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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

“We have to be ashamed as South Africans in these xenophobic attacks” – Dr Khotso Mokhele
2015-04-17

In a show of solidarity, the staff, students, and graduates at the University of the Free State hosted various events to remember those victims of recent Xenophobia attacks in the country.

During the Autumn Graduation this week on the Bloemfontein Campus, a moment of silence was observed at the different ceremonies.

At the ceremonies, UFS Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele, said these graduations are not only about the graduates’ success but also about keeping in mind those who are being killed in our own country because their countries could not uphold them.

“All of us as South Africans should show a displeasure at the xenophobic attacks that have taken place in the country. These acts are inhumane, and we have to be ashamed as South Africans.”

South Africa has been rocked these recent weeks by various flares of attacks on foreign nationals living in South Africa. Five people or more have died in these attacks.

The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice at the UFS also started hosting conversations to create awareness and understanding among the Kovsie community about xenophobia and the subsequent hate crimes.

In spite of diverging opinions, different approaches, and the complexities at the heart of the issue, everyone at these discussions agreed that xenophobia needs to be addressed urgently, not only by government, but also by every South African citizen.

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