Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
17 June 2020
|
Story Dr WP Wahl
The Division of Student Affairs (DSA) prioritises innovation to meet the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition among students. To this end, several student volunteers and student governance structures are collaborating with the DSA on various initiatives.
During 2019, various conversations were held about the possibility of creating a health-promoting food environment at the UFS where students and staff are well informed and empowered to take appropriate action regarding their food and nutritional needs. These conversations resulted in an institutional strategy to address the food environment at the UFS. Student representatives serve on a technical committee that directs the implementation of this strategy. In this regard, several initiatives have already been launched.
Students from residences and other student communities have planted vegetable gardens on the Bloemfontein Campus with the assistance of KovsieACT and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Students and staff are already harvesting and distributing vegetables to needy students every week. Measurements were put in place to continue this during the COVID-19 period. The following vegetables were planted: spinach, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.
Food parcels, donated by Tiger Brands and Gift of the Givers, are continuously handed out by DSA staff and student volunteers. In this regard, 540 food parcels have already been handed out on the Bloemfontein Campus during the COVID-19 period alone. During the same time, 117 students received food parcels on the Qwaqwa Campus. The innovation of this food parcel project rests on the fact that business, NPOs, UFS students, and DSA staff are collaborating to address food insecurity and malnutrition.
More collaborative initiatives will be implemented over the next 12 months. The DSA staff and students are already working with the Department of Dietetics and Consumer Sciences to create information packages about the preparation of low-budget nutritious meals.
Related article:
Vegetable tunnels established to continue the fight against food insecurity
Kovsie overturns 60-year tradition at karate championships
2010-05-06
 |
Bruno Schalbach.
Photo: Supplied |
|
Bruno Schwalbach, a first-year accounting student at the University of the Free State (UFS) returned home with a gold medal after his victory at the men’s open karate division at the South African JKA Championships that were recently held in Johannesburg.
According to Dr Pieter le Roux, Main Coach at the Kovsie Karate Club and also attached to the UFS’s Department of Soil- and Crop- and Climate Sciences, this is a truly remarkable achievement. Bruno is the first competitor from outside Johannesburg, in the past sixty years, who took this title home. What makes this achievement even more special is that Bruno has already won gold in his first year after leaving school.
Bruno, a third dan in karate, who has a string of international victories under his belt, as well as full Protea colours in Karate, is also an instructor at the Kovsie Karate Club.
Since 1964 the Kovsie Karate Club has produced 28 Proteas. This was also one of the most successful clubs that participated in the championships, because it was members of this club that walked off the two most important trophies at these championships. |