A university organisation for theatre students will come to an end after no students applied or showed interest in being part of the new executive board.

Limited resources, low turnouts for events, and lack of student enthusiasm have been the key challenges the University Students of Performing Arts Association (USPA) has faced, not just this year, but ever since it launched, nearly 10 years ago.

Both members of the current outgoing executive and founding members of the student organisation raise the question of whether USPA’s situation reflects a broader problem of student activism on campus.

The organisation is part of the School of Performing Arts (SPA) at the University of Malta.

In a statement published on Facebook, USPA outgoing president Brendon Thearle said it was decided to enter a “temporary hiatus” until a new executive board was approved during its AGM on Monday.

'Lack of interest gets worse each year'

While USPA issued a call for the new executive board earlier this month, no students applied for the five roles available.

Out of the five outgoing executive members, three will be graduating and another will be taking up a role with the University Students’ Council (KSU). On his part, Thearle said he wants to focus on his third and final year reading for his Bachelor in Theatre degree.

He said the executive board and previous ones had given their all to keep USPA running and to encourage performing arts students to participate in events and workshops it organised.

“However, no matter how hard we try, it seems like the lack of interest gets worse and worse as the years go by, and this is something which is both disappointing and concerning,” he said.

“The performing arts industry here in Malta is already struggling enough as it is, so it is incredibly worrisome to see potential future artists showing little to no interest at university level.”

Our efforts seem to have given little to no results and we cannot understand what we could have done better- Brendon ThearleUSPA outgoing president and student

Upset, but not surprised

Speaking to Times of Malta, Thearle said the executive was upset but not surprised by the outcome.

“This has not just been a one-off case but has been slowly creeping its way for several years,” he said.

In the statement, the 26-year-old student said he wanted USPA to become closer to theatre students and the wider university community and for the organisation to be taken more seriously.

“Our efforts seem to have given little to no results and we cannot understand what we could have done better.”

Thearle said the executive tried their best to organise events encouraging theatre students to attend.

Yet, the number of performing students was always low, and at times, there were more students from different faculties than there were from the theatre faculty.

He described USPA as a “bridge” to connect students with other artists and provide opportunities for them to showcase their work.

“Opportunities can be few and far between, and now having USPA entering a temporary hiatus will make it harder unless you get lucky,” he said.

The statement ended with Thearle calling for more engagement from students.

“Attitudes need to change, both from the student and from an administration level. We cannot keep working to make SPA and UPSA better if there is no eagerness and interest,” he said.

10 years on and student apathy still an issue

The statement warned how USPA is not the only student organisation struggling with a lack of student activism on campus.

Yet, student apathy is not a new concern, as USPA’s founding members recall similar challenges they faced when setting up the student organisation.

“It is heartbreaking and disappointing to read, but I am not surprised, as today students are engaged with activities and work off campus. It is a constant struggle to get them to volunteer their time in organisations,” Steffie Weenink told Times of Malta. 

Weenink, a theatre practitioner, was one of the students who was approached by the faculty back in 2014 to set up a student organisation to represent performing arts students.

“We spent a year working on establishing USPA, preparing a mission statement, getting all the paperwork in order, and when we launched there was a lot of general interest from us,” she recalled.

“In the first year we launched, we saw a genuine interest in us, but once the second year passed, we realised the hard work we had to put in to maintain the people’s attention and to get students to participate.”

At the time USPA collaborated with different entities, such as Notte Bianca, TEDx Malta, Science and the City, yet the challenges remained at large.

No matter how hard we try, it seems like the lack of interest gets worse- Steffi Weenink

“If you needed five people, four would apply, and you would have to beg a friend to join and help out,” she said.

“This is an issue across the board with other student organisations. Students might find it extra to volunteer and would rather just meet a friend or work.”

Another founding member, Stephanie Bonnici, reflected on the bigger picture of the impact the lack of student activism can have outside of campus.

“When we compare student organisations in Malta with those in other European countries, Maltese students appear to lack the confidence to engage politically,” Bonnici said.

“We rarely see strong statements from them on current affairs, despite numerous urgent issues in Malta. Is this indicative of the island mentality or of a deeper issue?”

Bonnici, a cultural manager based in the Netherlands, reflected on the ongoing EU election campaigns, and how debates are characterised by finger-pointing and name-calling, rather than having arguments based on critical thinking.

“Can we blame young people for their lack of motivation to engage in political processes when politics, to them, seems petty, trivial and unconstructive,” she asked.