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04 September 2020 | Story Prof Francis Petersen

 

Dear Student,

On 26 August 2020, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, delivered a statement on COVID-19 alert Level 2 measures in the post-school education and training sector. This was followed by a letter to students from Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), dated 27 August 2020.   

The UFS is taking a structured and phased-in approach to return its students and staff to the campuses. In his statement, Dr Nzimande indicated that a maximum of 66% of the student population would be allowed to return to campus during Level 2 of the national lockdown. However, taking into consideration the adherence to physical distancing and hygiene measures, the capacity of the university’s lecture venues allows for 52% of the student cohort to return to campus during Level 2. 

The university management is aware that students have been enquiring about their return to campus and wishes to bring the following under your attention:

1 STUDENTS RETURNING TO CAMPUS DURING LEVEL 2

1.1. Students who are required to return to campus during Level 2 will be informed by the university, providing a permit for access to the campus.

1.2. Although the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has indicated that all first-year students in all undergraduate programmes may return during Level 2, this is only a guideline. The UFS’s approach is NOT for all first-year students to return to the campuses, but has opted for first-year students in laboratory/practical programmes to return. This means that first-year students in the Faculties of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Health Sciences will return to the campuses during Level 2. 

1.3      NOTE: If you have NOT been contacted, you will be supported through  remote multimodal teaching, learning, and assessment until you are informed by your faculty that you can return to campus. 

2 CAMPUS ACCESS PERMITS

2.1 A campus access permit may only be issued to students who form part of the cohort of students who may return to campus during Level 2 of the national lockdown. 

2.2 Students who received a campus access permit during Level 3, may use the same permit to obtain access to campus during Level 2. 

2.3 A campus access permit may only be issued by the Senior Director: UFS Human Resources on request from the faculty dean’s office. The permit will be sent via email to the student concerned after it has been issued. 

2.4 To get access to the campus, you must be in possession of the campus access permit and your valid student card. The daily screening protocols and procedures must also be adhered to. This includes completing the COVID-19 online screening questionnaire before entering the campuses. The principle of ‘no mask, no campus entry’ remains in place. 

2.5 According to the national lockdown regulations, international students will only be allowed to return to South Africa during Level 1 of the national lockdown.
 
3 STUDENTS IN RESIDENCES

3.1 It is important for students living in residences on campus to note that the university aims, as far as possible, to maintain the principle of ‘one student per room’ for the sake of physical distancing.

3.2 Please make sure that you have received your campus access permit 

before returning to campus.

 3.3 Students who live in on-campus accommodation and who are required to return to campus must please first contact the Department of Housing and Residence Affairs (HRA) at resapplications@ufs.ac.za to make the necessary arrangements before starting their journey back to campus. These students must also ensure that they are in the possession of a campus access permit.

3.4 Students who still have academic books in their rooms, have a second opportunity in September 2020 to request that it be sent to them by the Department of Housing and Residence Affairs (HRA). This process is currently underway. The university can unfortunately still not allow students who, for instance – want to collect their belongings – to return to campus if they do not form part of the current cohort. 

4   FAST GUIDE FOR THE RETURN OF STUDENTS TO CAMPUS

A Fast Guide for the Return of Students to Campus has been compiled to assist those students who are required to return to campus during Level 2.

5 ACADEMIC SUPPORT

In an effort to ensure that the academic project continues and all students are supported and not left behind. The university’s student facing support services have been adapted to offer you support during this time. 

Look out for the #UFSLearnOn campaign and reach out to any of the following services:

• Tutorial support: 
+27 51 401 2444 

• Academic advising:
Bloemfontein Campus: advising@ufs.ac.za 
Qwaqwa Campus: advisingqq@ufs.ac.za
South Campus: advisingsc@ufs.ac.za 

6   STUDENT WELLNESS SUPPORT

Taking control of your mental wellbeing is essential and you are encouraged to adopt an active approach to fostering your mental health and building resilience. The following resources are available to assist you in promoting and supporting your wellbeing:

• Student Counselling and Development:
Bloemfontein Campus: T: +27 51 401 2853 | E: SCD@ufs.ac.za
South Campus: T: +27 51 505 1298 | E: SCDSouth@ufs.ac.za
Qwaqwa Campus: T: +27 58 718 5033 | E: SCDQQ@ufs.ac.za

• UFS Student 24 Hour Toll-Free Careline (Mental Health Support):
0800 00 6363

News Archive

Suspension of the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
2016-05-04

The senior leadership of the UFS and the management of the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL) take note of the decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to suspend the laboratory’s accreditation to perform doping control analysis on biological samples of athletes and sportsmen and -women until 30 September 2016. During this time of suspension, all sport-related samples will be sent for analysis to the WADA accredited laboratory in Qatar until the accreditation of SADoCoL is re-established. Analysis according to WADA accreditation will therefore not be interrupted during the period of the suspension of the accreditation of SADoCoL.

The announcement by WADA on 3 May 2016 follows a voluntary decision by SADoCoL in March 2016 to temporarily close the laboratory for some of its routine analytical duties for six months, as from 1 April 2016. The decision was taken in consultation with the senior leadership of the UFS and other role players, especially the Department of Sport and Recreation of South Africa (SRSA) and the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS). SADoCoL is a specialised service laboratory of the University of the Free State (UFS) and has been in existence for more than thirty years.

Due to the ever-increasing demands on the number, variety and analytical sensitivity of compounds to be analysed according to the Prohibited List of WADA, technical and infrastructure adaptations need to be implemented in the laboratory continuously to keep up with the demands. Over the last year, SADoCoL has drastically increased its capacity in both personnel and infrastructure, to a point where these changes can be implemented for optimal performance of the laboratory.  This has to be done while normal routine analysis continues, and it became clear that at present, implementation cannot be successfully accomplished together with the workload from normal routine analyses.

The time of suspension will be utilised to implement and test these new systems in order to achieve the standard presently required by WADA, as well as to perform development and improvements.  This development will be performed in close collaboration with other role players in the anti-doping movement in South Africa, such as SAIDS and SRSA. Scientific development aid will also be acquired from other doping control laboratories worldwide in order to assure that the high analytical quality is maintained and expanded to meet the fast growing challenges in this field. The progress of the process will be closely monitored, and the upgraded methodologies will then, after rigorous testing, be implemented to ensure that the required analytical quality is maintained so as to obtain re-accreditation by WADA at the conclusion of the suspension period.

Issued by: Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27(0)51 401 2584 or +27 (0) 83 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 (0) 51 444 6393

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