Editor:
AnnaMaria Zammit
editorial
Editorial Board:
Claire Bonello Noel Camilleri Kristina Cassar Proof-reader:
Christine Spiteri Head of Design:
Theo Cachia Layout and Production:
Isabel Micallef, Jonathan Mifsud Illustrators:
Adrian Abela, Daniela Attard Head of Photography:
Glorianne Cassar Photographers:
Martha Micallef, Becky Naudi, Emma Portelli Bonnici, David Schembri, Luca Tufigno, YENTL SPITERI Media Officer:
Christine Spiteri Sales and Marketing:
Anton Abela Contributors:
Anna Abela, Chris Bergedahl, Matthew Bonanno, Claire Bonello, Albert Borg, Sarah Bowman, Hillary Briffa, Diane Brincat, Stephanie Calleja, Noel Camilleri, Abigail Caruana, Claire Cassar, Tamara Chetcuti, Cathleen Cortis, Daniel Croucher, Simone Cutajar, Anthony Debono, Ann Farrugia, Christian Galea, Emma Grech, Claire Grima, Philip Leone-Ganado, Jessica Micallef, Veronica Said Pullicino, Natasha Singh, Christine Spiteri, Irene Scicluna, Maria Vella
Two days ago, I made my way to the Insite office to work on this edition. I was surprised to find that the key no longer worked. How could this be? I called for assistance. The locks had been changed that morning, we were told, by – you guessed it – our esteemed colleagues currently occupying the (redecorated!) office upstairs. Without so much as an e-mail by way of forewarning or a courteous note left on the door afterwards, mind you. ‘Where are the keys?’, we inquired. ‘Not on campus’, came the astounding reply. Hours later, it transpired that said keys had been locked in the KSU office all along. Naturally. This marked the first time I felt hostility towards the infamous KSU. While my frustration manifested itself in snide remarks about the gross inaccuracy of the slogan ‘Ghalik’, other students have taken proactive steps to rectify situations that were negatively affecting the entire student body. In particular, the multi-organisation team ‘Act’ (2009), and ‘Moviment Indipendenti’ (2010), who both contested the KSU elections, sprang to mind. They attempted to bring about the change that was desperately needed. They challenged the flawed system in a constructive way. I experienced a surge of respect and admiration towards them. And shame at the complacency I exhibited not so long ago. Not anymore. Perhaps some of us are not yet ready to be the change that we want to see in the world; meanwhile, the least we can do is support those who are. So here’s to another year of positive change at the UoM. Goodness knows we need it. The Insiter welcomes contributors and feedback. We want to know what matters to you, and we want you to be involved in the ongoing process of developing this publication. You can reach us on: print@insite.org.mt.
Special thanks:
Neville Bezzina, Greenhouse Malta, MEPA Cover:
Adrian Abela, Theo Cachia, Glorianne Cassar, Christine Spiteri © 2010 Insite – The Student Media Organisation. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
04 CAMPUS MAP
Perhaps the most practical and comprehensive one ever.
Book reviews
06 NEWS The Road REVIEW Then THERE WERE two 08 AnD Plenty of theatrics but no theatre 2010 10 october evenTS Erasmus diaries
12
13 14 16 17
10 years of insite Tamara Chetcuti takes us through the history of Insite.
A Fresh start be a part of it! Anna AbELA Philip leone ganado
the
is published eight times a year by insite - the student media organisation and is distributed for free on campus. CORRESPONDENCE:
Insite - The student media organisation, university of malta, msida, msd 2080 sales & advertising:
sales@insite.org.mt Email:
18 19 20 21
The CLAIRE CHRONICLES THE NITPICKER SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE MISSION ACCOPLISHED?
print@insite.org.mt WEBSITE:
INSITERONLINE.com
34 Dana mckeon Steph Calleja interviews a rising star in the local music scene.
22 Biodiversity
For our new Environment Section we’ve teamed up with Mepa to give you an insightful look at Biodiversity.ironment pages.
39 40 43 46
WHEre there’s smoke... LIVING THE DREAM SMART ARSE GET INVOLVED
24 27 28 30
VOX POP personality of the month Doing Small Things with great love FASHION
32 33 36 37
Book reviews The Road REVIEW Plenty of theatrics but no theatre Erasmus diaries
44
University rankings Noel Camilleri investigates the politics behind university rankings.
insiteronline.com
03
the
CAMPUS MAP FINALLY, MY TIMETABLE AND MY CAMPUS MAP ARE SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE
CP1
HUM.A
LC
EW
HUM.B
LT1 Into: San Gwann tal-Gharghar Str.
LT2
(Through Rural Road)
Going: San Gwann, Kappara...
CP2
ALT
BEN NLH
OH MDT
CP7
M IT HSBC
CH
TESPI EDRC
SLT
STZH MEDAC
CP5 GW
WG
CP4 QUAD
HSBC ATM
*
Into: Mater Dei Hospital
CP5 BOV
CP6
CP6
SG
Into: Dun Karm Strt. Going: Valletta, Msida (Skatepark), Qormi...
Into: Du Going: Va (Sk
Into: Dun Karm Str. Going: Iklin, Mosta, Naxxar...
GW MEDAC
EDRC
WG EG SG CP1 CP2 CP3 CP4 CP5 CP6 CP7 CP8
04
WEST GATE (MAIN ENTRANCE) EAST GATE (SPORTS COMPLEX ENTRANCE) SOUTH GATE (OLD MAIN ENTRANCE) CAR PARK 1 CAR PARK 2 (MATHS DEPARTMENT) CAR PARK 3 CAR PARK 4 (QUAD) CAR PARK 5 (GATEWAY/ADMINISTRATION PARKING) CAR PARK 6 (MAIN PARKING AREA) CAR PARK 7 CAR PARK 8 (SPORTS COMPLEX ROUNDABOUT) UNIVERSITY BUS TERMINUS
The Insiter • October 2010
STZH
ALT BEN NLH OH MDT HUM.A
HUM.B
ALR PLR ARU LC
GATEWAY BUILDING MED. ACADEMY OF DIPMLOMATIC STUDIES EUROPEAN DOCUMENTATION & RESEARCH CENTRE SIR TEMI ZAMMIT HALL ARTS LECTURE THEATRE BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEW LECTURE HALL OLD HUMANITIES MEDITERRANEAN INSTITUTE HUMANITIES A (LAWS, THEOLOGY, CRIMINOLOGY) HUMANITIES B (FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTS) ANATOMY LECTURE ROOM PHYSIOLOGY LECTURE ROOM ALLIED RESEARCH UNIT DUN MIKIEL XERRI LECTURE CENTRE
LEGEND WALKWAYS/PAVED OUTDOOR AREAS ROADS/VEHICULAR ACCESS ACADEMIC BUILDINGS SERVICES/FACILITIES/LANDMARKS TRANSPORT RELATED
BUILDINGS BUILDINGS (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) LANDSCAPED AREAS (ON CAMPUS) LANDSCAPED AREAS (OFF CAMPUS) WATER
CB
ELT
EB
Into: M.T. Spinelli Str. Going: Gzira, Sliema, St. Julians...
Regi onal Road Over pass
N
MUSC
MP PLR
CHB ALR
ARU
CLR CP3
Regi onal Road Over pass
CP8 CP8
EG
Into: Edgar Bernard Str. Going: Gzira, Sliema, St. Julians...
un Karm Str. alletta, Msida katepark), Qormi...
ARVID PARDO MONUMENT ADMINISTRATION BUILDING TESPI GREEK THEATRE GARDENS / OUTDOOR STUDY AREAS HSBC BRANCH HSBC ATM BOV BRANCH & ATM STUDENT HOUSE (STUDENT ORG. OFFICES, COMMON ROOM) CANTEEN * OUTSIDE ENTITIES (MELITA, iCENTRE, PRINT XPRESS, AGENDA, NSTS) QUADRANGLE UNIVERSITY CHAPLAINCY CHILDREN’S AREA (IT-TAJRA PLAYSCHOOL) MALTA UNIVERSITY SPORTS CLUB NATIONAL POOL & FITNESS CENTRE SPORTS HALL FOOTBALL PITCH PICNIC TABLES
TESPI
LT1 LT2 SLT CHB CLR EB EW ELT MP CB IT
LECTURE THEATRE 1 (ERIN SERRACINO INGLOTT HALL) LECTURE THEATRE 2 (FRANCIS EBEJER HALL) SCIENCE LECTURE THEATRE CHEMISTRY BUILDING CHEMISTRY LECTURE THEATRE ENGINEERING BUILDING ENGINEERING WORKSHOP ENGINEERING LECTURE THEATRE MATHS & PHYSICS DEPT. COMPUTER BUILDING IT SERVICES BUILDING UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FACULTY OF ICT (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) IT SERVICES BUILDING (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
HSBC
HSBC ATM
BOV
QUAD
MUSC
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05
Tamara chetcuti
Information meeting opens
new season for insite I
nsite, the Student Media Organisation, recently held its first Information Meeting for the new academic year, in line with its recruitment campaign. The event was held on 30 August 2010 at the University of Malta Common Room in Students’ House. Sixty-five students attended the meeting, including a few who will be commencing their first year at University this month. The speakers included all the Executive Board Officers and Media Editors, as well as Elizabeth Galea (who was a member of the editorial board and a writer at Insite between 2009 and 2010), and Massimo Farrugia (an ex-Insiter who is currently the Press Officer of the European Parliament Office in Malta). During the meeting, it was announced that Insite’s publication, The Insiter, will now be printed in full colour, and that the IC Weekend, an annual event organized by Insite, will now be recognised by degreePlus. Following this meeting, many participants have already started working within Insite in various roles, including journalism, design and photography.
The Executive Board and Media Editors for the academic year 2010/2011 are as follows:Jonathan Mifsud - CEO Emma Gauci - Secretary General Christine Spiteri - Media Officer Anton Abela - Sales and Marketing Officer Tamara Chetcuti - Development Officer Bernard Maniscalco - Operations Officer Yentl Spiteri - External Officer AnnaMaria Zammit - Print Editor Matthew Bonanno - Web Editor Franco Rizzo - Audiovisual Editor If you have any queries, please contact Insite at: info@insiteronline.com.
NEVILLE BEZZINA
jef malta holds international conference ‘
06
T
he ultimate solution for a better life: (im)migration?’ is a week-long international seminar which is being organised by JEF Europe and JEF Malta. It will be held in the locality of Tarxien during late October. For the duration of this week, JEF Malta will play host to more than fifty European students, in a series of events aimed at exploring the seminar’s topic from different angles. The project is being financially supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, which will be providing a number of scholarships to international applicants to encourage participation. The topic of immigration is particularly relevant in the local context, especially when considered in relation to recent events within Europe and beyond. The seminar will seek to shed light on various aspects of this modern phenomenon. The main programme will tackle an expansive list of circumstances underlying the issues presented by all kinds of immigration and migration, as well as questions
The Insiter • October 2010
about freedom of movement in the current age of global relations. Attention will also be given to humanitarian situations which individuals face in terms of societal exclusion, xenophobic attitudes, and the lack of adequate policies and assistance provided by governmental institutions in host countries. Finally, the international seminar aims to raise awareness among European youth about the various - as yet unexplored - positive and negative aspects of migration, and the different types of migration taking place in Europe (including within the EU) from neighbouring and underdeveloped countries. Throughout the seminar, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a programme of leisure and social activities organized by JEF Malta in order to familiarise them with its Mediterranean history and its thriving cultural scene.
FREE HUGS
4LIFE
Daniel Croucher
albert borg & ANN FARRUGIA
During Freshers’ Week, MMSA will be holding a Free Hugs Campaign on campus. This campaign was originally launched by Juan Mann, who considers it his life’s work to reach out to others and brighten their day in this “age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact.” The aim of the campaign is to hug as many people as possible. MMSA, in accordance with their role as a medical institution, will also be using the campaign as a device to raise awareness about AIDS, specifically the stigma associated with people suffering from the disease.
Life is a precious gift, and we seldom realise how valuable it is until we learn of some fatality. Medical students, who, along with various medical professionals, face this reality on a daily basis, realise just how easily some tragedies can be avoided. They believe this can change and therefore MMSA is taking a stand to promote the importance of First Aid knowledge: a simple set of skills which can save a life. Look out for this campaign during Freshers’ Week.
news
Health campaigns on campus
For more information please visit www.mmsa.org.mt, or send an e-mail on info@mmsa.org.mt
Today, although there is awareness among the general population about how the virus spreads, and its effects on the body, misconceptions still exist regarding its transmission. Sadly, people who suffer from it are, still treated like biological weapons about to detonate. The HIV virus can only be transmitted through a bodily fluid such as blood, genital secretions and breast milk. Not by a hug.
albert camilleri
European Studies
organisation launched T
he European Studies Organisation (ESO) was created during an EGM held on the 20th September 2010. The primary aim of the ESO is to be the official representative of the European Research and Documentation Centre (EDRC) students, and to maintain excellent links with the University of Malta. The organisation aims to foster and encourage the participation of all European Studies students, both local and foreign, in upcoming activities. It will also do its utmost to encourage discussions and debates regarding European current affairs on campus. All nine members of the Executive Board are currently students enrolled within the EDRC at the University of Malta. The two EDRC Student Representatives, Michela Boffa and Etienne Mifsud, will form part of the Executive Board for the duration of the academic year 2010-2011.
