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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

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.

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