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29 May 2020

Dear Students

I hope that my message finds you well, healthy, and safe. I also hope that you have settled into the online learning environment, that you are regularly in contact with your lecturers, and that you are engaging with your friends and support systems on campus.

Since my last message to you, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that our country will move to Level 3 of the national lockdown on 1 June 2020. Subsequently, Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, announced specific measures for the post-school education sector in response to the COVID-19 epidemic under Level 3, in order to re-integrate staff and students on campus.

Over the past few weeks, a tremendous amount of work has been done to ensure the continuation of the Academic Project and to prepare our campuses for the return of staff and students, ensuring that it is aligned with national directives and protocols. This was no small task and I am immensely proud of what the university has achieved so far.

Under Level 4 of the national lockdown, only final-year students in the MB ChB programme were allowed to return to campus as per the national directive. At the time, it was not possible to allow any other students back on our campuses. Aligned with the national directives, we will now proceed with the return of staff and students to campus based on a phased approach, the principle of social/physical distancing, as well as the fact that a maximum of 33% of the university’s staff and student population may be allowed on campus during Level 3 of the national lockdown as per the national directive. Only academic and support staff involved in the academic programme for students returning to campus, will be allowed on campus from 1 June 2020, while the rest of the staff will continue working from home.

The phased in-approach for the return of students is as follows:

1. Student cohort who will be returning to campus:

The next cohort of students who will be returning to campus is final-year students in Nursing and the Allied Health Sciences. These students will receive letters from the Faculty of Health Sciences in due course to enable their return to campus in the first week of June 2020. Thereafter, all Health Sciences students with a clinical rotation component, will be expected to arrive in the second week of June 2020. Other cohorts of students who will receive permits to return to campus before the end of June 2020, are undergraduate and postgraduate students in programmes where laboratory and practical work is needed, as well as students in honours and postgraduate diploma programmes.

The re-integration process will also focus on final-year students registered in programmes associated with a professional body, and students in exit-level modules to be completed in 2020, as well as students who need a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) component in order to complete their qualification. These students will be expected to arrive on campus during the first week of July 2020.

The final return date will be communicated to each individual student by the respective faculties.

Data has shown that there is a small number of students who are not active on Blackboard and/or who have not received an electronic device from the UFS. These students have been identified and will be invited to return to campus by the end of June 2020 for further online learning. In the case of the Qwaqwa Campus, faculties have identified approximately 3 000 students in this category – printed material will be sent to their home addresses. Students with disabilities in all the mentioned categories, as well as those identified as challenged, have been prioritised and will be contacted by the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS).

Students who do not fall into one of the categories mentioned above, will continue studying online as per the academic calendar.

The full re-integration of students is dependent on national directives on the lifting of the lockdown levels.

2. International students:
International students who are returning to campus will be screened and quarantined in identified government facilities as per the national regulation. Students who cross inter-provincial borders and those who reside in hotspots as stipulated in the national regulations, must adhere to the university’s screening protocols and complete the COVID-19 online screening questionnaire (www.ufs.ac.za/covid19screening) on a daily basis before accessing the campus. If such students show symptoms of COVID-19, they must self-isolate and be tested.

3. Students in residences:
In Level 3 of the national lockdown, students identified as per the academic programmes, may move back into residences where applicable. The residence heads will communicate to those students who may return. Only students who have a permit to enter the campus, and a confirmation to return to the residence will be granted access to the residences. These students must adhere to the compulsory daily screening protocols.

4. Campus readiness:
I want to assure our returning students that your safety, health, and well-being remain our first priority. Tremendous efforts were made to prepare the campuses. This includes the disinfection and deep cleaning (where necessary) of open areas and the hygienic preparation of the campuses. Similarly, lecture halls are also being hygienically prepared to ensure social/physical distancing.

5. Access to campus:
Strict access protocols will be maintained at the campus entrances during Level 3 of the national lockdown. Only staff and students authorised to return to the campuses and issued with authorisation letters from the university’s Department of Human Resources will be granted access to the campuses. The wearing of masks is compulsory when entering the campuses and proof of screening must be provided by completing the COVID-19 online screening questionnaire. These measures will help ensure that it is safe for staff and students to return to our campuses.

