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#WomensMonth: Prof Felicity Burt – inspired by all women …

25 August 2020 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Pierce van Heerden

Prof Felicity Burt_read more — Prof Felicity Burt is a passionate virologist with more than 25 years of research on medically significant viruses that cycle in nature and are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, ticks, or animals.

Prof Felicity Burt, an expert in arbovirology in the Division of Virology, has been leading the University of the Free State (UFS) COVID-19 Task Team over the past five months. Prof Burt is a passionate virologist with more than 25 years of research on medically significant viruses that cycle in nature and are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, ticks, or animals.

As the UFS is celebrating its champion women this Women’s Month, Prof Burt gives us some insight into who she is.

Please tell us about yourself

I am an arbovirologist from the Division of Virology in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the National Health Laboratory Service. Who am I? I am a mum, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, a friend, a scientist, a colleague, a professor. I am passionate about my work and have spent more than 25 years researching medically significant viruses that cycle in nature and are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, ticks, or animals.

My research group investigates the various mechanisms that viruses use to cause disease, and I am particularly interested in how our bodies respond to infection that can help us develop vaccines or therapies. Raising awareness of these viruses, profiling disease associated with different viruses, and developing tools for surveillance programmes all contribute towards understanding pathogens and the public-health implications. I am so grateful for the opportunities my career has provided me, which includes travelling all over the world for conferences and meetings and participating in outbreak responses in Africa.

Is there a woman who inspires you and who you would like to celebrate this Women’s Month, and why?

I am inspired by all women who set goals and work to achieve them. The goals may vary, but they are important and challenging to each individual. Hence, I would like us to acknowledge and celebrate all women who achieve their goals through hard work, dedication, and of course, plenty of passion.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your life that have made you a better woman?

I have always been quite a shy person and still find it challenging to stand up in front of an audience. I was born in Zimbabwe and when I finished school, I moved to South Africa to study at the University of the Witwatersrand. Moving on my own to Johannesburg at the age of 18 was definitely a challenge for a quiet, reserved girl from Harare. Compared to home, Johannesburg was a mammoth city; however, I absolutely loved university life, met people who became lifelong friends, and pursued a career in science. I try to learn from my many mistakes and treat others how I would like to be treated, especially with kindness.

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?

Dream on girl, and it doesn’t matter if they don’t all come true; life isn’t going to turn out as expected, but as long as you enjoy the journey. You don’t have to be the best, but you have to do your best – with passion of course.

What would you say makes you a champion woman [of the UFS]?

To be honest, I wouldn’t call myself a champion, but I am quite proud of what I have established at the UFS. With hard work and passion, contributions from colleagues, support from management, and never forgetting a whole bunch of wonderfully enthusiastic students, we have built an active postgraduate research group, graduated multiple students, published scientific articles in international journals, presented our research at conferences, contributed to community engagement, had fun, and still have plenty more to achieve!

News Archive

A new dawn for student governance

2011-09-02

Our SRC presidents: Richard Chemaly (Bloemfontein Campus) and Bongani Ncgaca (Qwaqwa Campus)
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

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The successful and peaceful completion of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Student Representative (SRC) elections 2011 herals a new dawn for student governance with the announcement of the results today (1 September 2011).

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 25 August 2011, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 29 and 30 August 2011.

“A new dawn heralds a new day when Richard Chemaly, the son of Lebanese immigrants becomes President of an SRC, as elected by students from all racial backgrounds and from across the student body at large. A new day has arrived when candidates could have won voter support across racial lines; a new day is here when all SRC members are now recognised leaders on the basis of academic accountability,” the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys, says.

A new dawn has arrived; firstly, insofar as student elections for the choice of student leaders at the UFS now proceed according to a non-racial and a non-party political basis.

Not only did the SRC elections at both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses achieve its required quorum, with 31% (4 729 votes) and 50% (2 112 votes) voter turnout, respectively, but the SRC elected by students at the Bloemfontein Campus is 55% black and 45% white, and 60% female and 40% male. The numbers of votes gained by successful candidates also indicate that voters from all racial backgrounds have voted for their candidates of choice.

Secondly, a new dawn has arrived insofar as student governance occupied by only some student groups claiming to speak on behalf of all students has made way for direct voting for candidates by the broad student body and the threefold increase of student governance structures on campus.

Not only did all students at our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses (a total of 15 173 and 4 257, respectively) have the opportunity to participate in voting directly, but nine additional Student Councils were established at our Bloemfontein Campus that each holds an ex officio seat on the SRC and allows for student governance in all the major student sectors of the student body, such as for postgraduate students, international students and all categories of student associations.

The various councils now established include the Student Academic Affairs Council, the Student Associations Council, the Postgraduate Student Council, the International Student Council, the Student Media Council, the Residences Student Council, the Commuter Student Council and the Rag Community Service Fundraising and Service Councils. In addition, all faculties also introduced student representative structures at departmental and faculty level in 2011 to ensure student participation in faculty management and governance.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

Elective portfolios:
President: Mr Richard Chemaly
Vice-President: Mr Lefata David Maklein
Secretary: Ms Matshepo Ramokgadi
Treasurer: Mr Werner Pretorius
Arts & Culture: Ms Alta Grobelaar
Accessibility & Student Support: Mr William Clayton
First-generation Students: Ms Petre du Plessis
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Biejanka Calitz
Sport: Mr Bonolo Thebe
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Busisiwe Madikizela
Transformation: Ms Qaqamba Mhlauli

Ex officio portfolios:
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jean Vermaas
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Mpho Mokaleng
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Annemieke Plekker
Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Student Council: Ms Glancina Mokone
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Pitso Ramokoatsi
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Ms Nicole Heyns
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Ms Iselma Parker
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Motheo Pooe

In the Qwaqwa elections, SASCO achieved 36,84% of the vote, with SADESMO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 29,73% and 18,56% and 12,74%, respectively .

Mr Bongani Ncgaca was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus, while the names of the SRC members at the campus will be announced on 7 September 2011.

The Central SRC will be established on 8 September 2011 by a joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The successful completion of the SRC elections at the Bloemfontein Campus follows a yearlong review process of student governance by a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) that consists of 59 delegations from student organisations and residences. The BSTF adopted independent candidacy for elective portfolios and additional student councils to provide ex officio seats on the SRC as the template for student governance, following the consideration of a series of benchmarking reports on student governance nationally and internationally.

The UFS Council adopted the new SRC Constitution, as drafted and submitted by the BSTF, on 3 June 2011.

Media Release
1 September 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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