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26 July 2021 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Supplied
Mr Temba Hlasho, newly appointed Executive Director of Student Affairs.

The value proposition of the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Student Affairs (DSA) is to create a socially just student-life experience that is conducive to student academic success, student engagement, and critical thinking.

Join the 2021 Virtual Student Affairs Week to learn more about UFS student support services

Student Affairs Week is an annual event that showcases the division’s wealth of student support departments – from Student Counselling and Development to Social Support to Student Governance – and many more useful support tools that students can make use of throughout their university careers. 

This initiative was established to improve an awareness and understanding of all Student Affairs divisions, and to also encourage participation in the programmes offered by the department. 

Student Affairs Week will run from 2 to 5 August 2021 on Blackboard, where students will be able to participate and engage according to their respective campuses. 
Students further stand a chance to win cash vouchers of up to R500 if they complete the Student Affairs quiz below.

UFS Bloemfontein Campus: Click here.
UFS Qwaqwa Campus: Click here.
UFS South Campus: Click here.

Message from the UFS Executive Director of Student Affairs 

According to the University of the Free State (UFS) Executive Director of Student Affairs, Temba Hlasho, a first-years’ experience at university is very critical for their academic journey. Hlasho encouraged students to be responsible, to continue to make themselves proud by embracing the privilege of being at university, and to continue to calibrate themselves into better persons for the South African society.

“To senior students, thank you for remaining loyal to the University of the Free State. Your perseverance and continued productive association with our institution will culminate into you becoming better future citizens,” Hlasho remarked. 
Hlasho further explained the division’s goal to ensure that students’ lived experiences on all three UFS campuses are equal and memorable through the diverse range of services and co-curricular activities offered. 

He further encouraged students to continue to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols in order to preserve their health and livelihood.

For more information on Student Affairs Week, contact Annelize Visagie visagiea@ufs.ac.za 

News Archive

Space-based information plays vital role in disaster-risk reduction
2017-02-28

Africa is one of the continents most affected by disasters triggered by natural hazards. The result of climate change is a reality that affects every human being, whether it is extreme heat waves, cyclones, or the devastation of drought and floods. Climate change can provoke injuries or fatalities and affects the livelihoods of people in both rural communities and urban areas. It triggers damage and losses in various sectors of development, such as housing, road infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, telecommunications, energy, and affects routine economic processes leading to economic losses.

According to Dr Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, President of the Association of Space Explorers Europe, space programmes have become an important force defining challenges of the 21st century. “Space observation is essential for climate-change monitoring,” he said.

Dr Prunariu was the keynote speaker at a two-day symposium on climate resilience and water that was hosted by the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC), at the University of the Free State (UFS). He participated in the Soviet Union’s Intercosmos programme and completed an eight day-mission on board Soyuz 40 and the Salyut 6 space laboratory, where he and fellow cosmonaut Leonid Popov completed scientific experiments in the fields of astrophysics, space radiation, space technology, space medicine, and biology. He is the 103rd human being to have travelled to outer space.

The focus of Dr Prunariu’s lecture was: Space activities in support of climate change mitigation and climate resilience.

Description: Dr Dumitriu Dorin Prunariu Tags: Dr Dumitriu Dorin Prunariu

Dr Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, the 103rd human
being in outer space and President of
the Association of Space Explorers Europe.
Photo: Charl Devenish

Space-based information, an extra eye that can detect a way out during disasters
“For governments to support communities affected by any disaster, precise and up-to-date information on its impacts is essential as a way to respond in a timely and effective way,” said Dr Prunariu.

Space-based information (derived using Earth observation, global navigation satellite systems, and satellite communications) can play a vital role in supporting disaster-risk reduction, response, and recovery efforts, by providing accurate and timely information to decision-makers.

“With space-based information, disaster management teams will be able to take note of recently established roads that may not appear in typical maps produced by National Geographic Institutes, but which could be used as emergency evacuation routes or as roads to deliver humanitarian assistance to those who require it in remote areas."

Space-based tools help decision-makers to improve planning
“Space-based tools and spatial data infrastructure is also crucial for policy planners and decision-makers in increasing the resilience of human settlements. Using geographic data and information collected before the occurrence of major disasters in combination with post-disaster data could yield important ideas for improved urban planning, especially in disaster-prone areas and highly-populated regions.

“In the recovery process, information on impact is used by governments to provide assistance to those affected, to plan the reconstruction process, and to restore the livelihoods of those affected,” said Dr Prunariu.

“Space observation is
essential for climate-
change monitoring.”

The symposium was attended by representatives from Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, with various international scientists from Europe imparting their expert knowledge on water and global resilience. The presence of these international experts strengthened global networks.

It isn't important in which sea or lake you observe a slick of pollution, or in the forests of which country a fire breaks out, or on which continent a hurricane arises, you are standing guard over the whole of our Earth. - Yuri Artyukhin: Soviet Russian cosmonaut and engineer who made a single flight into space.

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