The rest of the ESO board is made up of: Roberta Gatt - President Albert Camilleri - Secretary General Wayne Magri - Financial Officer Nadya Papagiorcopulo - Public Relations Officer Andrew Aquilina - International Officer Francesca D’Amato - Academic Affairs Officer Nicholas Vella - Activities Officer ESO looks forward to welcoming all its members during Freshers’ Week 2010 (Monday 4th to Friday 8th October). Please visit our stand for more details!
insiteronline.com
07
EMMA GRECH
And then there were two However you choose to understand it
H
usband and wife forever. One ties the knot, participating in marriage proper as is stated in Chapter 255 of The Laws of Malta. This, however, is a report on the dissolution of that marriage proper.
16th Century England vs 21st Century Malta Allow me to put things into perspective. I am in favour of divorce. I am also in favour of marriage and everlasting commitment. But joining those infernally chanting DIVORCE NEVER! at the end of perpetual comments on The Times of Malta website is certainly something I shall never adhere to. It is plainly unjust to marginalise legally separated couples and to prevent their further participation in the institution of marriage . Besides being mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi, the concept of divorce retained a rather formidable character throughout history. It pervaded most societies, excluding those in which the Catholic Church was the central social and political institution.
What about Malta? Only now, five hundred years after infamous King Henry VIII brought forth the issues of annulment and divorce, has a Private Member’s Bill been put forward in the Maltese parliament. In 2010.
Photography luca tufigno
What has contributed to our ‘traditionalist’ approach? Let us take the Roman Catholic “detonator button”. People who have a Catholic marriage formally promise to be together forever, united before God; and thus enter into a contract that automatically rejects the idea of divorce. The Church therefore does not annul a marriage (although it is called an ‘annulment’), but declares that it is null, and has been so from the start. Years of memories, good times and bad times, perhaps even kids: invalidated. Perhaps what we tend to overlook is that annulment is a subtle cash cow for the Church. Really, there is no excuse for why divorce has not been promoted before now. Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has really set the ball rolling this time, and rightly so.
Divorce and Politics This incongruity sends a shudder down my spine. The way this whole debate has been turning into a political hot potato
08
The Insiter • October 2010
rather than a constructive, coherent moulding of state policy is nerve-racking. The government has seemingly placed a ‘Be Back in Five Minutes’ sign on its door. The opposition? Whether it is engaged in a cunning ploy to encourage votes at the next general election, or writing a suicide note for the common good, remains unknown. Can nothing in this country be free of a political powwow? The 8th August publication of the MISCO “International Survey” results induced several Sunday lunch parleys. 40 per cent voted in favour of the introduction of divorce, 45 per cent voted against, and 14 per cent remained undecided. Only 20 per cent are inclined to allow the current crop of MPs to vote on the introduction of divorce. MaltaToday asked if people agreed with ‘divorce for couples who have been separated for four years’, which is what is recommended in the current proposed bill. 59 per cent now registered in favour. Something smells fishy indeed. Was the former survey one simply backed up for governmental interest? You’d best place the ‘Be Back in Five Minutes’ sign on your door when faced with this question.
Divorce and Religion Our nation’s religious faith is enshrined in our Constitution. Therefore it is no surprise that there is often conflict between Church and State policy. Maltese legislators have to consider those who in all consciousness take a decision contrary to the Church’s teachings; and those who, after all, are not Catholic. Resolute believers have no a priori right of veto. Fr Joe Borg’s article, “Respect and Responsibility”, published on the 5th of September in The Times of Malta, hit a few important points. Apart from highlighting Thomas Aquinas’s just theory on conscience, his piece accentuated that several ecclesiastics “are nostalgic for a past that has long ceased to exist”. Modernity. Development. We must all learn to embrace it. C. S Lewis once said, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he
news ANALYSIS is.” I think he forgot the smudge on the map in the Mediterranean Sea that is Malta. Pity Mussolini didn’t overlook it.
Divorce in Malta We are the only EU country that has not yet legalized divorce. The Philippines, outside the EU, are in the same situation. Currently, Maltese legislation permits married people to either obtain a divorce abroad (if their pockets are deep enough and they are entitled to it) by virtue of Article 33 of the Marriage Act, or to have their marriage, by virtue of Article 19(1) of the Marriage Act, declared null and void through annulment. Legally separated couples, whose obligation to cohabit seizes, cannot remarry. The family unit is one of the most salient features of society. The State must have a vested interest in promoting the notion of a stable marriage while catering for the possibility of marital breakdowns. Malta will not turn into a Las Vegas wedding bonanza the moment divorce is introduced. Actually, the government’s promise to legally recognize cohabitation without introducing divorce would further undermine the institution of marriage by causing more legally separated persons to cohabit with their new partners. Furthermore, because a legally binding contract is not available to cohabitating couples, even the most carefully drawn up cohabitation laws can never equate with the stability that marriage provides. There is a fear that the introduction of divorce will lead to a downward spiral: abortion, gay marriage, and God knows what else. Yet it is as plain as day that when considering the problem, divorce is the legal remedy, not the perpetrator. Furthermore, the recognition in Malta of a divorce obtained abroad is legally anomalous and entirely discriminatory. Divorce per se may not be a Fundamental Human Right, however this is not stopping Dr Lynn Zahra from taking the matter up to the Constitutional Court. Her argument is that she is being deprived of a “right to respect for family life” by not being able to get divorced in her home country. Her ultimate want is for the issue to be referred to
the European Court of Human Rights. Noteworthy is the 1986 landmark case ‘Johnston & Others v Ireland’. The ECHR saw that the Irish had some form of redress in that they could obtain a divorce through the recognition of a foreign judgment according to Private International Law; just like the Maltese. Divorce was then only allowed in Ireland following a referendum. The good news is that we’re not in 1986 anymore.
Divorce and the Young’uns Let’s face it. Chances are a person in their early twenties hasn’t had to suffer the pains of a failed marriage. So who are we, really, to put our voices out there? It is the members of the younger generation who are mostly in favour of divorce. Is this because we are anti-marriage, anti-permanence, and anti-everything that holds a minimal amount of value? This is definitely not the case. I believe in the permanence and sanctity of marriage and I also believe in divorce for those who deserve a second chance at that permanence and sanctity. The problem with our young minds is that they tend to be ignored. Complacency is most likely cultivated as a result of one’s environment. While it might be tolerated when displayed by an eighteen-year-old, it should not be a characteristic of any one of our 69 representatives, the supposed epitome of a liberal democracy.
What next? Should a referendum really be the crux of this debate? Our 69 representatives ought to, sooner rather than later, take the matter into their own hands, and legislate accordingly for the common good. The majority simply cannot vote for the minority which is in need of divorce as a legal aid. It is ultimately up to the State to ensure that the family unit is protected through just and efficient legal processes. Perhaps this debate will have its upsides. Besides having stimulated some interest in the more passive citizens among us, it may be the dawn of a new political era. Consider the intraparty wrangle, the constant wars of words, and the supposed motions for common good rather than self-interest. Are we witnessing change? Let’s just hope we get there before the Filipinos. Do you have an opinion about this article? Write a letter to the editor and send it to us on print@insite.org.mt
insiteronline.com
09
OCTOBER 2010
EVE
NTS
Wednesday 6th – Sunday 10th & Wednesday 13th – Sunday 17th VOICES FOUNDATION VOICES 2010: ‘LISTEN TO THE MUSIC’
Annual Concert, More information: voices.org.mt
7.30PM*, Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC), Valletta Thursday 7th DESA Tim Burton Film Screening
followed by a discussion with notable speakers 12PM, Common Room, Students HOUSE Friday 8th - Saturday 9th EURES Malta European Job Fair
A window of career opportunities in Europe Excelsior Hotel, Floriana
Friday 8th – Sunday 10th An Enemy of the People (Ibsen) co-ordinated by Albert Marshall
as part of the events in commemoration of the Labour Party’s 90th anniversary 8.30-10.30PM, St. James Cavalier, Valletta Saturday 9th Insite ‘Freshed Up!’ Fresher’s Party with the participation of 20 Student Organisations
9PM, Stitch Club Wednesday 13th DegreePlus Debate Society
‘This house would allow companies to refuse to hire smokers’ 12.30PM, Common Room, Students House Friday 15th DEGREEPLUS DanCesport Programme
Introductory Session, Introductory Course (Latin American Rhythms) 12-2PM, Common Room, Students House
10
The Insiter • October 2010
*except for Sunday 10th, which is a 3.30PM matinee
What’s on?
Friday 15th – Sunday 17th masquErade The History Boys (Bennett)
a hit comedy play
7.30-10.30PM, Manoel Theatre, Valletta Saturday 16th YEP Malta ETC Youth Employment Programme
Public Launch
9.30-11.30AM, Republic Street, VallettA Sunday 17th to Saturday 23rd JEF Malta ‘The Ultimate Solution for a better life: (immigration)?’
International Seminar. More information: www.jef.eu TARXIEN Sunday 19tH DESA ‘America: A Literary Timeline’
a series of chronological literary readings as part of One World Week 3-4PM, Common Room, Students House Tuesday 19th to Sunday 24th YEP Malta ETC Youth DAYS
A Week of Activities
9AM-1PM & 4PM-8PM, Floriana Car Park Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th JEF Malta ‘Welcome to Europe: a youth perspective on immigration’
International Conference. More information: www.jef.eu
SATURDAY 23RD MMSA ‘WHAT THE F***?’
Party, More information: www.mmsa.org.mt, info@mmsa.org.mt 10PM, Maya Beach Club, Ghadira Saturday 30th – Sunday 31st MADC Death of a Doornail (Mueller)
a murder mystery play
8PM, Manoel Theatre, Valletta
insiteronline.com
11
WherE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF in 10 YEARS? This is possibly one of the most difficult questions to answer. Some people choose not to look that far into the future, while others willingly use it as a measure of their dreams. However, most people do wish it was possible to know what their lives would be like in ten years’ time, especially the dreamers and the thinkers. When that point in the future arrives, we want to be able look back at those ten years with pride and satisfaction. Humans yearn to feel a sense of achievement, and Insite has had plenty of that. Insite celebrated its 10th year anniversary last March 2010 and is steadily moving towards its 11th year of operation. I invite you to join me as I talk you through ten years of achievements, as well as a fair share of obstacles. If there’s one thing we should all beware of while planning for the future, it’s that the road is never smooth. But we should take our time, because good things come to those who wait. Now, please sit back and enjoy the journey. It all started with a commercial student publication called The Voice. By a fortunate twist of fate, The Voice landed in the hands of a few students who wanted to jerk University students out of the growing apathy that had being developing since the mid-80s. At the time, there was also concern because KSU (the national student organisation of Malta) was not doing enough to help students. Therefore, the main aim of the publication was to try to get student opinions heard by means of printed media. The idea was so well received, that 24 hours after its first Annual General Meeting, Insite had already recruited 208 members! Funds were scarce though. The first two years saw the organisation’s accounts in the red. It was a struggle to put together a proper editorial board and policy. Despite this, Insite managed to write its statute, create a fully-fledged executive board, and become Senate recognised in 2001. In 2002, it also managed to make its first profits. At around this time, the name of its publication was changed to Insite for marketing purposes. This publication is what is now known as The Insiter. One of Insite’s crowning achievements was a story written by Matthew Tabone, who was Editor of Insite at the time. The story targeted the lack of accessibility on campus. Matthew decided to investigate thoroughly, by going around University in a wheelchair and experiencing it firsthand. After this story was published, the National Commission for Persons with a Disability (KNPD) sued the University, and it was obliged to rectify the situation. Many students have contributed insightful pieces of work to Insite
12
The Insiter • October 2010
through the years, which have sparked debate and caused change. Another memorable moment was The Insite Campus Debate in 2008, which preceded the general election. This event was covered by all major media organisations in Malta and also by Insite’s audiovisual team, inTV, and its Youtube Channel (insitemalta). No one can forget the 2008 Campus Debate, during which the leaders of the four political parties battled it out about which party was worthy of more votes. Insite has developed different media, including radio. It now consists of print media, The Insiter; audiovisual media, inTV; web media, insiteronline.com; and social media on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Some of its other milestones include the organisation of the first National Student’s Congress, an IT Fair, contributions to the ‘Student’s View’ blog on timesofmalta.com, and heading an International Office, through which several volunteer programmes, trips abroad and seminars in Malta were organised through the ‘Youth in Action’ and EVS programmes provided by the EU. The most eagerly anticipated event organised by Insite, which will be held for the fourth consecutive year this November, is the IC Weekend. Over the last three years, it has attracted 300 participants. The event is held at a hotel, where participants attend different media workTamara chetcuti shops and have the opportunity to be published and have their work assessed by professionals. Ten years, of hard work later, things are still improving steadily. This year, insiteronline.com was re-launched, and inTV will go through some changes too. The Insiter will now be printed in full colour, IC Weekend is being recognised by Degree Plus (meaning that your attendance will be recorded as a credit on your degree!), and Insite has improved its green credentials, by not only printing on forest sustainable paper, but also launching a collaboration with MEPA. This would not have been possible without the commitment of several dreamers who wanted to make students’ voices heard, and present students as the intelligent and active citizens that they are. Because Insite is an independent media organisation, sponsors and funds were not always easy to come by. We hope that for years to come these difficulties will continue to be overcome, and that the organisation will be kept alive by students who understand the vision behind it and appreciate the dedication required to form part of a hard-working and enthusiastic team. Until then, keep on dreaming. Goals and plans help you to shape the life you want to have.
