Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
14 June 2018 Photo iStock
Dealing with the trauma of sexual assault
University life is supposed to be one of the most enjoyable times of a person’s life. Unfortunately, for some this is the time they may fall victims to sexual assault.
 
The term sexual assault has shockingly become normalised in society and has become a common threat to university students. The University of the Free State (UFS) through its sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and sexual violence policy strongly condemns any form of sexual abuse. Dr Melissa Barnaschone, Director at Student Counselling and Development (UFS) says the university cares for the health and wellbeing of students and provides necessary support for victims of sexual assault and trauma.
 
It is unfortunate that sexual assault comes with many misconceptions that often shift responsibility and blame from the perpetrator to the victim. “It is important to always remember that it is not your fault; do not blame yourself,” says Dr Barnaschone. Helpguide.Org: Trusted guide to mental & emotional health says sexual assault leaves psychological wounds and sometimes long-lasting health challenges. Such trauma can severely affect a person’s ability to cope with daily academic, social, professional, and personal responsibilities.
 
Any sexual violence is a crime and as a victim, you are not to blame. Healing is achieved when you start to believe that you are not responsible for what happened to you. Visit Helpguide.Org for more information on post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma recovery tips and other related topics.

On this video clip, Dr Barnaschone shares some guidelines to deal with sexual assault and trauma: 

News Archive

Department of Chemistry receives accolades at international conferences
2014-11-11

 

From the left are: Prof Andreas Roodt, Renier Koen, Dr Marija Zbacnik and Prof Deon Visser.
Photo: Supplied

Staff members in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS) excelled at recent international conferences. Prof Andreas Roodt, Head of the Department of Chemistry, was honoured at the Pan African Meeting of the International Year of Crystallography IYCr2014. This event was hosted on our Bloemfontein Campus and delegates from 22 countries delivered their papers at the congress.

Prof Roodt received a medal from the President of the Moroccan Crystallographic Association, Prof Abdelmalek Thalal, for 'Building Science in Africa through Crystallography as President of the European Crystallographic Association'. Prof Deon Visser gave a keynote lecture at this meeting, while Dr Marija Zbacnik, post-doctoral fellow in Chemistry, received a prize for the best poster presentation.

Similarly, Chemistry PhD student, Renier Koen, received the prize as best student speaker at the Light Metals AMI (Advanced Metal Initiative) conference held at Kwa Maritane in Pilanesberg. Plenary speakers included delegates from the United Kingdom, the United States, India, China and South Africa.

Profs Roodt and Visser received a special scroll for having produced the best student speakers at the AMI series of conferences for the past three years in a row. The previous best student lectures were presented by Maryke Steyn (2012) and Tinus Viljoen (2013).

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept