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14 February 2018 Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Kovsie donates text books to needy first-year student
Kovsie student Lebohang Ntoli has donated her books to a first-year student

Kovsies BAcc student; Lebohang Ntoli understands the complex domain students step into when they kick off at university.

Faced with a number of challenges that include adjusting to freedom, stepping up academically, and being able to navigate and prioritise your social life with your emotional and mental health, students are at risk of feeling discouraged, confused and fearful. However, being afflicted by financial constraints where tuition fees and study material are concerned is undoubtedly one of the most disheartening feelings a first-year student is forced to deal with - and Lebohang understands this.

She says: “Everyone deserves at least one shot at life,” and has taken it upon herself to donate all her first-year textbooks to a student who she felt was deserving.

Lebohang explains that her actions were sparked by her encounter with a female student in December 2017 who had opened up to her about not being able to meet the financial demands that awaited her in January 2018.

This motivated Lebohang to want to help as many students as she could. She then took to social media to express her concerns for first-year students. At the time the topic of first-years had accumulated a lot of momentum because of their concerns regarding university and how to prepare for it. Through this Lebohang was able to attract attention to her tweets which enabled her to find the deserving candidate for her textbooks.

Students who are interested in textbook donations can contact Elizabeth Msadu, who is in charge of the Hand-to-Hand Foundation at the UFS Health and Wellness Centre on +27 51 401 9600.

News Archive

RC members of Armentum not expelled from residence
2009-05-29

According to a memorandum of agreement that was concluded between the University of the Free State (UFS) and the Residence Committee (RC), the Senior Bond Committee and seniors of the Armentum Residence, the parties involved agreed, among others, that the RC members of this residence would not be expelled from the residence.

This follows an incident during which a first-year student from Armentum, Alex Marais, was injured because of alleged initiation and admitted to the Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic.

According to the agreement, the RC members will resign from their positions and not make themselves available for the next RC election, with the exception of Mr M.J. Pretorius, the RC member for Rag. He will stay on as unelected member of the interim RC. The UFS undertook to pay the RC that is stepping down their honorariums honorariums in August.

The UFS also gave permission to the Residence Head of Armentum, Adv. Bradley Smith, to appoint an interim RC for the remaining period of office of the current RC.

The Senior Bond must also undertake to submit the current rules of the Senior Bond Committee to the Acting Rector, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, before 1 June 2009. The Senior Bond Committee undertakes to comply strictly with these rules, also during Senior Bond activities.

In addition the Senior Bond Committee and the current Residence Committee must submit the following information to Prof. Verschoor before the reopening of the UFS for the second semester :
- The current orientation practices with regard to first-year students.
- Proposals on how the practices can be adjusted to render them enforceable within humane, reasonable, fair and humanitarian limits in order to implement and comply with the objectives of orientation, the exercising of control and the laying down of rules.

The compensating fine that was levied against the tuition fees accounts of senior students of Armentum, which would have been used to contribute to the medical costs of Alex Marais, is now cancelled.

This settlement is final and the parties will not lay any claims against each other as a result of this incident in future.

Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
Email: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
29 May 2009

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