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27 August 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Student Toolkit
The First Edition of the UFS Student Toolkit is now available on Blackboard.

Download the toolkit here

A common question first-time entering first-year students often ask themselves when they come to university, is: ‘How will I deal with the pressure?’

The University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Student Counselling and Development (SCD) – with the vision to promote, enable, and optimise students’ self-direction – has launched the first edition of the Student Toolkit on Friday, 23 August 2019.

The toolkit, which is now available on Blackboard, is intended to assist students in dealing and coping with challenges they face in their personal lives during their period of study at the UFS.

Students will be exposed to a variety of topics, pressing issues, and phenomena that they will encounter on a daily basis in their lives, such as academic and personal challenges, time management, procrastination, goal setting, anxiety, effective studying, stress management, mindful meditation, self-love, loneliness, relationships, sexual orientation, family frustrations, overthinking, death, and suicide. 

Present at the launch was the UFS Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Student Affairs, and Community Engagement, Prof Puleng LenkaBula; the UFS Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Pura Mgolombane; the UFS Director for Student Counselling and Development, Melissa Barnaschone; Counselling Psychologist and compiler of the UFS Student Toolkit: Lize van den Bergh.

In addition, BCom Marketing honours student and poet, Thuthukani Ndlovu, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Next Chapter, Tshepang Mahlatsi, three students who have benefitted from SDC services, delegates from the department, and other affiliated students were all in attendance. 

For more information about the Student Toolkit, contact the Department of Student Counselling and Development at scd@ufs.ac.za or call +27 51 401 2853.


News Archive

Dr David Malapo motivates Qwaqwa staff
2009-06-24

 
Photo: Supplied 


 

If you are not growing, you are dying. These were the words of Dr David Malapo, teacher, pastor, motivational speaker and businessman, who addressed staff members and students from the Qwaqwa Campus as well as members of the community. Mr Billyboy Ramahlele, Director: Diversity, accompanied Dr Malapo to the campus.

Dr Malapo informed staff that it was possible to grow if one had a vision and a passion for what one wanted to achieve, as well as the willingness to take risks. He emphasised that it was necessary to grow, otherwise one would stagnate. “To grow you need to develop skills in active listening, effective communication and productivity,” he said.

According to him, only oneself can make positive decisions towards growth in one’s own life. “When you blame other people, you give up the power to change,” he said.

He also stated that trust was an inevitable element of growth. It means that you have to avoid pre-judging, treat people with respect, share information, admit mistakes and develop a caring attitude.

Both staff and students evaluated these motivational talks as a highlight-event of the first semester on the Qwaqwa calendar.
 

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