YEARS OF INSITE
Freshers
Ex-Insiters’ Memories...
JESSICA MICALLEF
a fresh start
An acceptance letter, forms, notices, and timetables. Suddenly, my formerly empty desk is overflowing with envelopes addressed to me from the University of Malta. There’s a lot of excitement in my circle of friends about the prospect of entering University, which is to be expected. Of course, this is not going to be an easy step to take. There’s a new system to get used to. In fact, I’m quite anxious about the first lectures I’m going to attend as a University student. For one thing, I’ll probably get lost on my way to some of them, even though the campus is admittedly rather small. In this regard, I trust that the older and more experienced students will be helpful, especially during the first few weeks. We Freshers will just have to overcome our ‘new-kid’ reluctance and ask for help. Another fear I’m experiencing is that of getting used to my timetable. I’m terrified of waking up one morning at ten and realising I’ve missed a couple of lectures. To me, this would be a terrible event, though I’m told it quickly becomes a regular (and not at all worrying) occurrence in the more relaxed atmosphere that the University often provides. There are obviously other obstacles that every Fresher has to overcome, such as fitting in, getting used to the schedule, and of course grasping the fundamental starting points of every class they will be taking during the year. And what about picking out the study units? I can predict that it’s going to be pure torture for me, as I happen to find difficulty with taking most decisions. Putting these fears aside, I must say I’m pretty happy about starting University. Call me a geek, but I’ve been
dreaming of this moment since I was eight years old. I feel that this is one of the most significant chapters in my life. I’ve always valued education and it’s my opinion that my years at University are only the beginning of a lifetime of acquiring knowledge, rather than the final step. This experience will differ from secondary school and sixth form in that I am now much more independent. The two years I spent at the Junior College taught me to fend for myself insofar as my studies go, and I hear that University lecturers put even less pressure on students to attend lectures and complete assignments. I believe that this leads students to make an extra effort and also to help each other out. I can’t wait to be part of the University student community. Making new friends is always a plus when starting something new. I’m pretty sure I won’t lose contact with my old friends, who I treasure very much, but I’m also positive that we will all make new friends, especially since we’re going to be taking different courses. Of course! How could I forget? Our courses; we must have chosen them for a reason. I chose mine because I’m passionate about English Literature and Psychology. I’m extremely excited about the course, since I used to be a science student and it’s going to be a total change, which, as a person who likes change, I’m looking forward to. I could keep listing my fears and expectations. However, taking the most important ones into account, I must say that the positive really does surpass the negative, and I’m overall more excited than anxious about this totally new experience. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of other students. So, let’s brace ourselves, buckle our seatbelts, and begin this new journey.
insiteronline.com
Photograpy Archives
Fresher Jessica Micallef opens up about her fears and expectations upon beginning a new chapter in her academic life.
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SIMONe CUTAJAR & ANTHONY DEBONO
be a part of it!
University life is not quite complete without some involvement in a student organisation. Two members of the organisation ‘Greenhouse’ explain why.
Photography emma portelli bonnici
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ome mothers have a tendency of discussing their children’s lives among themselves. Ever since I can remember, I recall my mother proudly remarking that her daughter (yours truly) was “involved in a lot of things and always very active,” and was “interested in practically anything from cars to dolls (to mutilate!), to finding as many ways as possible of getting her pet rabbit out of the burrow and into her clutches.” That tone of pride soon became one of exasperation mixed with a tinge of annoyance, and later evolved into of the oft-repeated line, “Oh yes, our house is her idea of a bed and, if we’re lucky, breakfast’. If that sounds familiar, then I hate to break it to you, but you are in deep trouble. You have just been diagnosed with ‘activism’ and you are our new ‘activeholic’. Welcome to the group. I can already imagine the AA (Activeholics Anonymous) sessions: ‘Hi, I’m Steve …’ ‘Hello Steve’ ‘I haven’t been to a meeting for three months, I haven’t been involved in the organisation of an activity for four months, I finally deleted my old email address and opened a new one, and I now also have time for a hobby. I’m thinking of starting bizzilla (lace making) next week!’
The Insiter • October 2010
‘Wow! Well done!’ *applause*. Steve, just one word of advice, when the time comes for the lace-making association (provided there is one) to hold an AGM, do yourself a favour and do not attend! I still remember my first day at Freshers’ Week (way back in 2005). I diligently visited all the student organisation stands looking for one organisation in particular. You can imagine my disappointment when I finally found the stand and saw that, apart from some leaflets, there was noone manning it. It wasn’t the students’ fault since at the time there were barely three people in the executive. However, hard-headed people are rarely dissuaded, especially when they have set their minds on something. After some three or more visits (accompanied with the huffs and puffs of my friends), I finally spotted someone on the stand. Fifteen minutes later I was a proud member of Scubed (Science Student Society)! I spent the next week looking for new recruits and the next two and a half years working on getting Scubed back on its feet, together with the rest of the hard-working executive. I am proud to say that Scubed was my introduction to student organisations on campus and even prouder to say that the subsequent executive board have done a brilliant job and made this organisa-
Freshers tion even bigger and better than ever! Well done guys! We’ve all heard about the infamous ‘mid-life crisis’, but not a lot of us are aware of the ‘mid-organisation crisis’ which hits when you feel that you are bringing nothing new and fresh to the organisation. That is when I slipped out of the Scubed executive and found my way into Greenhouse (I will leave to Anthony the task of recreating the ‘Greenhouse experience’). Needless to say, I am a subscribed believer (and advocate) of ‘the university experience is not complete if you do not involve yourself in some extra-curricular activities.’ I’m not suggesting that you join each and every organisation that interests you, nor am I suggesting that you become part of the executive if you don’t feel like it. What I am advising you to do is to go ahead and give these organisations a try. Find one you like and become a member (usually membership does not involve work from the members’ side), attend some activities and who knows? Maybe you’ll get hooked as well!In any case, I look forward to meeting you at our next AA meeting! Anthony Debono, Greenhouse Malta Treasurer In 2006, I started my undergraduate course (B.Sc. Biology and Chemistry) and my first impression of university students formed during Freshers’ Week, was “wow, is it possible that so many people have nothing better to do than to join student organisations? What a waste of time!” Now, after four years at UoM, I’m singing a completely different tune. At first, I was under the impression that the people who form part of student organisations do so for their own benefit. I later learned that there are a lot of people who do a lot of work and put in a lot of effort without any personal gain (and often at personal expense!) for the benefit of their fellow students, the university as a whole, and sometimes even for causes which lie outside the campus boundaries. One such organisation is Greenhouse, an organisation that drew me in with its simple aim: to make the university campus more environmentally-friendly. The folks at Greenhouse were a bunch of university students who got together in 2008 to take action on an issue which was, for the most part, being ignored. After hearing about Greenhouse and its purpose, I decided to contact the group and was invited to join. I’ve now been a Greenhouse Executive for ten months and I have no regrets whatsoever!
It’s been a superbly fun time and we’ve got plenty of work done which we are very proud of. First of all, joining Greenhouse meant that I was introduced to, and started working with, several like-minded people. We had a good time and a lot of laughs. Being part of a student organisation, particularly one which focuses on a certain interest (be it sports, a type of voluntary work or hobby) means meeting people in your age group who share similar ideas, attitudes and humour, and whom you might otherwise not have met during your days at university. I don’t think I need to explain much about the joys of voluntary work.. Everybody feels good by giving a little for a good cause when they can. This is another obvious benefit of joining a student organisation. The list goes on to include gaining experience of teamwork, running an organisation, administration skills and, of course, this kind of experience always looks good on a CV. There are many other types of organisations. I’ve written about Greenhouse because I spent some time in the Executive Committee, however it’s a good idea to shop around for an organisation which interests you and, once you’ve found one, jump in! There are some organisations which hold traineeships for students, such as I.A.E.S.T.E. This is an international organisation that searches and bargains for traineeships abroad that local university students can attend. I was lucky enough to land a two-month traineeship in Ireland last summer. This was an amazing experience that I will never forget and it was all made possible by the local I.A.E.S.T.E. team, Although you may not gain anything obvious from joining a student organisation, you will learn a lot, meet people who share similar ideas and attitudes, and at the same time you’ll be contributing to your community. And you know what’s best? You’ll have a lot of fun in the process! Don’t be shy and don’t hesitate – join a student organisation!
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A Monthly Opinion Column By
ANNA ABELA
A Portrait of the Politico as a Young Man A
n intelligent friend recently told me: ‘If there’s anything I’ve learnt from watching ‘The West Wing’, it’s that you should never publish anything when still a student.’ That was probably not the most soothing insight to share with a soonto-be lawyer whose been churning out articles for this humble rag for the past three years. But it did get me thinking. A cursory look across the Atlantic yielded a number of cautionary tales. When she became First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton famously restricted access to her undergraduate thesis: a short-sighted move, as it merely fuelled speculation on what she was so eager to hide. Pundits were not disappointed. Hillary had in fact been President of the Young Republicans club at Wellesley College, while her thesis was a gushing eulogy to Saul Alinsky, a community organizer infamous for being a political agnostic, spurred on solely by his thirst for power. Her detractors were quick to claim that her desire to keep her thesis under wraps was an effort to hide the extent to which she had internalised Alinsky’s methods. History repeated itself with Michelle Obama, whose undergraduate thesis on the marginalization of African American students at Princeton University came back to haunt her. During an electoral race fraught with racial issues, her claims that black students were destined to remain on the periphery only served to fan the flames. And that’s saying nothing about the elusive search for her husband’s undergrad thesis about -- wait for it -- Soviet nuclear disarmament. This phenomenon hasn’t merely been the bane of politicos and their spouses. This Summer, newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was taken to task over pretty much her entire student life: from her sharp editorials for Princeton’s student newspaper, to her undergrad thesis about socialism in New York, right down to her Oxford postgraduate thesis about legal evidence. On the latter, one Ka-
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The Insiter • October 2010
gan critic famously commented: “This is her Oxford thesis. It isn’t just a paper she wrote for Law 101, so I think it’s fair to give it a little bit of weight.” Needless to say, in her inimitable style, Kagan dodged the resulting diatribe expertly—perhaps aided by the fact that, throughout her student life, she had taken great care to qualify all her statements carefully. Before a similar trend catches on over here, it would be worthwhile to ask ourselves a few questions. Are half-baked ramblings written by their younger selves the Rosetta Stone to unlock a public figure’s political mindset? Do they merely paint a portrait of the politico as a young man or, more intriguingly, do they reveal his most deeply-held beliefs, before opportunism and self-censorship had tempered his zeal? The only answer I can provide is drawn from my own experience as a student. When I look back at the odd assignment I had once penned, even from the mere vantage point of a few years, I often do not immediately recognise the girl who wrote them. I find myself wincing as I become conscious of a missing nuance here or an overly idealistic prescription there. For those of us who were lucky enough to have University years punctuated by stimulating conversations and formative experiences, the past few years have been a steep learning curve. That is, after all, the best part about being a University student: the ‘free pass’ you get to express your own ideas and let others hold them up to scrutiny. Unencumbered by obligations to employers or a family to feed, our exchanges among friends, classmates and tutors will probably be the most formative in our lives. So let’s not import this foreign practice of holding students’ first attempts to engage with the world at ransom. Extrapolating their future selves from early forays into academia makes for a great exercise in armchair philosophy, but is hardly worth ruining a career over. Nonetheless, aspiring movers and shakers would be welladvised to navigate the waters cautiously. A premature reputation for overzealousness may prove rather hard to cast off.
