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#YouthMonth2021: Addressing food insecurity in higher education

25 June 2021 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Supplied

Food insecurity 1_web read more — UFS Food Environment Office - Improving student well-being through collaborative food provisioning initiatives.

Food insecurity plagues students across universities worldwide, and the University of the Free State (UFS) is not exempt from this plight, with research findings indicating that more than 64% of students at the university go through periods of hunger each year.

In conjunction with national Youth Month this year, the UFS reflects on the initiatives established by the university to address food insecurity across the Bloemfontein, South, and Qwaqwa campuses to help care for and support young people for the duration of their academic careers.

UFS Food Environment Office

Annelize Visagie from the Division of Student Affairs (DSA), who is heading the Food Environment Office at the UFS, stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with Tiger Brands and Gift of the Givers last year to sponsor food parcels to students who do not have bursaries every month. Visagie further explained that UFS staff members are working hard to implement initiatives and obtain sponsorships – such as the one with Tiger Brands and Gift of the Givers – as well as food donations to ensure that students do not go hungry.

In a study that Visagie conducted in 2019 with first-year students as the focus, it was found that academic performance declines and coping mechanisms increase as the severity of food insecurity increases.

“Students use different coping mechanisms, with an alarming 40,6% of them resorting to fasting as an excuse to friends for not having food. Sixty percent of them skip meals because they do not have enough money, and 43,2% of them are too embarrassed to ask for help,” explained Visagie.

Various factors contribute to this scenario, with the main reason being that most students come from impoverished economic and social circumstances. This suggests that although students may receive NSFAS funding or any other bursary, it is not a guarantee that they are food secure.

UFS Food Insecurity Support initiatives

There are many students who lack adequate financial support to sustain them through their academic careers at university.

The UFS No Student Hungry (NSH) Programme under the UFS Division of Student Affairs (DSA) provides students in need with modest food allowances and daily access to one balanced meal. Students are selected in terms of financial need, participation in student life, and a commitment to giving back to the community. The programme allows students to focus on their studies without worrying about their next meal – increasing their chances to excel academically and ultimately obtain their degrees.

According to Dr WP Wahl, Head of Student Life in the DSA, the division encourages innovation to meet the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition among students. Several student volunteers and student governance structures are collaborating with the DSA on various initiatives.

Students from residences and other student communities have planted vegetable gardens on the Bloemfontein Campus with the assistance of KovsieACT and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, where students and staff continuously harvest and distribute vegetables to needy students on a weekly basis. The construction of these gardens was financed by a collaboration with Tiger Brands and Siyakhana Food Gardens, who have assisted with the training of students and consultation throughout the project.

The continuation of the food parcel project and other support initiatives facilitated by the Food Environment Office thrive through collaborations with businesses, NPOs, UFS students, and DSA staff to address food insecurity and malnutrition among students. Staff and students are encouraged to contribute by also collecting non-perishable food items for the UFS Food Environment Office.

To apply for support, or to contribute, contact the Food Environment Office or Annelize Visagie

T: +27 51 401 3258

E: VisagieA@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

UFS breakthrough on SRC

2005-06-10

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) today unanimously approved the establishment of a Central Student Representative Council (CSRC) to ensure the democratic participation of students at its three campuses in the governance of the university.

In a major breakthrough and transformation step for student governance, the Central SRC will include representatives of the main campus in Bloemfontein, the Vista campus and the Qwaqwa campus of the UFS.

The establishment of the Central SRC follows the incorporation of the Qwaqwa campus into the UFS in January 2003 and the incorporation of the Vista campus in Bloemfontein into the UFS in January 2004.

According to Dr Ezekiel Moraka, Vice-Rector: Student Affairs, today’s decision of Council is the result of a lengthy, negotiated agreement between the three campuses. Independent experts facilitated part of the process.

With the establishment of a Central SRC, the UFS has adopted a federal student governance model whereby the CSRC is the highest representative student body on matters of common concern for all students.

However, the three campuses of the UFS will retain autonomous SRC structures for each campus with powers and responsibilities for matters affecting the particular campus.

This arrangement will be reviewed after a year to make allowance for the phasing out of students at the Vista campus, as was agreed in the negotiations preceding the incorporation of that campus into the UFS.

The central SRC will have a maximum of 12 members made up of members of the campus SRCs, including the presidents of these three SRCs. In total, the main campus will have 5 representatives, the Qwaqwa campus will have 4 representatives and the Vista campus will have 3 representatives.

From these 12 members a central SRC president will be chosen on a quarterly basis to represent the general student body at Executive Management, Senate and Council.

In another key decision and significant step forward affecting student governance, the Council also approved amendments the constitution of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the main campus. These amendments were the results of deliberations of student organizations, the SRC and the Student Parliament of the UFS main campus.

The amendments to the constitution of the main campus SRC determines that nine of the 18 SRC members must be elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an individual, first-past-the-post election.

This decision comes in the wake of calls by certain student organizations on main campus for proportional representation to be included as a means of electing student representatives.

The following portfolios of the main campus SRC will be contested by individual candidates on the basis of first past the post:

president
secretary
academic affairs
legal and constitutional affairs
student development
arts and culture
men’s internal liaison
ladies internal liaison
media, marketing and liaison

The following nine portfolios will be contested by affiliated organizations on a proportional representation basis.

two vice-presidents
treasurerdialogue and associations
transformation
campus affairs and recreation
sport
international affairs
community service

It also is a breakthrough to have all constitutional changes processed and approved at the June meeting of the Council, with all relevant student organizations having been part of the process and accepting the outcome of the process.

According to the chairperson of the UFS Council, Judge Faan Hancke, today’s unanimous decisions on student governance are an indication of how all UFS stakeholders represented in Council are committed to finding win-win solutions in the interest of the university.

“Once again the UFS has reached another milestone in its transformation and has shown the rest of the country that we are pioneers in the field of reaching intelligent solutions to complex situations,” Judge Hancke said.

According to Dr Moraka, the central SRC constitution will come into effect from the start of the second semester this year.

MEDIA RELEASE

Issued by: Lacea Loader
    Media Representative
    Tel: (051) 401-2584
    Cell: 083 645 2454
     E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

10 June 2005

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