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2021 Mandela Day Fitness Challenge

19 July 2021

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences invites all its academic departments to participate in the 2021 celebration of Nelson Mandela Day by requesting their staff and students to become involved in a 67-minute fitness challenge to be held over a seven-day period, commencing on 18 July 2021. These kilometres can be completed by running, walking, swimming or on a bicycle (no vehicles permitted).

These activities may be completed at any location, at any time from 18 to 25 July 2021 (terminating at midnight on 25 July). This ensures that social distancing protocols are adhered to, since each individual is completing the challenge on their own.

Participants will be required to provide relevant proof of the distance completed, as well as the date and time interval, by either submitting a picture of the treadmill screen, sharing the progress they logged by using a mobile app such as Strata, pictures of the number of steps completed, etc. (Send this via email to Reabetswe Parkies at Parkiesrg@ufs.ac.za upon completion – at the latest by 08:00 on 26 July 2021.)

Raising funds

To raise funds, each department in the faculty is requested to consider sponsoring a specific amount per kilometre completed by their staff and students. It is recommended that each department consider its available budget for this purpose and that the total departmental contribution should be capped at a specific amount to ensure that departments are not faced with open-ended liabilities. We have sought and obtained approval from the Department of Finance for the use of UFS funds in this manner. To this end, for example, the School of Accountancy has pledged to contribute R10 per kilometre completed, capped at a maximum contribution of R6 700.

To encourage healthy competition and to increase the amount raised, departments will be encouraged to compete against each other and attempt to complete the most kilometres. Each department will donate their pledges to the charity of their choice. In support of this noble cause, the Dean’s office has pledged a donation of R6 700 to the winning academic department, to be added to the department’s donation to the charity.

We believe this is a very good marketing initiative, as well as an opportunity for the faculty to illustrate its commitment to social investment and community engagement. It is also likely to contribute to improving the morale of the staff in the faculty. The UFS Community Engagement office has further indicated that it would like to arrange a radio interview to promote this event – to this end, we can raise awareness and place the spotlight on a worthy cause.

Read More: EMS Mandela Day Fitness Challenge 2021

News Archive

New building for Centre for Financial Planning Law

2012-04-23

A graphic illustration of the new building for the Centre for Financial Planning Law.
19 April 2012

During a recent tree planting ceremony, the Centre for Financial Planning Law in the Faculty of Law officially handed over the site for a new building for the centre. The building should be complete by the end of 2012.

The Centre for Financial Planning Law’s present premises has become too small for the needs of the centre, thus a decision was taken to build a new building.

The centre, which was opened in 2001 with three staff members, grew during the past 11 years to a centre with 13 permanent staff members. Some 1 300 students – 120 undergraduate and 1 200 postgraduate students in the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning Law and the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning Law respectively – are enrolled at the centre. Undergraduate students attend weekly contact sessions while the postgraduate students all study electronically through distance education.

According to Mr Rudolf Bitzer of Bitzer Design Studio, one of the two architecture firms involved in the development of the building, the new building was planned in order to to make provision for future extensions. “The opportunity for the centre to function independently was important from the beginning and facilities had to be positioned in such a way that the lecture hall and committee room could be hired out commercially when lectures were not being presented.

“The building consists of a large reception venue, which gives access to a lecture hall (which can be subdivided), a committee room, public amenities and a reception counter. The centre will present about ten lectures annually in its own building and the lecture hall can accommodate 80 students. Exams will also be written in the venue,” said Mr Bitzer.

The usable inside area of the building totals 827 square metres.

The staff function in their own section of the building, with the offices arranged around a courtyard. Security access makes it a secure environment. In addition, staff have access to a staff room with a service hatch to the reception room, reception counter, personal assistant’s office, nine individual offices and a large open plan office, a storeroom, a cleaners’ room and facilities for staff.

“With the design, an attempt was made to make the building stand comfortably in the landscape without disappearing into the natural landscape. It is an unpretentious building, which seeks to provide well articulated architecture,” said Mr Bitzer.

The architecture firms involved are Bitzer Design Studio and Roodt Architects.

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