Philip leone ganado
There is nothing quite as wonderful as money A
t one point during last year’s brief KSU electoral campaign, candidate-group Moviment Indipendenti made certain allegations regarding the transparency (opacity) and financial priorities (unmitigated moneygrabbing) of their opponents, the current occupants of the coveted (and now, redecorated!) KSU office. President Carl Grech, with all the smoothness of a twelve-year old Scotch and all the value of a twelve-year old box wine, flashed some trivial documents in our faces and asked us to Keep Calm and Carry On. And that was that. Unfortunately that is, emphatically, not that, and the €-shaped elephant in the room is still there. Does KSU really need to charge students exorbitant rates to use the common room? Do student organisations really need to share tiny offices three ways while more and more valuable space in student house is rented out for profit? Do student organisations really need to be shoved to the side during Freshers’ Week, while corporations are given pride of place? In short, exactly how much money is KSU turning over, and where is this money going? So it should come as no surprise that my interest was, shall we say, piqued when I heard through unofficial sources that KSU had made a profit in the region of €18,000 on last year’s Freshers’ Week, and expected to raise that figure to €25,000 this year. To put this into perspective, it implied not only that KSU raised, from just one event, the sort of money that most student organisations would have to sell a kidney to raise in a year, but that, knowing this, they still felt the need to lick corporate posterior and bleed students like a team of highly trained leeches. But rushing to print without checking your sources just isn’t done and so, eager to get some concrete facts, we called KSU Secretary-General Karl Agius calmly, one Thursday afternoon, to confirm what we’d heard. For all the furore this simple phone call created, we may as well have rushed into the (redecorated!) office wielding Kalashnikovs and singing praises to the Motherland – the conversation was cut short by a panicked Karl assuring us, in typical fashion, that all we’d heard was lies, damn lies, and that KSU denied it all in its entirety. Thinking back, I’m not sure whether we’d even asked out questions yet. In any case, after what I can only imagine to be a crisis meeting in the KSU Boardroom, our call was returned, suggesting that we meet him in person before publishing anything. Excellent. The day of the meeting rolls around, and Karl starts by stressing that the figure of €25,000 was an early estimate, that had unfortunately been cut substantially by certain
rEGULARS
A Monthly Opinion Column By
unforeseen expenses. He also tells us that one of the biggest expenses was in fact, the KSU stand itself (look up: it’s the pedestal-structure perched like New Jerusalem atop our fountain), and that the reason it constituted such a huge expense was that, how about this then, it had to be put up there to make space for the stands of other student organisations (look closely: they’re the stands shoved out of sight up by Old Humanities). Karl assures us that all will be made perfectly clear in a report on Freshers’ Week that he would have ready by April, and that we should wait to read that before drawing any conclusions. Fair enough; it may be too early to talk about this year, but what about the figure of €18,000 from last year? Karl shrugs, metaphorically of course. There’s no way of knowing, he explains as we hand him a shovel, since not all entities have settled their accounts with KSU yet, and so, if KSU were to prepare a report on last year’s Freshers’ Week “dan kien ikun fitizzju” (“this would be fictional”). Perhaps Karl sees the worried puzzlement in your eyes, as you work out the implications of that, and he hastens to add: “hadd ma jista’ jghid x’arukaza ghax ma sarx rapport is-sena l-ohra” (“Nobody can say that we should be ashamed because there was no report last year”). This because, although he intends to provide us with a full report, all that the Statute actually requires is the keeping of financial records. You know, except for Section 36.6, which obliges the Financial Officer to “prepare a Financial Report for the Annual General Meeting, which report shall include all audited accounts of the Council…of the preceding year”. Feel free to check that: you can find it on www.ksu.org.mt/resources. What the Secretary General did not do during the brief meeting was dispel unofficial reports of KSU profits on last year’s Freshers’ Week being in the region of €18,000, which remains a real possibility and one that inevitably casts widereaching aspersions on the financial priorities of KSU’s executive board. What he did do is raise also the extremely worrying suggestion that KSU has not, as demanded by their statute and by common sense, kept financial records adequate enough to prepare a report on last year’s Freshers’ Week, by their own admission KSU’s largest event. So, dear KSU (I know you don’t like being caught by surprise) here’s my advance notice: please get your stories together and your facts in order, because we have a right to know what’s going on here, and we’re going to find out. You can hardly blame us.
insiteronline.com
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CLAIRE BONELLO
the claire chonicles Passionate, silly and a bit of a nerd; every month, law student and lover-of-life writes about productivity, positivity and pretty stuff, among other things. This month she reflects on making the most of summer and the new academic year.
Photography david schembri
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he magic of summer had previously escaped me before this year’s wonderful season of sun, fun and barbecues. I was never a girl who liked to go for a dip at the beach; I don’t really like ice-cream; I apply sun block religiously (which leaves me with a lovely, pasty complexion all year round) and hate the sweltering Maltese heat. My usual plan for summer is to leave the Maltese Islands as soon and as much as possible for cooler, greener pastures. In short, I am generally not the biggest fan of summer. However, this year, by the end of May, the Law of Obligations had crushed me into a shadow of my former self, and I became a pitiful, whimpering student, yearning for the long stretches of freedom that summer had to offer. On top of that, I was ready to thoroughly squeeze the life out of this year’s summer. And that is exactly what I did. I made sure that my summer would be chock-full of exciting trips and fulfilling projects. I took part in Evenings on Campus, I had a couple of part-time jobs, I caught up with a bunch of old friends, and visited lots of weird and wonderful countries. To the surprise of my nearest and dearest, I was also a frequent visitor to the beach, and managed to build up a slight tan – what I like to call ‘golden brown’ (but everyone disagrees with me). I embraced stripy bikinis, salty beach hair, and sticky ice-cream. Summer also offered a countless amount of festivals to attend, and I even stayed up extra late to lie on a blanket at Dingli Cliffs to watch a meteor shower. Now it’s the end of September, and I am exceptionally proud of the success I made of my summer, and raring to start another year at the UoM. This article is what will hopefully be your feel-good page on The Insiter, full of my quirky little ramblings, and a few enlightening tips sprinkled in for good measure. This month, a new academic year begins at the UoM. Whether you’re a fresher or a seasoned student, the new year always brings new, exciting possibilities, as well as new fears and worries. Freshers feel anxious about the vast amounts of new people they will meet every day, and the strange, new system that they need to fit into. Clashing timetables,
The Insiter • October 2010
out-of-print textbooks and seemingly nonexistent lecture rooms are all part of a university student’s life. I’m in my fourth year at the UoM, and I still sometimes read the venues of my lectures and think, “Am I even on the right side of Malta?” Lecturers will almost immediately plunge you into piles of work, but as long as you keep your head above water academically, you will have lots of time to explore the other aspects of campus life.
1. First of all: Freshers’ Week. Embrace the fliers and the freebies, don’t be afraid to talk to as many people as possible, and sign up to any organisation that strikes your fancy; you’re sure to find something that interests you enough and to which you will be willing to devote your precious free time.
2. The start of a new academic year is a very exciting time for stationery lovers (like yours truly). Keep a notebook with you at all times. It’s great to jot down important dates, scribble a pretty girl’s mobile phone number, or sketch a caricature of that eccentric lecturer.
3. Stop saying “if only” and start saying “I will”. Take a degreePlus unit (there are scores to choose from), change your student lifestyle into a healthier one, and make the lives of those around you brighter and better. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” (Plato)
4. Read a novel. Make the most of a sunny day and the green areas at university by settling down on a bench and losing yourself in another world. And you might also want to get into those must-read books that your lecturers are always on about...
5. Finally: don’t forget to visit the Insite stand at Fresher’s Week! Good luck.
rEGULARS
And if any of you have any issues you need brought to my attention, send an email to nitpicker.insiter@gmail.com
The Nitpicker nd we’re back for another glorious semester at the UoM. As you read these words, no doubt, the birds are twittering merrily and the sky is azure blue, nature itself welcoming a new bunch of fresh-faced, well, freshers, into our happy family of higher education. No doubt there are some brave souls exploring the uncharted realms of the newly refurbished canteen. I salute you, brave Shackeltons. And so, with the glow of anticipation still rosy on your faces, allow me to remind you of some of the more noteworthy events that transpired before the start of this semester.
Tardy Results Ah, good old KSU. Like Peter, you are the rock upon which our temple is built. Hence, when students began to complain about results not being published over the course of the summer you were quick to “express concern.” With these wise words of counsel to the powers that be, an explanation for the delay was satisfactorily given, along with assurances that this would not be the case again. Well, not really. The official excuse for tardy results was that the only unpublished marks were those for summer assignments. Now I will be the first to admit I have not read the entire tome of university bye-laws, however I do recall noting that lecturers must submit all results by July 31st.Obviously, these crafty examiners set dates after this stipulation for the handing in of said assignments, so as to cause maximum inconvenience for themselves and their students. The implications of this statement are even more serious, as the suggestion is that students are dunces, and whinging ones at that, who do not even know how their mark is broken up and graded. However I have a solution that should please everyone concerned. Results not published by the 31st will automatically pass the students. Or you know, get the university board to be harsher on lecturers who do not give results on time, summer assessment or not.
have to deal with patients, doctors, hospital bureaucracy, the Bristol Stool Chart and, worst of all, medical students. However the issue lies in the apparent success of this scheme as now we have more nursing applicants than job openings every year. This again should not be a problem as competition for placement would surely raise the quality of the care given. But no, the issue gets my goat because there have been calls for foreign nurses to be brought into the country. Now now, I am not suggesting that just because some of these nurses are willing to work for peanuts and a candy apple bonus we should not recruit them. Even the most economically inept citizen can see that training more people yearly than there are job openings, then giving some of those jobs to foreign workers is simply a waste on money on education, and then an even bigger waste of that money on unemployment benefits three years down the line.
And finally Last year, during the fiasco KSU called an AGM, I heard some proposal for a multi-story car park. Or at least I think I did over Tyson’s bawling. In any case there is now a ‘feasibility study’ in place. Obviously now that a new batch of university students are in, and the usual issues about lack of good parking will begin anew, I wonder if anyone will remember about this ‘feasibility study’ and be so good as to hand over the reminder to KSU. Kthx. Love, The Nitpicker illustration iella
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Nursing issue Over the course of the summer, driving around the island, one could expect to be subjected to roughly a million bill boards telling all the joys of working as a nurse. This is, of course, false. Nurses, despite being some of the most important employees in a hospital have a thankless job where they
insiteronline.com
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IRENE scicluna
SIng a song of sixpence An opinion column by Irene Scicluna, who is currently reading for a BA (HONS) degree in English, and is a member of the DESA Executive Board.
S
ince the dawn of time, insipid teenage popstars have been gracing our airwaves. And God saw that it was good; and it was so. Whilst it is not dishonourable to take pleasure in something as flat as Rihanna, Katy Perry or even Justin Bieber, one doubts whether this music is truly worthy of its claim to be the soundtrack to Freshers’ Week, and indeed to youth life at large, as Bay Radio and similar radio stations would have us believe. I was driving along the other day when I heard Akon and David Guetta’s disconcerting, though admittedly catchy tune Takin’ it Off. Setting back the feminists by some twenty odd years, Akon plays the part of a cool voyeur spying on a neighbouring lady, periodically elatedly exclaiming ‘she’s gettin’ naked!’ Akon of course is not a trendsetter; in fact one may safely say that with lyrics like ‘I wanna take a ride on your disco stick’, subtlety is not the hallmark of these popstars’ creed. Perhaps the not-so-moderate overtness is a device intended to serve some ideological purpose. Or so the average intellectual dares to hope. And indeed lyrical prodigy Ke$ha (no, that’s not a typo) springs to fill this void. Commenting on the album which contains the song Blah Blah Blah – one line of which is ‘Don’t be a little bitch with your chit chat / Just show me where your dick’s at’ she proudly attests: ‘For girls, I think it’s an empowering record’. She explains in an interview with ‘Jam! Music’ that in her song, she cleverly uses self objectification: basically being as crude with boys as they are with the girls in their own songs. That will show them. Cue adult-like emphatic nod. As a pop star, it seems one needs to be capable of a lot of things, but ironically, not necessarily of creating melody. Take Britney Spears for example. Over the years she’s shown us that she’s good at many things: performing, procreating, being a human circus and showing the world her va-jay-jay (in no particular order). Her image has changed from lustful virgin school girl to sensual vixen to regenerated success story, but the poor girl just cannot sing. Indeed I’m going to hazard a guess and say that her modest talents have actually caused her stardom. Think of how easy it is to sing along to
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The Insiter • October 2010
Britney or Dolly Parton as opposed to, say, any Barbra Streisand song. In this regard, Lady Gaga provides an interesting case study. Knowing more about music than her contemporaries put together, her acoustic songs (readily available from YouTube) showcase her flair at the keyboards and are of astoundingly high quality. With a small number of exceptions, her music stands out in an ocean of auto-tuned crap. And yet, the Gaga-obsessed crowd lauds her for unexceptional hits like Alejandro and Telephone, the latter incidentally originally written for Britney Spears. Lady Gaga then, in her sparkly, glittery Alexander McQueen outfits, is the plaything, being waved at the toddler populace, confirming once again that image trumps content, because image equals money bags. Lots and lots of money bags. This will explain the tendency of pop songs to explore sex, and consequently Katy Perry’s efforts to ‘melt our Popsickle’, and tell us all about her deviant sexual ways in ‘I kissed a girl’. Though she does mention the word boyfriend a couple of times, so don’t worry, dear homophobic fans who might otherwise not buy the record, she’s not a lesbian. No seriously, she’s not. Indeed, pop culture has never claimed to gratify the most developed form of human intelligence. There are of course notable exceptions, but in general, it has always been about cheap (sexual) scandal and commercial eccentricity. Thus the record label will pay six figure sums to have their pop song played and played ad nauseam. And MTV and Bay, to whom like it or not you are probably listening right now, will say ‘Yes, this is a sensation. It has always been a sensation. We have always been at war with Eastasia.’ Listeners will then concede that the song is a hit, we will find ourselves listening to ‘Love The Way You Lie’ or ‘DJ Got Us Falling In Love’ endlessly during Freshers’ Week, and this music will come to represent a whole generation. Is it a misrepresentation? I have not conducted surveys. Maybe we should ‘just dance’ and enjoy it. But then again, maybe not.
