Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
18 March 2020
Photo Sonia Small
![]()
MESSAGE FROM PROF FRANCIS PETERSEN, RECTOR AND VICE-CHANCELLOR
In light of the current global COVID-19 outbreak and the spread of the disease, the
recent address by State President Cyril Ramaphosa, recommendations by the
UFS Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) Task Team, as well as consultation with the Senior Leadership Group and other members of management, the executive management of the University of the Free State (UFS) has decided on the following immediate steps to mitigate the possible local impact of the pandemic:
The UFS will go into early recess and classes are suspended from 17 March 2020. Instead of returning on 30 March 2020 for the second term, the academic programme is suspended until 13 April 2020 and students must return on 14 April 2020.
Alternative methods of teaching and learning are being assessed. Students will be informed regarding these methods as soon as possible.
Information on the May/June 2020 examinations will be communicated as soon as possible.
The above arrangements are for contact students and does not apply to distance-learning students. The South Campus will communicate directly with these students.
Postgraduate students should engage with their supervisors for appropriate guidance.
It is recognised that the programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences have requirements as part of registration with professional boards. These requirements will be finalised per school management in the faculty and will soon be communicated to the relevant students.
Containing the disease as far as possible is the most important public health principle – including avoiding mass gatherings and minimising the gathering of people in one space.
The graduation ceremonies and related prize-giving ceremonies scheduled to take place on the Bloemfontein Campus from 20 to 24 April 2020 and on the Qwaqwa Campus from 8 to 9 May 2020, as well as the graduation ceremony from 10 to 12 June 2020 are postponed until further notice.
The Open Days scheduled to take place on the Qwaqwa Campus on 18 April 2020 and on the Bloemfontein Campus on 9 May 2020, are cancelled.
All graduands and schools will receive a communication from the university in this regard.
All official events (i.e. conferences, seminars, colloquia, etc.) scheduled to take place on the UFS campuses are cancelled with immediate effect. This includes the use of university venues by external conference and/or event organisers. The decision will be reviewed if necessary.
All official sporting events have been cancelled until further notice. KovsieFit will also be closed as from 17 March 2020 until further notice.
Students in residences must vacate their respective residences by 20 March 2020. All residences on the campuses will be closed until 13 April 2020.
International students should contact the Office for International Affairs for arrangements.
As from 16 March 2020, a moratorium is placed on all international travel for staff and students until 30 June 2020. This moratorium also extends to international guests visiting the UFS.
Local travel for official purposes is discouraged and may only take place for essential travel. Instead, staff are encouraged to use the necessary technology at their disposal.
Staff and students who have travelled abroad for official purposes over the past three weeks must self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the date of their return.
While the UFS cannot prohibit staff and students from travelling internationally in their private capacity, individuals are urged to please act responsibly in making plans involving international travel. On their return, they will be expected to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days.
To limit the risk of spreading COVID-19, staff and students who contract the virus due to private travel will not be allowed to return to work, class, or a residence until they are medically fit to do so; they will also be required to submit a medical certificate.
Staff and students are similarly cautioned against travelling in their private capacity to local areas where infections have been reported.
UFS staff are expected to come to work to ensure that operations and essential services continue.
Staff are requested to maintain social distance and to meet, if possible, only when essential. Alternative meeting methods such as MS teams, Skype for Business, and email should be considered.
Enquiries regarding leave must be directed to the HR Business Partner.
A dedicated webpage on the virus has been created. Please visit the webpage regularly, as the latest information and operational matters will be uploaded there. Other communication platforms include social media, SMS, the KovsieApp, Blackboard, and the staff Intranet.
Posters with a QR code leading to the dedicated website will be distributed on the three campuses by 18 March 2020.
It is important for staff and students to ensure that their cellphone numbers are updated in order to receive communication via the KovsieApp and SMS:
KovsieApp: www.ufs.ac.za/kovsieapp
SMS: www.ufs.ac.za/sms
The websites of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) are primary sources of reliable general information.
Fake news is everywhere; please verify information and consult these primary sources of information.
The UFS Coronavirus (COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2) Task Team comprising representatives from various key functional areas on the campuses was formed at the beginning of March 2020 to monitor the situation very closely, to advise the university’s executive management, and to share information as it becomes necessary.
The team meets daily to discuss the contingency and preparedness plans for the university’s three campuses and is liaising with the provincial Department of Health and the NICD in Johannesburg to provide up-to-date information to staff and students.
The Task Team comprises the following staff members:
Prof Felicity Burt (Task Team Convenor from the Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS))
Prof Dominique Goedhals (Head of the Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the NHLS)
Dr Sabeehah Vawda (Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the NHLS)
Dr Dewald Steyn (Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences)
Prof Corli Witthuhn (Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation)
Mr Pura Mgolombane (Dean: Student Affairs)
Dr WP Wahl (Director: Student Life)
Mrs Susan van Jaarsveld (Senior Director: Human Resources)
Mrs Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Marketing)
Mr Cornelius Hagenmeier (Director: International Affairs)
Representatives from the Qwaqwa and South Campuses, the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the UFS Health and Wellness Centre, Finance, ICT Services, University Estates, Housing and Residence Affairs, and Protection Services have also been co-opted to the Task Team.
A Special Executive Group, chaired by the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, will meet twice a week to assess the overall impact of COVID-19 on the university, and to decide on changes to decisions taken earlier.
We are aware of the concerns of many of you about the possibility of infection through contact with other people in residences, libraries, lecture halls, and other places on campus.
Students and staff are reminded of previous communication about preventative steps that can be taken to avoid contracting the virus:
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Regularly use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay at home when you are sick and immediately call a medical professional
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
Please note the following important related contact information:
• NICD hotline: 0800 029 999
• UFS Health and Wellness Centre: Dr Elna Kleyn at kleinea.ufs.ac.za | +27 51 401 2603 (office hours)
• NICD website: www.nicd.ac.za
• WHO website: www.who.int
The well-being and safety of our staff and students remain paramount and therefore we believe that the above are responsible decisions to protect the UFS community and to limit the possibility of spreading the virus to the general population.
As we realise that circumstances could change rapidly, the UFS Coronavirus (COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2) Task Team, as well as the Special Executive Group, will continue meeting frequently to assess the situation and the above decisions.
Prof F W Petersen
Rector and Vice-Chancellor
University of the Free State
Inaugural lecture: Prof. Phillipe Burger
2007-11-26
 |
|
Attending the lecture were, from the left: Prof. Tienie Crous (Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS), Prof. Phillipe Burger (Departmental Chairperson of the Department of Economics at the UFS), and Prof. Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS).
Photo: Stephen Collet
|
|
A summary of an inaugural lecture presented by Prof. Phillipe Burger on the topic: “The ups and downs of the South African Economy: Rough seas or smooth sailing?”
South African business cycle shows reduction in volatility
Better monetary policy and improvements in the financial sector that place less liquidity constraints on individuals is one of the main reasons for the reduction in the volatility of the South African economy. The improvement in access to the financial sector also enables individuals to manage their debt better.
These are some of the findings in an analysis on the volatility of the South African business cycle done by Prof. Philippe Burger, Departmental Chairperson of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Economics.
Prof. Burger delivered his inaugural lecture last night (22 November 2007) on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein on the topic “The ups and downs of the South African Economy: Rough seas or smooth sailing?”
In his lecture, Prof. Burger emphasised a few key aspects of the South African business cycle and indicated how it changed during the periods 1960-1976, 1976-1994 en 1994-2006.
With the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of the business cycle, the analysis identified the variables that showed the highest correlation with the GDP. During the periods 1976-1994 and 1994-2006, these included durable consumption, manufacturing investment, private sector investment, as well as investment in machinery and non-residential buildings. Other variables that also show a high correlation with the GDP are imports, non-durable consumption, investment in the financial services sector, investment by general government, as well as investment in residential buildings.
Prof. Burger’s analysis also shows that changes in durable consumption, investment in the manufacturing sector, investment in the private sector, as well as investment in non-residential buildings preceded changes in the GDP. If changes in a variable such as durable consumption precede changes in the GDP, it is an indication that durable consumption is one of the drivers of the business cycle. The up or down swing of durable consumption may, in other words, just as well contribute to an up or down swing in the business cycle.
A surprising finding of the analysis is the particularly strong role durable consumption has played in the business cycle since 1994. This finding is especially surprising due to the fact that durable consumption only constitutes about 12% of the total household consumption.
A further surprising finding is the particularly small role exports have been playing since 1960 as a driver of the business cycle. In South Africa it is still generally accepted that exports are one of the most important drivers of the business cycle. It is generally accepted that, should the business cycles of South Africa’s most important trade partners show an upward phase; these partners will purchase more from South Africa. This increase in exports will contribute to the South African economy moving upward. Prof. Burger’s analyses shows, however, that exports have generally never fulfil this role.
Over and above the identification of the drivers of the South African business cycle, Prof. Burger’s analysis also investigated the volatility of the business cycle.
When the periods 1976-1994 and 1994-2006 are compared, the analysis shows that the volatility of the business cycle has reduced since 1994 with more than half. The reduction in volatility can be traced to the reduction in the volatility of household consumption (especially durables and services), as well as a reduction in the volatility of investment in machinery, non-residential buildings and transport equipment. The last three coincide with the general reduction in the volatility of investment in the manufacturing sector. Investment in sectors such as electricity and transport (not to be confused with investment in transport equipment by various sectors) which are strongly dominated by the government, did not contribute to the decrease in volatility.
In his analysis, Prof. Burger supplies reasons for the reduction in volatility. One of the explanations is the reduction in the shocks affecting the economy – especially in the South African context. Another explanation is the application of an improved monetary policy by the South African Reserve Bank since the mid 1990’s. A third explanation is the better access to liquidity and credit since the mid 1990’s, which enables the better management of household finance and the absorption of financial shocks.
A further reason which contributed to the reduction in volatility in countries such as the United States of America’s business cycle is better inventory management. While the volatility of inventory in South Africa has also reduced there is, according to Prof. Burger, little proof that better inventory management contributed to the reduction in volatility of the GDP.
|