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The composition of the Council of the University of the Free State is stipulated in the UFS Statute, as promulgated in the Government Gazette of 26 January 2018. The terms of office of the President of Convocation, Prof Johan Grobbelaar, Christo Dippenaar, Henry Madlala (Qwaqwa Campus) expire on 31 October 2018. Convocation has to appoint three representatives in their place, one of which has to be the President of Convocation and another should be from the Qwaqwa Campus. In terms of the Statute, both Dippenaar and Madlala are eligible for re-election.
Written nominations for the election of three representatives of the Convocation for a period of four years, are hereby requested.
The Convocation comprises of all permanent academic staff from lecturer to professor, all permanent staff other than academic staff from Deputy Director to Rector and Vice-Chancellor by virtue of their respective offices and all students (current and former) who obtained a qualification at the university.
Each nomination shall be signed by five members of Convocation and shall contain the written acceptance of the nomination by the nominee under his or her signature, as well as an abridged CV (±2pages). These must reach Dawid Kriel by 12:00 on Monday 12 November 2018. If more than one person per each of the three categories is nominated, elections will be held on or before Friday 16 November 2018. You will be notified of the final date for elections in due course. Please submit your nomination via:
• E-mail: dawid@ufs.ac.za
• Fax: 086 643 1665
• Post: Dawid Kriel University of the Free State: Institutional Advancement PO Box 339 Bloemfontein 9300
• Hand delivered at: Dawid Kriel, Room 26, 1st Floor, Wekkie Saayman Building, Bloemfontein Campus
For enquiries, please contact Claudine Taylor at TaylorCL@ufs.ac.za or +27 51 401 2097.
Click here for the nominations form.
There’s more to media freedom than the Secrecy Bill
2012-05-04
4 May 2012
“Media freedom is a universal human right. It cannot be abolished, but it should be managed.” The freedom of the media is protected by numerous formal documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the South African Constitution, and is commemorated annually with the celebration of World Press Freedom Day.
“As long as those in power have something to hide, media freedom will be under threat. This is a war that takes place on many fronts,” says Ms Willemien Marais, a journalism lecturer at the Department of Communication Science at the University of the Free State (UFS).
“On the one hand we have to take a stand against institutional threats such as the proposed Protection of State Information Bill. This is diametrically opposed to everything that media freedom and freedom of expression encapsulates.
“But on the other hand we also need to educate and transform our society. It is not only up to journalists to defend media freedom. Newspaper reports on the public hearings on this Bill earlier this year proved that ignorance concerning media freedom is a big threat. The lack of resistance against the Secrecy Bill from the general population clearly illustrates that people aren’t aware of what they are about to lose.”
Ms Marais says the rise of social media and the accompanying awareness of individual freedom of expression have paved the way for more people to exercise this right. “The role of social media in the Arab Spring has been highlighted numerous times. The power of social media is undeniable – but alas, so is the lack of access to especially social media. We can only increase media literacy if we increase people’s access to the media – new and traditional.”
A high level of media literacy is also vital following last month’s recommendation by the Press Freedom Commission of a system of independent co-regulation for South Africa’s print media. This system proposes replacing government regulation with a panel consisting of representatives from the print industry as well as members of the general public. “It is abundantly clear that this system can only work if those members of the general public are media literate and understand the role of media freedom in protecting democracy.”
“The media is not a sentient being – it consists of and is run by people, and human beings are fallible. Protecting media freedom does not only mean fighting institutional threats. It also means increasing media literacy by educating people. And it means owning up to your mistakes, and correcting it.”