Mission accomplished?
OPINIONS
HILLARY BRIFFA
An opinion column by first year International Relations student Hillary Briffa.
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et me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.” At Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, American president Barrack Obama confirmed the end of combat operations in Iraq, and the people of the United States let out a breath that had been held for seven long years. Hang on a moment! What about on May 1st 2003 when Bush stood before a huge banner declaring ‘Mission Accomplished’, and proclaimed, “My fellow Americans...Major combat operations in Iraq have ended?” Can anybody say déjà vu? At a time when the violence and instability were far from over, Bush undeniably failed to achieve his goal of pulling his men out of Iraq. Seven years on, it is high tim3e for somebody to finish the job. With a stagnant economic crisis, a rousing debate over health care reform, and escalating conflict in Afghanistan, it could almost slip one’s mind that there are 142,000 American troops in Iraq and that almost 4,400 U.S. military personnel have died there since the war began. But not Obama. Rewind to the 2008 elections and one finds his candidacy characteristically defined by his assurance that, yes, he can bring the men home within sixteen months of his election. Fast forward to the present day. This plan, which exceeds that promise by three months, is promising the withdrawal of 90,000 American troops, whilst 50,000 - who will remain in the country in order to train Iraqi security forces, conduct counterterrorism operations, and provide civilians with ongoing security - will leave prior to the end of next year. Before sounding the celebratory bells, however, one must bear in mind that the US administration officials would not say how many of the troops being pulled out of Iraq would be redeployed to Afghanistan, or returned to Iraq if the situation should become unstable following the pullout. Obama stressed that the American “commitment in Iraq is changing - from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats.” In the meantime, Baghdad says 535 lost their lives last month alone, making July the deadliest month in the country for more than two years.
As the congressional elections in November draw nearer, the President is stressing the success of the Iraq mission, and let us give him some form of credit: by the end of the withdrawal, more than 350 bases and 3.5 million equipment components will be closed down, transferred to the Iraqi security forces, or redeployed to other American units. Democracy is seemingly thriving in Iraq. Previously, under the reign of Saddam Hussein, one stray remark could warrant a surprise visit by the secret police, and disappearances were the order of the day. Today, the police are publicly rebuked, and the fear for one’s life is reduced. On the other hand, the Iraqis seem to be far from walking on sunshine. The society is witnessing a rising unemployment rate of 35%, unreliable electricity, and terrorist bombings occurring on an almost daily basis. Not to be overlooked, meanwhile, are the Sunni Arabs, Shiites and Kurds, whose factions are still quarrelling over the right to Prime Minister, almost six months after the presidential elections. Thus, the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is met with mixed feelings. Perhaps such incessant political uncertainty could stymie the progress of a full US military departure by the end of 2011, whilst, conversely, a successful pullout could encourage extremist terrorist groups to seize the opportunity to act. Obama remains adamant that it is ultimately up to the Iraqis themselves to ensure the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as the U.S. “cannot police Iraq’s streets indefinitely until they are completely safe”. He declared: “by any measure, this has already been a long war” and it is time to “bring our troops home with the honor they have earned.” When American troops first entered Iraq it was with the express intention to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s authoritative regime. This job was undeniably successfully completed and exceeded all expectations with respect to suppressing insurgencies over the following years. Obama does not attempt to gloss over the fact that “Iraq is not yet secure and there will be difficult days ahead,” yet he earnestly believes that the Iraqi people now have a “hardearned opportunity ... for a better life.” Whether this idealistic view shall come to pass is yet to be seen. Meanwhile, all fingers are crossed in the hope that the world shall not witness another seven year wait for the troops to come home.
insiteronline.com
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Biodiversity IT’S YOUR LIFE, PROTECT IT Every day, every single person on the planet interacts with the natural environment in some way or another. For most of us, the food we eat and the air we breathe are often taken for granted. We hardly ever spare a passing thought for the intricate and delicate processes that enable life on this earth to be sustained. A closer look at the way we live would reveal an enthralling, and unbelievably intricate link between the tiniest organism on earth and our own lives. That intricate network, which connects every part of the planet in the ‘circle of life’, is what science refers to as ‘biodiversity.’
What is Biodiversity? From a scientific perspective, biodiversity is defined as ‘the variation of life forms on Earth’. The range of biodiversity within a given environment is often used to gauge the health of that particular biological system. However, biodiversity is not a static or strictly defined system of life. In fact, there are millions of different species on earth that interact in different ways and to varying degrees, while all being essential in the maintenance of the delicate balance of life.
How does it affect me? From a more personal perspective, one could say that biodiversity is life. This is because biodiversity actually supports the surrounding environment which, of course, provides essential needs for the survival of both the individual as well as society as a whole. A perfect, albeit simplified example, of biodiversity and its essential role in sustaining life on earth, is the relationship between plants, insects and farmers. Plants use the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ‘exhale’ oxygen, which the vast majority of life forms need in order to survive. In turn, bees and other insects have an essential role when it comes to fertilising plant seeds, as they carry the pollen from one flower to another, thus enabling fertilisation to occur. The fertilisation of the seeds results in the growing of plants, which are often edible and find their way to our plates. While this is an extremely simplified example of biodiversity, it demonstrate that the intricate relationships between one species and another are often links in the circle of life. And it is a well known fact that if one link in the chain is weak - which would in this case translate into being extinct
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or endangered – then the chain itself could soon and easily break.
Challenges, Threats, and How You Can Make Difference It is estimated that the earth’s biodiversity consists of around 1.5 million known species, together with many more species that have not as yet been identified. Although this may sound like a seemingly infinite variation of different species, environmental stresses have created problems that affect the system. Pollution, habitat destruction, and even climate change have all had negative effects on biodiversity. Unfortunately, extensive scientific research has consistently shown that the human race has contributed to the rising loss of biodiversity. The destruction of habitats, such as forests and coral reefs, and the abuse and misuse of the natural resources, are but a few examples of the mishandling of the natural environment that has negatively affected biodiversity. Fortunately, although humans have certainly been behind many of the problems being faced by biodiversity in different parts of the world, we can also actively contribute to its long term preservation. Because of the intricate link between biodiversity and society’s daily needs for survival, decisive and positive action is essential and will go a long way in ensuring the health of the natural environment, which in turn, sustains life and allows individuals and societies to survive and prosper. The first and most probably the most important step that one can take is to inform and educate oneself. We must understand why biodiversity is completely indispensable. It is only with a clear understanding of how biodiversity affects our daily life that we can actively act as a multiplier for this information. A higher level of awareness and will strengthen the demand for more efficient protection of biodiversity on both the local, regional as well as the global level. While education and awareness are the point of departure, the effort to protect biodiversity should certainly not stop at that. There are a myriad of ways to help: respecting laws that protect natural habitats; adopting more efficient energy and consumption habits so as to generate less waste; and ensuring that litter is properly disposed of. These are just some of the simple ways that can have a beneficial effect on the health of Malta’s biodiversity.
Key Characteristics of Malta’s Biodiversity
The Current State of Affairs
From a geographical point of view, the Islands’ biodiversity unsurprisingly bears a resemblance to other areas of the Mediterranean. The coastline of the north-eastern part of the Maltese Islands is gently sloping, in contrast to the magnificent sheer cliffs that typify the western and southern parts of the Islands. The ecological importance of these cliffs, and boulder screes, is immediately evident when one takes a look at the unique ecological communities that they support. In fact, there are a number of species which are solely restricted to this habitat such, as the Maltese Cliff Orache (Bjanka tal-Irdum); the Maltese Rockcentaury (Widnet il-Baħar); and the Maltese Door Snail (Dussies), the latter being one of the rarest animals in Malta and Gozo. The cliffs are also of value as they provide shelter and breeding grounds for a variety of birds, including the Cory’s Shearwater (Ċiefa); the Mediterranean Shearwater (Garnija); and the Storm Petrel (Kanġu ta’ Filfla). Furthermore, the Islands’coastlines features a number of bays, harbours and inlets. Semi-natural terrestrial habitats including steppe, garrigue, maquis and woodland, also form part of the Islands’ biodiversity. Considering the marine environment, seagrass (alka) meadows probably represent the most important natural marine habitat type in Maltese waters. They are of particular significance because they provide shelter, as well as a place for breeding and feeding, for a variety of marine organisms.
The Maltese authorities have implemented various measures throughout the years, with the aim of preventing and mitigating negative impacts on biodiversity. For instance, major progress has been made in enacting a comprehensive legal framework, and in establishing an ecological network of protected areas, with the aim of safeguarding biodiversity. An increasing number of species and habitats are now benefitting from legal protection, which is an essential way in which several native species, that are threatened and/ or endemic, can be safeguarded. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and a number of challenges need to be addressed. Invasive alien species, climate change, and the exploitation of wildlife, are all issues that are posing threats to the Islands’ biodiversity. While various measures are being introduced by the relevant authorities to combat these challenges, it is essential that the public and industry alike make an effort to become more familiar with Malta’s biodiversity and appreciate how it is so intrinsically linked with our daily lives. The Islands’ biodiversity must be understood and respected before it can be adequately protected, and each and every one of us has a role to play in achieving this long-term aim. For more information visit www.mepa.org.mt/biodiversity
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environemnt
The United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year for Biodiversity. This will reap no benefits unless an effort is made to better understand the concept and the immense impact it has on our daily lives. With the help of MEPA, which is carrying out important work in this field, THE INSITER delves into the complex world of biodiversity.
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FEATURE
CHRISTINE SPITERI
Personality
of the month Christine Spiteri paid a visit to Lorleen Farrugia, who currently occupies the post of Intake Officer at the UoM Counselling Unit.
An Intake Officer is the contact between the client and the counsellor. My job entails holding intake sessions, setting up appointments for clients with a counsellor, receiving any feedback, and ultimately doing as much as possible to create a comfortable and safe environment. An intake session allows me understand the person’s background. When one approaches the Counselling Unit, the first step is this session, where together we find out what the problem is, what sort of help they need, and how urgent the situation is. I also use this time to explain the way our system works, and to clarify certain misconceptions that clients might have about counselling. It is a process that they go through with their counsellor, to explore and understand what their issues are. It will eventually lead to change, but the willingness to change must be within the client; counselling is not something that will fix everything overnight.
What personality traits would a person qualified for this job need?
interaction between the two. Since the client is not just a student, but also a son, daughter, girlfriend, and so on, their problem might in turn affect other aspects of their lives, such that student life might be affecting their personal life and vice-versa. There are also issues related to the future, such as career choice. In this case, we work together with the Student Advisory services.
What was your dream job when you were a little girl? I had always dreamed of being a Physics teacher! Actually I had applied for the B. Ed in Physics, but somehow I switched to Psychology and I’ve never looked back since. I have no regrets.
You have recently finished your Masters Degree in Youth and Community Studies. How active do you believe that Maltese Youths are within their communities?
Since the Intake Officer is the first person that the client meets, it is important that this person is approachable and able to connect with people and create a sense of warmth. Personally, I try to be as sensitive as possible to what the person is going through, as this is very central to the person.
I have been doing voluntary work for the past 11 years, so I have a lot of contact with young people who are active within their community. Speaking for myself, these voluntary work experiences have been very enriching in that they have helped me grow holistically, and it was only through these experiences that I realised how much I could achieve through being involved.
You have been working within counselling Unit for 3 years now. What changes within the system have you experienced?
What was the highlight of your University life, both as a student and when you were an employee?
When I was appointed Intake Officer, there was no intake system. We built the system from scratch. Although a challenge, this was quite motivating for me since I identified the improvements required. As time went by, I realised that the system caught on, since people started coming to the counselling unit and asking for an intake instead of an appointment with the counsellor.
The highlight of my University life as a student was the compiling of my Masters’ thesis. As an employee, I have also worked with the Department of Psychology, and have had the opportunity to work as a facilitator for a group of students during their seminars.
What are the most common issues that students face within their campus life?
One should reach Ms Farrugia by phone on 23402235 or by email on counselling@um.edu.mt. For more information visit www.um.edu.mt/counselling.
Students are often troubled by relationships (not necessarily romantic ones), stress related to the demands and pressures of their studies (which can be brought about by lecturers, families, or the content of their course), and the
UoM Counselling Unit
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Photography glorianne cassar
What does your job as an Intake Officer entail?
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Doing small things
with great love Claire Cassar, Veronica Said Pullicino and Maria Vella share a few words on how the precious gift of giving brightened up their summer as well as their lives.
VERONICA said pullicino In the home of the sick and the dying, suffering and poverty are extremely evident. It’s hard to put into words the experience of being there, and I really don’t think I will never manage to express it well enough. What I can say with certainty, though, is that it is an experience that changes you from within and teaches you many things. Amidst the suffering, I saw much strength, acceptance and, above all, faith in God. He was truly at the centre of it all. My fear was that when I returned to Malta, I would no longer have this feeling, but as Mother Teresa once said, “Calcutta is everywhere”. Don’t we all have our own suffering and our own burdens, just like those patients? Are we not all poor in different ways? Helping others and dedicating some of our time to others does not need to be limited to a month’s service in a foreign country. If we try hard enough, it can become a daily and healthy, albeit challenging, way of living.
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FEATURE CLAIRE CASSAR During my month in Ethiopia I made sure to do anything the patients needed: physiotherapy, massages, wound dressing, washing, cutting nails, shaving hair, feeding or even simply sitting with persons in need of company and care. Irrespective of the fact that there was always one requisite in common: to do small things with great love. The cliché applies here more than ever. As a volunteer, you feel that you get a lot more than you give. The patients teach you invaluable life lessons. There is so much pain and suffering, but through it all they show so much strength, and unwavering faith. The impediments they surmount are unimaginable unless you witness them with your own eyes. It is a silent suffering that they endure. Not only are they alone in their sickness, but they do not utter a word of complaint, even when in anguish. So, as we stood at the bedsides of these patients, feeling overcome by the feeling of inadequacy and lack of understanding, it was they who accepted and embraced life and death. In so doing, they shared with us some of this life’s great secrets, which only become clear to us when all hope in our material existence is lost, and all that remains is our soul. maria vella This summer, together with another fourteen volunteers, I went to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. As soon as I arrived, I was surprised to find that the environment was very different from the typical ‘Lion King’ savannah that most of us tend to imagine when we think of Africa. Rain pours daily and the setting can easily be confused with a European forest. In the midst of this ‘Eden’ lies immense poverty, hunger, and suffering. My fellow volunteers and I spent a month working in the compound of the Missionaries of Charity, better known as the Sisters of Mother Theresa. Dying and sick men and women walk for hours or even days to this compound in order to die a dignified death. It is a place where they can be loved and cared for during the last days of their life. Most of the helpers are often patients themselves, and the patients are so grateful for the few minutes that volunteers can spare to spend listening to them, even though they realise that they wouldn’t have understood a word of what was said.
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NATASHA SINGH
Book Reviews Every month, a different student shares their views on their recent reads.
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‘Lolita’, by Vladimir Nabokov, is a modern classic novel which was first published in 1959. Nabokov recounts the confessions of a widowed male, Humbert, who falls in love with a twelve-yearold girl called Lolita. Humbert describes his innermost desire to possess her, both emotionally and carnally, and the lengths to which he is willing to go to fulfill this ambition. We accompany Humbert on the journey from his first childhood love, to his travels around America with his stepdaughter, and are made privy to the thoughts of a man who has well and truly fallen head-over-heels in love. Exquisitely written, this book is both outrageously hilarious and morally shocking, and makes one continuously question one’s conscience, for although one knows that paedophilia is ethically unacceptable, one cannot help but feel empathy towards the protagonist of the
story. Although it is not his mother tongue, Nabokov boasts a shameless mastery of the English language, and as a true sesquipedalianist, his extremely vast vocabulary could put any good dictionary to shame. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, although I did begin to find the longwinded outbursts of Humbert’s passionate love rather repetitive around halfway through the book. The blatantly honest remarks were highly appreciated, and several times made me laugh out loud (such as at the beginning of the book, where we find the famous line, “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins”). This is definitely a book for the weekends, as one is continually obliged to resort to a dictionary in order to discover the meaning of the many irksomely difficult words that Nabokov uses in order to make us readers feel inferior.
‘The Alchemist’, by Paulo Coelho, is a tale reminiscent of Aesop’s fables, or the fairytales that were read to us at bedtime when we were children. It recounts the adventure of a young shepherd boy, Santiago, and a recurring dream that he has about treasure in Egypt. The book supports a New Age optimist philosophy: when we really want something, the Universe will help us to obtain it. We are all subject to our destinies. The book also adheres to the ancient theory that we are all connected, as well as to the interesting belief in a universal language which is more like a sixth sense. The novel is ‘short and sweet’, because the author uses plain language to express deep emotions. It reminded me of Ernest Hemingway’s fondness for using simple language to convey complex ideas. This book will probably not be appreciated by
cynics, as it tends to focus on the silver lining of every cloud more often than is strictly necessary or realistic. It is a quick and light read, perfect for squeezing in a few pages before, after, or even during lectures. It is equally suitable for persons who are not avid readers, as the story unfolds relatively quickly. I liked this book very much, and will definitely read it again once time has erased it from my memory. In my opinion, it’s one of Coelho’s better stories. The ending is predictable yet satisfactory. However, as far as Coelho’s works go, I continue to have a greater affinity towards another story of his, entitled ‘Veronika Decides To Die’.
FILM REVIEW
culture
cathleen cortis
Cathleen Cortis, a member of DESA, reviews the film adaptation of the Pulitzer prize winning novel ‘The Road’.
I
n an aesthetic age seemingly dominated by vampires, The Road (2009), directed by John Hillcoat and scripted by Joe Penhall, is a breath of fresh air. The film is set in an age of global warming consciousness, following the contemporary trend of films portraying the dying earth, the apocalypse and its survivors. Based on Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, the film is set in an indefinite future in which an unnamed cataclysmic event has annihilated most of life on earth. Despite following the novel’s plotlines closely, this adaptation, like so many other bookto-film adaptations, falls short of McCarthy’s novel in many aspects. In the novel, McCarthy does not specify any names or even the location where the events unfold, although several have deduced that the story takes place in America. The film was shot in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Florida , as well as among the ruins of hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. This gives the film a rather discernible American feel. The two main characters, who are simply referred to as ‘the man’ (Viggo Mortenson) and ‘the boy’ (Kodi Smit-McPhee), set out on a pilgrimage-like journey Southward, against a backdrop of burnt barren land, which in the novel is reminiscent of Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’. It is a world that humans were never meant to see, and it is the same desolate earth that permeates its last few inhabitants and drives them to perform inhumane practices, such as cannibalism (in particular, imprisoning people for limb farming). The man and his son seem to distance themselves from the rest as they make their way through the remnants of a world which is now lost, and this is seen through the boy’s continuous concern about being one of the “good guys.” The film portrays differently to the book, the distinction between the boy’s and the man’s way of thinking. In the film, the man visibly degenerates physically. We can see him growing sicker and sicker. McCarthy’s novel shows us through the character’s thoughts that the the man’s sickness was not so much physically destructive as it was morally crippling. The difference between the man and his son is that the man experiences “the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world,” as he has the key to the past, of which he remembers better days. Meanwhile, for the boy, the terror of the world that he was born into is all he knows. In this regard, Hillcoat’s flashbacks technique is very effective as it gives the viewer a glimpse of the previous “normal” life, as well as intro-
ducing him to the man’s wife, played by Charlize Theron, and her end by suicide. The film portrays the characters’ journey as a means of reaching to a better place, which is warmer and safer than their current location. In McCarthy’s novel, the journey is spiritual as much as it is physical and it is not just about reaching the coastline, but also about reaching a better understanding of the world around them, especially in the case of the young boy. Like the novel, the film is littered with short declarative sentences, and the dialogue is at most, a few words long. To compensate for the lack of words, meaning is often found in the actors’ facial expressions. Both Mortenson and Smit-McPhee must be saluted for this. The film captures some extremely powerful scenes, such as when the man throws his wife’s photograph into the wind. Every page of McCarthy’s novel envelops the reader in the imminent desperation, death and destruction, which abolishes any hope for the future. The film tries to capture this savage beauty, but the man’s thoughts, the short dialogues which have a powerful austerity, and the authorial narrative voice flow seamlessly in the novel in a manner no visual style could match.
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Dana mcKeon STEPH CALLEJA
that heavenly beat This month, I seized the opportunity to interview a physiotherapy student who is also a singer, vocal percussionist, guitar player, basketball player, and sketcher! Here is an insight into how Dana manages to harmonize scales, tones and the other melodies of life. How do you manage to juggle between sports, music, university and sketching? It’s pretty hard keeping up with everything, and there have been times when I could only afford to sleep for a couple of hours per night. Time management can work wonders and the sacrifices are all worth it in the end! Sketching and painting have had to take the backseat recently, but you I still fill my course notes with lots of doodles and small sketches.
What other activities did you pursue prior to your foray into the music industry? When I was younger, I used to dance, but then I switched to basketball and attended a few guitar lessons. Soon after, I progressed in my basketball training and started playing in the junior National League, so I limited myself to playing some guitar and piano by ear in my bedroom and writing a few songs now and again. At the age of fifteen, I was chosen to join the Junior National Basketball Team, and represented Malta in two international FISEC tournaments, and the Under-18 European Championships Division C, the following year. We won the gold medal in the latter tournament, which was held in Malta and it has definitely been one of the best experiences of my life so far! I then continued playing basketball in the National League with my current team, ‘Athleta’. Music still played a big role in my life, and I played the guitar in a few school shows during sixth form, but I was too shy to sing in front of anyone, and I stuck to singing/songwriting within the confines of my bedroom.
Why basketball and not any other sport? Basketball is my favourite sport to play because it’s a
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challenging, fast-paced game which requires a lot of team work, technique and imagination. I usually play in the ‘post’ position because of my height (I’m the tallest player on the team), but sometimes I play as a ‘forward’, which is where I feel most comfortable.
What was the turning point in your life with regards to music? The first time I sang for an audience was at a close friend’s birthday BBQ, where my basketball team mates insisted that I sing and play part of one of my original songs. I received lots of positive feedback and one of my friends recorded it with her video camera and put it up on the internet a while later. Lots of great comments flowed in. A couple of weeks later, I heard about the KSU Singer/Songwriter Showcase and decided to pluck up the courage to perform my first original song for the occasion.
What drew you to music in the first place? Do you come from a musical background? I’ve always loved music and I’ve been fascinated with the guitar ever since I can remember. Apart from the few basic guitar lessons I attended when I was much younger, I don’t have a musical background and have never even been to a voice lesson. There are some things you can’t put into words, and music feels so natural to me that I suppose it’s just one of those things you’re born with, but then need to work hard to develop. I’m planning on learning some quality vocal techniques, which will hopefully improve the standard of my performances and help me to care for voice, especially considering the fact that I’ve been performing a minimum of one gig per week this summer. Performing has gone from a vague dream to a true passion of mine, and I can’t imagine my life without music now.
After I signed up for the Showcase, I touched up my original song ‘Voice In My Head’ and geared up for the performance with no expectations whatsoever. I was excited about finally presenting an original song of mine to an audience. I was totally surprised when it was announced that I’d won the competition. I was over the moon about the audience’s response and the judges’ comments. I received two prizes on that special night: a recording of the winning song, and the chance to be the supporting act for Chasing Pandora during one of their Acoustic Roots winter events. They were really supportive and even invited me to perform again during their spring edition. This set me off on an incredible journey in the local music scene, with each performance helping me improve and leading on to even more gigs.