The safety, health, and well-being of staff and students and saving lives remain the university’s priority to limit the possibility of spreading COVID-19 on the campus. This is why I believe that the re-integration plan set out above is in the best interest of the entire university community.

During the past two months, more than 1 000 staff members have been trained so far in the university’s remote online strategy and are continuously assisting with improving the learning experience of all our students. Students are encouraged to engage with their lecturers on academic problems or to take it up within the relevant faculty structures so that we can find solutions for you. I want to encourage you to continuously consult the #UFSLearnOn material for
guidance. You can also visit the Digital Life Portal (under the Student Toolbox) on the KovsieLife website.

Just as much as your academic success is important to us, so is your mental health. Make use of the information contained in the #WellnessWarriors campaign of our Department of Student Counselling and Development, which is aimed at encouraging health and well-being among students.

Continuously monitor the university’s official communication platforms to stay up to date with developments. It remains important for our students to be informed about matters of concern to them.

I wish you all the best with your studies.

Best regards

Prof Francis Petersen
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, University of the Free State

News Archive

State-of-the-art physics equipment and investment in students result in academic success
2017-09-26

Description: State-of-the-art physics equipment 1 Tags: State-of-the-art physics equipment 1 

At the recent nanotechnology facility tour at the UFS,
were, from the left, Dr Mthuthuzeli Zamxaka, SAASTA;
Prof Hendrik Swart, Sarchi Chair in the Department of Physics;
and Xolani Makhoba, Department of Science and Technology.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Nanoscience, which is revealing new properties of very small arrangements of atoms, called nanoparticles, is opening a new world of possibilities. The Department of Physics at the University of the Free State is undertaking fundamental research with potential commercial applications. Its equipment and expertise is giving solid state physics research the edge in South Africa.

The UFS team of researchers and students are passionate about studying planets and atoms, all under one roof. Recently, the department, in collaboration with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), hosted a nanotechnology facility tour to give the public, learners and the media the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the science of nanotechnology, its origins, potential applications and risks.

Successes of the department
According to Prof Hendrik Swart, Senior Professor in the Department of Physics, the increase in resources since 2008 is playing a big role in the success rate of its research outputs. The Sarchi Chair awarded to Prof Swart in 2012 (bringing with it funding for equipment and bursaries) also contributed to the successes in the department.

The UFS Directorate Research Development also availed funding that was used for bursaries. These bursaries made it possible for the department to appoint 10 post-doctoral fellows, not one of them originally from South Africa.

The investment in people and equipment resulted in researchers and students publishing some 80 articles in 2016. Their work was also cited more than 900 times by other researchers in that year.

Another highlight in terms of the department’s growth in the past 10 years is the new wing of the Physics Building. Physics at the UFS is the only place in sub-Saharan Africa where state-of-the art equipment is found under one roof.

Description: State-of-the-art physics equipment 2 Tags: State-of-the-art physics equipment 2  

Antonie Fourie, Junior Lecturer in the UFS Department of
Physics, explained to a group of delegates and
members of the media the workings of an electron beam
evaporation system.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Application of research
The department is a unique research facility with equipment that includes the X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (for the study of atoms), the Scanning Auger Microscope, as well as the Ion Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (revealing the chemical bonds in a sample, and drawing maps of the positions of atoms).

One of the areas on which the department is focusing its research, is phosphors. Researchers are exploring light emitting diodes (LEDs) which use less energy, are brighter and provide a wider viewing field. They are also looking into LED displays (LCDs) which are used in flat screens – the phosphors create the different colours and backlighting.

The research on solar cells reveals that phosphors can increase their efficiency by increasing the range of light frequencies which can be converted into electricity. Glow-in-the-dark coatings absorb light in the day and emit it later so cells can charge at night. As glow-in-the-dark phosphors become cheaper and more effective, they can be used as a lighting substitute on the walls of houses, street numbers and stop signs.

Video production of the Department of Physics research and equipment

 

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