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
28 May 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Meal in a Jar
Omar-Raphael Tabengwa quoted Maya Angelou who said: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Lunch and learning were reconciled at Joe Solomon School in Heidedal as part of Africa Day celebrations which were spearheaded by the University of the Free State’s (UFS) International Student Association. As part of the second annual Meal in a Jar project, 190 learners received a hearty meal and stationery packs on 23 May 2019.

In addition to being served rice, mince and vegetables, the Grade four pupils also had the opportunity to learn a bit of basic German and Dutch. “We broadened their minds by introducing them to our foreign exchange students,” said Omar-Raphael Tabengwa, Student Representative Council (SRC): International Students.

Give and gain 

Not only did the exchange expose learners to knowledge about other African countries that exceeds the scope of their curriculum, hence decolonising education from a grassroots level. This also gave international students the opportunity to engage with the community beyond the institution.

More than just a meal

The Meal in a Jar project also promotes environmental sustainability and teaches pupils the value of reusing and recycling. According to Omar: “The jars can later be used for different purposes such as a stationery holder, washing powder container or coin collector, based on an individual’s need.” 

Embracing value of Uhuru

The Meal in a Jar project’s theme for this year was Uhuru, which means “freedom” in Swahili. These are the ideals that the UFS Walk to Uhuru team stands for, an initiative that the project endorses.
 
Much like the Meal in a Jar project, the UFS Walk to Uhuru initiative advocates the educational rights of the less privileged and is currently raising funds to aid access to higher education. As part of the first leg of the walk, the Uhuru team took a 350km expedition on foot to the Qwaqwa Campus in March. They are expected to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in mid-June in an attempt to make R1million for the 2020 academic year.

News Archive

New SRC constitution for UFS main campus agreed upon by all organisations
2005-07-20

University of the Free State Fact Sheet

1. The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously approved an amendment to the SRC constitution for the main campus to allow for the introduction of proportional representation (PR) alongside a first-past-the-post electoral system.

2. This decision was taken by the UFS Council on 10 June 2005 at the same meeting where it also approved the establishment of a Central SRC for the three campuses of the UFS.

3. The new main campus SRC constitution is the result of consensus reached during a lengthy negotiation process involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, the ANC Youth League, the Young Communist League, the ACDP, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, as well as the democratically elected SRC members of the main campus. Independent persons such as Mr Jack Klaas and Mr Kobus van Loggerenberg facilitated the negotiation process.

4. The consensus reached during this process, and the subsequent decision by Council, represent a major breakthrough for student governance and transformation of the UFS main campus and constitutes a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of all students at the UFS main campus in the governance of the university.

5. The introduction of the proportional representation system follows earlier calls by some student formations, notably Sasco and the ANC Youth League, for such a system to be introduced at the UFS main campus in Bloemfontein.

6. In terms of the amendments to the main campus SRC constitution, nine of the 18 SRC members are to elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an direct, first-past-the-post election.

7. The following portfolios of the main campus SRC will be contested by individual candidates on the basis of “first past the post”:
• president
• secretary
• academic affairs
• legal and constitutional affairs
• student development
• arts and culture
• men’s internal liaison
• ladies internal liaison
• media, marketing and liaison

8. The following nine portfolios will be contested by affiliated organizations on a proportional representation basis.
• two vice-presidents
• treasurer
• dialogue and associations
• transformation
• campus affairs and recreation
• sport
• international affairs
• community service

9. These two decisions regarding student governance represent a breakthrough in that, for the first time in many years, all SRC constitutional changes were processed and approved by the June meeting of the Council, well in time for the scheduled August SRC election; in addition, all relevant student organizations have been part of the process and all have accepted the outcome of the process.

20 July 2005
 

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