleja (also taking care of Marketing and PR). While the superhero character Ironman has super electronic mechanized help from his turbo and laser hands, to fly and reach certain speeds. Kevin Attard has a determined heart to achieve something beyond anyone’s dreams. He is courageous enough to challenge himself, his body and defy his age. Let’s support our hero along this wonderful journey.

To learn more about Kevin Attard and his challenges; visit The Real Ironman on Facebook, or www.therealironman.com.mt

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