How has beatboxing taken your music to a whole new level? Beatboxing has opened new windows of opportunity for me musically. Apart from incorporating vocal percussions into my songwriting and solo music performances, I’ve also performed with the brilliant hiphop dance crew “Southville Dancers” where we blended vocal sound effects with the visual aspects of dance at the Bay Music Awards. I also joined the hip-hop band “No Bling” and have collaborated with local artists such as “Sixth Simfoni”, Niki Gravino (Malta Music Awards), and Ruben Zahra (Ghanafest) on a number of beatbox projects and performances. Through beatboxing, I became a part of the “Sarsaza Percussion Ensemble”, where my vocal percussions were featured alongside the rhythms of many of Malta’s top drummers and percussionists, under the direction of Daniel Cauchi (the Sub-Principal Percussionist of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra). I was invited to attend the International Beatbox Convention in Berlin a few months. There, I was nominated to represent the girls in a friendly beatbox battle against the men, and I was stoked when I managed to reach the semifinals!
Who are your musical influences? And what genres of music are you most into? In my eyes, Bobby McFerrin is the epitome of musical genius. His live acapella performances are no doubt an in-
spiration to me. I also like KT Tunstall, Dave Matthews, Katie Melua, John Butler Trio, John Mayer, Jack Johnson and James Brown. That being said, ‘vocal percussion’, ‘acoustic’ and ‘alternative rock’ are at the top of my favourite genre list. I’m also very much into hip-hop, funk and jazz.
What is your outlook on the current music scene? There’s a lot of great talent in the local music scene, but unfortunately there aren’t the means to develop it fully. Local artists have to face many obstacles on a regular basis, including the widespread notion that the ‘arts’ are merely a pastime. The opportunities over here are very limited, but I believe that with raw talent, hard work, determination and a little bit of luck, one can make waves in the international scene too.
What’s your opinion on downloading pirated music? I think that a professional artist’s main priority should be their music, rather than their pay cheque. However, piracy is creative artists’ worst enemy, because it prevents them from making the money they need in order to continue to make music. Legal downloads are a great form of distribution of one’s music which is in line with modern technology and can even increase the span over which the music can be distributed.
Mention some songs one would find on your iPod. I don’t own an iPod; I make music myself by beatboxing while I’m driving or walking around, and I get puzzle looks from passers-by in the process.
What should your fans look forward to? Any future projects? I’m currently in Stockholm, Sweden on a University exchange, and will be doing my best to perform over here. When I get back to Malta, I’ll be performing with one of the most well-known international beatbox performers ‘Beardyman’. Next year the Beatbox World Championships will be held, so hopefully I’ll be able to do Malta proud and bring back some good news from that competition too!
culture
What happened after you signed up for the Singer/Songwriter Showcase?
DIANE brincat
Plenty of Theatrics but No Theatre Diane Brincat laments the lack of adequate resources for young thespians at our University.
L
et’s cut right to the chase: the theatre scene at university is dead. By ‘theatre scene at university’ I mean student theatre, and not the frequency with which the UoM houses theatrical productions. While shows such as Students’ Fest and The Genital Affair, organised by KSU and MMSA respectively, take place every year, student shows are few and far between for the other 360 days of the year. Sir Temi Zammit Hall once housed the G.F. Abela Junior College Soiree, but that is no longer necessary as the long awaited auditorium at Junior College was opened in February 2008. To be fair, the Evenings on Campus committee kindly supports the arts, especially through their funding of theatrical events. During this year’s Evenings on Campus the TESPI amphitheatre was used as a performance space by What’sTheirNames Theatre. The university does not back certain extracurricular activities for students and expects them to be funded by other entities. This pretty much leaves the University with a good number of talented students and nothing to show for it. There is no encouragement from the University for students to set the theatre scene in motion. The issue lies within the powers that be, as there have been reports of groups trying to get past the long line of red tape of the University Administration and failing. With no Theatre Studies students’ association, and nothing more than one or two small theatre groups, students often find themselves either twiddling their thumbs waiting for an opportunity or running after faceless administration. It seems that the best opportunities for young actors lie outside the University. Consequently, many university students find themselves turning to the Malta Amateur Dramatic Company (MADC) for acting experience. Every September, the MADC Clubrooms are bustling with actors rehearsing for the One-Act Play Festival. Opening doors for actors of all ages, shapes and sizes, the One-Act Play Festival paves the way to the stage for many local directors, actors and actresses. This year’s festival includes, among others, the following
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plays: original play Big Bucks written and directed by Luca Mule’ Stagno; brief scenes from Closer by Patrick Marber, directed by Andrew Galea; and Passaport, an adaptation of Antoine Cassar’s poem of the same name, directed by Erin Stewart Tanti;. While the festival is held in good fun, some competition is involved. Awards are given for Best Production, Best Director, Best Actor, and Actress, Most Promising Actor and Actress. Meanwhile, here is what other university students and recent graduates had to say about the situation at our university, and their experiences on stage and behind the scenes: “It’s very easy to look at a young actor and say that they don’t have the years of experience that some of our older counterparts do, and that might be true to a certain extent. However that sort of attitude also overlooks a few very key points about the younger generation of thespians: what we lack in experience we often more than make up for in enthusiasm.” Maxine Calleja Urry, B.A. Theatre Studies and Psychology
“Throughout my education here, I’ve had little to no encouragement with regards the arts. The two theatres that I know of on campus are little used – and given the vast space and size of the Sir Temi Zammit hall and the intimacy of the amphitheatre tucked away behind the Arts Facult., I think it’s a shame. Evenings on Campus allow some small measure of theatre events by student efforts, but there is no active participation from the University itself on some level to help the interested students.” Andrew Galea, Graduate in B.A. English and Psychology
“As for my experience in directing: it’s a new challenge, very different to acting, and one I’ve learnt a lot about over the last year. It’s been an exciting one, and the thrill of seeing your vision playing out on a stage is incredible.” Philip Leone Ganado, Graduate in LL.B and English
culture ABIGAIL CARUANA
ERASMUS DIARIES This month, Abigail Caruana shares with our readers a few morsels of wisdom gathered during her three-month stint in the city of Verona.
ummer Erasmus is a little different from what most people expect. My Erasmus experience didn’t involve going anywhere near the University of Verona campus, except on one occasion to buy a University sweater! Since the University was shut for the summer, and we had placements in hospital labs, my fellow Maltese students and I didn’t meet many people our age. Due to the lack of students in the city, all bars frequented by them had closed and the night life was non-existent . This is not to say that we spent three months locked up in a tiny apartment in Verona. We met some other Erasmus students just as they were enjoying their last four weeks of freedom, so they had more than enough time to give us tips on places to visit, which proved useful when we found ourselves alone, especially in the evenings. Even though we only had each other for company for most of our time there, the four of us had a great experience together, and travelled around the North of Italy in our spare time. We learned so much, and progressed from being merely classmates, to roommates, to friends! Looking back, all the hurdles we faced (and there were quite a few) taught us some lessons which made the overall experience even more worthwhile. Namely:
1. Chase people. Bureaucratic red tape is no one’s friend, and can be ridiculously tedious, particularly when your institute of origin has not provided the specific details required, and the international office is politely hassling you to hurry up and provide said details! The only thing one can do is chase people until the right phone calls are made and the applications and forms can, at long last, be processed. While I can give this advice with the benefit of hindsight, I had reached a point where I was on the brink of withdrawing my application, packing up, and returning home. Fortunately, I did not. It took a good dose of patience and a sprinkling of good humour to make sure that everything was settled.
here, a pair of trousers there, and before you know it you have a whole new wardrobe! Pack only the bare essentials because fitting everything in your suitcase at the end of your stay will be an absolute nightmare. Not to mention the ‘excess baggage’ expenses that you will incur.
3. Money is always a problem. I’m not referring to an ‘I’m so broke I can’t afford a sandwich’ sort of situation. When I arrived in Verona, with a Visa card and just enough cash to last for three weeks, I told myself I’d withdraw cash once a month to reduce bank charges, and use it wisely. Once I had used most of my cash supply, I headed off to an ATM. None of us predicted that most ATMs would not accept said Visa cards. As it turned out, neither did supermarkets, post offices, or transport services. As someone who had fifteen Euros left in her pocket, I must admit that the situation caused me a fair bit of distress. Thankfully, we eventually located an ATM that accepted our cards and cash was once again freely available.
4. Say yes! Sometimes. If a random stranger comes up to you and asks you to join them for the evening, the most sensible answer is ‘no’. However, if a total stranger who is a student asks you to join them for the evening, the correct answer is ‘yes’. Since our supply of friends was rather limited, we took a couple of chances, even if it involved a few awkward situations with some random strangers. The important point is that it worked: we found good company, and our list of Facebook friends and tagged photos increased drastically.
5. Spice it up! Experimenting with different types of spices in different foods is quite handy when you have a limited choice of food. Especially if your flat doesn’t even have an oven, just a microwave and four hobs!
2. Don’t over pack. Three months may seem like a long time, for which plenty of supplies are required, but remember, no matter where you go, you are always going to shop. A sweater
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Photography glorianne cassar
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health
SARAH BOWMAN
Where there’s Smoke... We are constantly indoctrinated about the harmful effects of smoking. But what about passive smoking? 85% of cigarette smoke is produced between puffs. moking is one of the leading causes of disease among the Maltese people. So what’s in a cigarette? Some 4000 chemicals are found in a cigarette, among them tar, lead, cadmium, arsenic, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, and carbon monoxide. All these chemicals cause a deleterious effect on the body systems, and give cigarettes their deadly properties But how does a cigarette actually harm you? Nicotine, the addictive substance found in cigarettes renders the body dependent on the substance. Some of the effects of nicotine on the body are increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and stimulation of both nervous and gastrointestinal systems. Not surprisingly, however, it is the respiratory system which is mostly affected by smoking. Toxic gases inhaled from cigarette smoke bring about an inflammatory response in the airways, thereby causing constriction which hinders proper aeration of the lungs. Toxic gases also paralyse microscopic hair-like structures called cilia. The function of these cilia is to beat to and fro and remove dust particles, bacteria, debris, and excessive mucus from the lungs. Without cilia, all these toxins accumulate in the airways and limit the amount of air entering the lungs. Toxins also destroy tiny membranous sacs called alveoli. Alveoli found in the lungs are responsible for the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between our bodies and the environment. Thus, if the action of alveoli is impaired, there is retention of carbon dioxide in the blood and a greater strain on the body to obtain oxygen. Another toxic gas present in cigarette smoke is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide combines more readily with the haemoglobin in red blood cells than oxygen does, thereby depriving the body of adequate oxygen supply. This strains the the heart, which has to pump more blood around the body in order to deliver an adequate supply of oxygen. These effects are true of both active and passive smoking. Passive smoking is the involuntary inhalation of cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke by a non-smoker when in the same area as smokers. It is generally thought that passive smoking is less harmful than active smoking, which is not the case. Passive smoking is still highly underestimated. The most common diseases caused by passive smoking are lung can-
cer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Both diseases have a variety of symptoms such as laboured breathing, nausea and vomiting, persistent respiratory infections, and wheezing. It has recently been found that smoke alters genes in lung cells making them more susceptible to lung cancer and COPD. This does not only affect active smokers. Gene alteration was also found in people who had minimal exposure to smoke, whether they were passive smokers or just smoked a couple of cigarettes every now and then. This is conclusive proof that even the tiniest amount of smoke can be harmful. In addition to this, smoking causes other ailments which tend to be overlooked, such as cardiovascular diseases, strokes and various types of cancers (cervical, larynx etc.). Passive smoking also contributes to infertility, early menopause, ectopic pregnancies and osteoporosis in women. It increases the risk of miscarriages, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Photography glorianne cassar
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CHRIS BERGEDAHL
Living the
Dream Chris Bergedahl is passionate about his sport. He recounts theups and downs of the journey that has led to his current success.
“
Don’t force your kids into sports. I never was. To this day, my dad has never asked me to go play golf. I ask him. It’s the child’s desire to play that matters, not the parent’s desire to have the child play. Fun. Keep it fun.
”
Tiger Woods.
