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06 August 2021
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Story Nonsindiso Qwabe
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Every year, the Active Civic Teaching Office (ACT) at the University of the Free State runs the Big Give campaign to raise food, money to buy food, and other forms of assistance for needy students. This year is no different. ACT’s big project is raising money for sanitary pads for students on all three campuses. The project will run throughout Women’s Month, August 2021. Providing menstrual hygiene products to female students empower them to continue their studies in comfort.
Karen Scheepers, Assistant Director: Kovsie Support Services, said: “This year, one of the challenges that have been highlighted is the lack of sanitary wear for students. Therefore, we focus our Big Give campaign this year on addressing this challenge that students are experiencing.”
Be part of the Big Give campaign by donating sanitary pads or money towards this initiative. Donation boxes are ready for donations at all the entrance gates of all three campuses. Your donation will go a long way in helping a deserving student.
Measures to ensure safer campuses are investigated
2010-04-16
The safety of students, lecturers and staff of the University of the Free State (UFS) is of the utmost importance for the management of this institution and deliberations are continuously taking place on what can be done to improve the levels of safety of the respective campuses in Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa.
A set of recommendations was recently tabled by our rectorate that make provision for various measures for safer campuses. According to Prof. Niel Viljoen, Vice-Rector: Operations at the UFS, attention will urgently be paid to the following recommendations:
- The instalment of alarm systems, linked to the central security control room, in all buildings on the respective campuses.
- The instalment of “panic systems” in strategic places in buildings.
- Where possible, better admission control to buildings, especially office blocks.
- Better management en integration of contracted-in security workers.
- Enhancement/upgrading and better monitoring of the security control room and sharpening of reaction times in cases of emergency.
- Repair and maintenance of the current border fencing.
- A survey was once again done of all the so-called “dark spots” on campus and the instalment more effective lighting are currently in progress.
- Safeguarding of footways and parking areas by means of cameras and panic systems that will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Better and more visible patrolling of the pedestrian walkways and campuses.
Regular and structured feedback regarding the safety situation at all campuses shall also be done.
According to Prof. Viljoen the following recommendations shall also be investigated further:
- The feasibility of the “closing” of the campus, especially in terms of transport implications, costs and effectiveness.
- The possible closing of the small pedestrian gates in order to channel pedestrian traffic through the existing and manned gates.
- The feasibility of the compulsory wearing of ID cards by all personnel, students and temporary workers.