KSU has defended its approach to this year’s Freshers’ Week after seven student organisations and NGOs accused the council of pushing NGOs out of the event through participation fees starting at €1,550.Responding to the criticism, the University Students’ Council said Freshers’ Week is its “main source of income”, with money generated from the event being reinvested into students through grants, initiatives, activities and other opportunities.“KSU’s engagement with sponsors and external partners enables it to support and expand the initiatives and services it provides to students,” the council said.It rejected suggestions that these commercial relationships amount to dependence on business interests or compromise its responsibilities towards students.The response comes after Studenti Graffitti, HoASA, ESA, MGRM, MGRM Youths, CASA and DESA jointly accused KSU of taking Freshers’ Week in an increasingly “hypercommercialised” direction.The organisations claimed NGOs, which had previously been able to participate for free, are now expected to pay the same rates as businesses, starting at €1,550.KSU’s response did not directly address the €1,550 figure or the claim that NGOs previously participated free of charge.However, the council said participation in Freshers’ Week was allocated on a “first-come, first-served basis”, which it described as a fair and transparent system providing interested entities with an equal opportunity to participate.KSU also confirmed plans for a dedicated NGO Day, arguing that the event is intended to give NGOs an additional platform rather than diminish their presence during Freshers’ Week.According to the council, such an event would put NGOs “centre stage”, allowing them to promote their causes and opportunities for student involvement.KSU also pushed back against the organisations’ reference to the Daphne Caruana Galizia Public Inquiry when criticising the influence of commercial relationships on student politics.“Comparisons of this nature, particularly those invoking matters as serious as the findings of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Public Inquiry, warrant careful consideration and should only be made where there is a clear and substantiated basis for doing so,” it said.The council added that it had made a “conscious effort” to put student organisations at the forefront of this year’s Freshers’ Week, placing their tent next to Gateway following requests for greater visibility.What do you make of KSU’s response?•