Photography Becky NAUDI
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here are some things in life which just come naturally to you. There are some kids pick up an instrument and start making music effortlessly. Others pick up languages with ease and flair from very early on. Some kids are able to solve the most complex of mathematical equations without breaking into a sweat. In my case, the first time I picked up a golf club at the tender age of four and gave it a swing, our lifelong friendship was cemented. Golf has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Many people question why I indulge in a sport which unfortunately continues to give the impression of being a pursuit for the privileged, yet the truth is simple: I just love it. Our history goes back to when, my parents provided me with a cut down golf club to try out with at the practice area in Marsa. The idea was: hit the ball, run after it and hit it again. Soon after, golf and I became inseparable. It provided hours of laughter, euphoria, as well tears. Disappointment is bound to rear its ugly head at some point, yet getting through it is very satisfying. I spent several years training and preparing for tournament life under the auspices of the Junior Golf Academy,
The Insiter • October 2010
and with my father’s careful guidance. Those years were spent looking up to the older players, forever striving to improve, and after some time, a group of four talented junior golfers emerged from the academy ready to take on the world. Our friendship and rivalry helped push us forward. Our aim wasn’t to reach the peak of the local game in as few steps as possible, but rather to be the best we could. These are friendships that will remain for life, even though nowadays we have gone our separate ways as far as the sport goes. My first real tournament experience arrived when I was ten years old. I won what was at the time a prestigious annual junior event. The confidence that I derived from this victory helped me to break through the ranks and join the men’s local circuit. Aged twelve, I won my first local men’s tournament. By that time, there was no going back. I was hooked and my aim had now switched to becoming the best in the world. And nothing would stop me. The formation of a national team in 2006 helped us to gain high quality coaching from a foreign coach. That same year, I participated in my first international event, the R&A Junior Open in Heswall, England. Playing in the Silver division, I finished in a satis-
Sport factory eighth place, and the experience was very fruitful. I met a few of my heroes who were playing in the British Open held that same week. They are true role models, and watching them pushes me to follow in their footsteps. Over the next four years, several opportunities presented themselves to me. I have played tournament golf all around Europe, including Junior Events in England, Belgium and Greece; the National Opens in Cyprus, Turkey, Greece; and finally The Mediterranean Games in Pescara, which were the highlight of my short career. Having the opportunity to mix with some of the elite of European sport was an experience beyond description. There have been ups and downs, with missed cuts in some events and high places in others. An international victory has so far eluded me, but I have picked up 3rd place finishes in two events (one at the Faldo Junior Series in Greece earlier this year), as well as a 2nd place finish for team Malta in the Hellenic Open in 2009, which remains Malta’s best performance to date in the international scene. Every kid grows up dreaming of competing with their idols, and I’m no different. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t dream of teeing it up with the sport’s elite, and this serves motivates me. Everyone is capable of achievements if they put in the required time. It’s a matter of hard
work, sacrifice and coping with disappointment. I know that I can work harder, and as long as I strive to reach the level I aspire for, I will push myself harder. Several years of hard study await me, yet I still intend to find the time to indulge in a recreation which has not only provided me with satisfaction, but also comfort and a means of escape during difficult times. I owe a lot to my sport. The professional game is tough. You are alone out there. Nobody will be looking out for you. Yet this appeals to me. And if, by some grace, I am ever able to achieve it, I will be satisfied that I grinded through it. I do this not because I have to, but because I want to. It is part of who I am. The future seems bright, opportunities are abundant, and lessons are there to be learnt. Golf has taken leaps and bounds over the past few decades. It is now reaching a pinnacle after being welcomed into the Olympic family, and is due to feature in the 2016 Olympic Games. More and more youths are taking up the sport at grassroots level, as it is being made more accessible all over the world. The future is bright; not only for me, but for the game in Malta as a whole.
MOTORING
CHRIStian GALEA
SMART
ARSE
MODEL: Smart Fortwo (2007-Present) RIDE: INTERIOR SPACE: PERFORMANCE: QUALITY AND RELIABILITY: SAFETY: BUYING AND OWNING: CHARACTER:
OVERALL RATING:
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he model I tested was the face-lifted version of tthe original two-seat ‘City Coupé’. It was renamed ‘Fortwo’ to fit Smart’s then-new naming strategy. As is the norm in such updates, the car received some subtle cosmetic and technical changes. The most important updates were the new peanut-shaped headlights and revised tail lights, the tweaked safety systems and the upgrade of the rear-mounted turbocharged 3-cylinder engine to 0.7 litres . The relatively small engine does not present a problem for two reasons. Firstly, as the car is intended for city use, there is no need for scintillating performance. Secondly, it weighs only about 730kg, thanks to both its relatively cheap and easily interchangeable plastic body panels, and its size (it is just 2.5 metres long). Although it isn’t the smallest car in the world, it has been the smallest car in production since it was launched in 1998. This enables the driver the ability to park in places other drivers would never consider, and perform a U-turn where most other cars would require a three-point turn. Its length also resulted in one of the most controversial aspects of the Smart, namely its appearance. The small front end makes it look rather quirky, and might even give one the mistaken impression that this is a very unsafe car. Where safety is concerned, besides having electronic safety aids, it also had two airbags as standard and
a 3/5 star safety rating from Euro NCAP, one of the leading safety organisations. This rating does not account for the Fortwo’s strength, as a result of its so-called ‘Tridion safety cell’ (the steel housing that displaces impact forces over a large area of the car). This gives the Smart an advantage over other small cars both if it crashes against another small car but also if it crashes against a much larger, heavier car. It also has a better whiplash rating from the ‘Thatcham’ organization than most other city cars of its time. The interior is refreshingly funky and unusual. It is also surprisingly spacious; although I’m 6ft tall, I had no issues with legroom or headroom. While driving this car, I felt that the ride was not sufficiently smooth, and the engine was always audible, because it was sited right behind me. However, these factors didn’t annoy me. The gearbox, on the other hand, did. It’s a semi-automatic, which is ideal for a city car. You don’t need to deal with a clutch every time you stop and go. However, the Fortwo’s gearbox is quite sluggish as far as changing gears goes. I found that letting go slightly of the gas pedal just before changing gear, as one would do in a normal manual car, made the shifts much smoother. It’s price tag is very similar to that of four seaters, making the Smart seem comparatively expensive. Admittedly though, it isn’t that cheap to manufacture, and a substantial part of its engineering was done by Mercedes. The more I drove the Fortwo, the more insignificant its imperfections became. I was fascinated by how something so small and relatively slow could have so much character, in addition to offering impressive safety levels. Its semi-auto gearbox and dinky dimensions render it quite convenient and fun to drive, making it a car that should definitely be considered by University students. So, is the Smart also an icon? I’d say so.
insiteronline.com
Photography courtesy of kind’s motors
The Volkswagen Beetle. The Fiat 500. The Mini. What do they have in common? They were so innovative at their time that they became icons in the automotive industry. Is the ‘Smart’ car also an icon?
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NOEL CAMILLERI
University rankings: just extravagant ego trips?
This issue’s special report investigates the politics behind University rankings, their reliability or otherwise, and their value, if any, in the real world. Recent diametrically-opposed University League Table Rankings published by QS and the Times Higher Education, have highlighted the confusion that exists with regard to assessing academic institutions as diverse as universities. However, with academics squabbling over the surveys’ methodological benchmarks and pundits attacking their credibility, are students in for a veritable shock if they try to base a university choice solely based on these rankings? Last year, the British magazine Times Higher Education (THE) and the global educational and career group QS broke ranks, and, following this schism, last month saw the release of two lists, ranking the world’s top universities according to different sets of criteria. The result of the separation is clearly reflected in the end product, because starting from the top place in the universities podium, there are few parallels between the two lists. While the University of Cambridge tops the QS list for the first time after seven years of Harvard dominance, Harvard University maintains its grip on the top spot in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Further down the line in this latter survey, one can notice other significant divergences, as British universities clearly lost their grip on the top ten - while retaining their strength in the QS rankings - as other universities in non-English speaking countries, such as Switzerland, Japan and Hong Kong, seek to close the gap with their more historically decorated counterparts. Amid all this fragmentation, one is tempted to question the significance or otherwise of such yearly assessments and whether in real terms felt by students, universities really change so significantly in one year. Fitting perfectly into the pessimists’ view that statistics are just a bunch of numbers which are worse than ‘damned lies,’ these rankings manage to be both as impressive and as shallow as those lists purporting to determine the best place to live in the world. Putting a quick question to a dozen people would certainly not regale us with ‘Mogadishu’ as an answer (or any other single place for that matter). In fact , I can safely assume that a host of cities located all over the world would be mentioned by way of a reply. Everyone’s understanding of ‘the best’ is subjective, and varies according to a myriad of circumstances. These same problems impact any understanding of the world’s best university, even more so this year when the two above-mentioned studies applied different criteria for their selections. The QS survey relied exclusively on a survey by academics, the number of citations, graduate employment
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The Insiter • October 2010
rates, student-faculty ratios, and the number of international students as a percentage of the total. On the other hand, THE placed more importance on citations and the quality of research produced, rather than the value of the teaching being imparted to students. My simplified distinction between these two renders apparent the pitfalls that await anyone attempting to classify a university, irrespective of whether it specialises in teaching or research. While no one single, rigorous international standard measures the quality of teaching, the research facet cannot be put into one basket either. One needs to differentiate between the types of research being carried out, the resources being invested for the purpose research, and the quality and return from such outlay. The different needs of each discipline, cultural and stereotypical expectations, and national funding issues add further complications for entities trying to determine the ‘best university.’ However, these rankings and others such as the Global Universities Ranking, 4icu (4 International Colleges and Universities)/ and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) compiled by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, also stir up conflicting messages about their worthiness. Just recently, Malcolm Grant, president and provost of University College London - ranked 4th by QS but 81st by 4icu argued that “university world rankings are worthless as they cannot possibly capture their diversity.” Meanwhile, a recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting in Paris also slammed such rankings systems. Yet, an investigation carried out three years ago by the same OECD had found that universities are obsessed with featuring in the top 100 lists, and policy-making decisions are often heavily influenced by any affect they may have on such standings. Refreshingly for those of us studying at the University of Malta, Charles Reed, the Vice-Chancellor of California State University, labelled such rankings as ‘a disease’. He disagreed that top-ranked universities like Oxford and Cambridge were actually better than others, because all universities ‘add value to what we do.’ Rankings also came under fire from Janyne Hodder, former president of the University of Bahamas, who argued that such comparisons thwarted the efforts of developing nations. These vociferous attack were, however, not reflected in the results of a 2007 study, which found that although over 17,000 higher education institutions operate throughout the
SPECIAL REPORT Photography Martha Micallef
world, many are gripped by a fascination with breaking into the top 100. The survey revealed that rankings impact on the distribution and allocation of funds, the choices made by students, and the advice given by parents. The study of high-ranking administrators in more than 200 higher education providers revealed that 58% of universities were not happy with their current ranking, 56% had an internal mechanism which reviewed their rank order, and all but three of these had taken decisions as ‘a result of reviewing their rank.’ Such decisions included the engagement of Nobel Prize Winners, as one of the criteria used by the Shanghai Jiao Tong ranking is tied to the number of past scholars and present researchers winning Nobel Prizes! Inevitably, these rankings will be berated and quoted for a long time to come; however, one useful exercise for us spending our days at Tal-Qroqq would be to see how our University can increase its research output, improve its facilities, and diversify its income by tapping into alumni donations,. We should aim to have a University that continues to improve the quality of teaching it offers, while empowering its graduates to drive the country forward. We cannot expect our University to breach the top rankings anytime soon, but all of us should acknowledge that the development of Malta is mainly determined by what happens in the oft-dreaded lecture halls and laboratories.
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MATTHEW BONANNO
Get involved G
reetings from the land beyond Uni, and by that I mean the strange place you go after you’ve finished your course. In this my fourth and final year in Insite, and as the new editor of www.insiteronline.com, I’d like to tell you why, if you enjoy writing, you should contribute to the website and the magazine. Firstly, if I hadn’t joined Insite, my University experience would have been far, far duller. I mean, I would never have had the opportunity to interview Eileen Montesin, or had front row seats at the hilarious spectacle that was the last KSU AGM, to name but a few entertaining experiences. On a more personal level, I wouldn’t have made as many great friends as I have. One thing that I think stops people from attempting to write is that they don’t know what to write about. They say they want to write, but when you ask them to be more specific, they shrug their shoulders. When I first joined, I didn’t really know what I wanted to write about either. If I’m not mistaken my first article on the newspaper (at the time The Insiter was still a newspaper) was about Facebook (it was still original to write about Facebook back then). Eventually I started doing interviews, and writing news articles and mu-
sic reviews. Gradually, you begin to realise that you’re better at some styles than you are at others, with the result that you find your own ‘voice’. It’s useless trying to force yourself to write about something that you’re not interested in, so my advice would be to write about something that you love. Something I think we can all agree upon - and that Freshers will sadly come to realise - is that our University is far from perfect. Whether it’s an unfair lecturer or a misbehaving vending machine, there will always be something to complain about. Well, why not let Insite know, so we can write about it? If it happens to be visually striking or amusing, then take photos and we’ll upload them to the website. By all means complain to your lecturers and to KSU, but don’t underestimate the power of the media when it comes to prodding people to get something done. So, if you love to write, or you think you’ll come to love writing eventually, then www.insiteronline.com is the place for you. Matthew Bonanno, online editor (insiteronline.com) web@insite.org.mt