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UFS infrastructure recognised at SAIA Regional Awards

12 November 2021 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Andre Ferreira

UFS Council Chambe — The refurbished Council Chambers of the University of the Free State was recognised with a South African Institute of Architects Free State Regional Award for Architectural Projects.

Winning three South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) Free State Regional Awards is the embodiment of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) commitment to continually improve infrastructure and create accessible spaces.

Two of the UFS projects – the Council Chambers and the Modular Lecture Space and Assessment Centre – emerged victorious in the category for Architectural Projects, while Prof Jonathan Noble, Head of the Department of Architecture, won an award in Category B – Work of Social Importance – for his book, The Architecture of Peter Rich: Conversations with Africa.

SAIA members were invited to submit Free State- and Northern Cape-based projects, completed between 1 January 2019 and 31 March 2021, for regional adjudication by a panel of judges consisting of professional architects Jeremie Malan, Diaan van der Westhuizen, and Velka Laubscher.

Each participating project were visited on 29 and 30 September 2021; the panel was ‘delighted with the quality of workmanship’.

Velka Laubscher, President of the South African Institute of Architects in the Free State, says: “The Regional Awards Programme is held biennially, and each visited project was adjudicated and awarded based on merit, looking at design, aesthetics, commodity, and orientation.

“The panel of adjudicators also follows specific guidelines to ensure that the process adheres to SAIA’s standards,” says Laubscher.

Nico Janse van Rensburg, Senior Director: University Estates at the UFS, says, “It is a great honour to receive these accolades, as our buildings are constructed on carefully controlled budgets, but still manage to exhibit a refinement in terms of architectural aesthetics. The recognition also reflects how the institution’s infrastructure performs compared to university buildings in general.”

The Department of Higher Education and Training recently recommended the UFS to other universities in the country to learn from the institution how to undertake infrastructural development while adhering to budget constraints.

The main criteria for projects to receive SAIA recognition not only involve compliance with a functional programme, but should also deal intelligently with contextual informants, creating spaces that offer opportunities for meaningful interaction, and the use of materials and measures that are sympathetic to the environment in general, as well as to our local climate conditions.

“We welcome the recognition by the department, as it gives us an opportunity to also interact and learn from other universities, since there is always room for improvement. The university community can rest assured that the allocated budget is spent to reflect the institution’s objectives and to get value for money,” says Janse van Rensburg.

Anton Roodt, architect and urban planner from GXY Architects and Roodt Architects joint consultants, says: “The value for the University of the Free State lies in the fact that the university is seen, both by its internal and external stakeholders, as an institution that values the contribution that good architecture can add to academic programmes and projecting the image of the university as an enlightened institution.”

Projects awarded with a ‘Regional Award for Architecture 2021’ will now be submitted for national adjudication to become eligible for a SAIA Award of Merit 2022 and a SAIA Award for Excellence 2022.

News Archive

A new dawn for student governance

2011-09-02

Our SRC presidents: Richard Chemaly (Bloemfontein Campus) and Bongani Ncgaca (Qwaqwa Campus)
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

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The successful and peaceful completion of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Student Representative (SRC) elections 2011 herals a new dawn for student governance with the announcement of the results today (1 September 2011).

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 25 August 2011, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 29 and 30 August 2011.

“A new dawn heralds a new day when Richard Chemaly, the son of Lebanese immigrants becomes President of an SRC, as elected by students from all racial backgrounds and from across the student body at large. A new day has arrived when candidates could have won voter support across racial lines; a new day is here when all SRC members are now recognised leaders on the basis of academic accountability,” the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys, says.

A new dawn has arrived; firstly, insofar as student elections for the choice of student leaders at the UFS now proceed according to a non-racial and a non-party political basis.

Not only did the SRC elections at both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses achieve its required quorum, with 31% (4 729 votes) and 50% (2 112 votes) voter turnout, respectively, but the SRC elected by students at the Bloemfontein Campus is 55% black and 45% white, and 60% female and 40% male. The numbers of votes gained by successful candidates also indicate that voters from all racial backgrounds have voted for their candidates of choice.

Secondly, a new dawn has arrived insofar as student governance occupied by only some student groups claiming to speak on behalf of all students has made way for direct voting for candidates by the broad student body and the threefold increase of student governance structures on campus.

Not only did all students at our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses (a total of 15 173 and 4 257, respectively) have the opportunity to participate in voting directly, but nine additional Student Councils were established at our Bloemfontein Campus that each holds an ex officio seat on the SRC and allows for student governance in all the major student sectors of the student body, such as for postgraduate students, international students and all categories of student associations.

The various councils now established include the Student Academic Affairs Council, the Student Associations Council, the Postgraduate Student Council, the International Student Council, the Student Media Council, the Residences Student Council, the Commuter Student Council and the Rag Community Service Fundraising and Service Councils. In addition, all faculties also introduced student representative structures at departmental and faculty level in 2011 to ensure student participation in faculty management and governance.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

Elective portfolios:
President: Mr Richard Chemaly
Vice-President: Mr Lefata David Maklein
Secretary: Ms Matshepo Ramokgadi
Treasurer: Mr Werner Pretorius
Arts & Culture: Ms Alta Grobelaar
Accessibility & Student Support: Mr William Clayton
First-generation Students: Ms Petre du Plessis
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Biejanka Calitz
Sport: Mr Bonolo Thebe
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Busisiwe Madikizela
Transformation: Ms Qaqamba Mhlauli

Ex officio portfolios:
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jean Vermaas
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Mpho Mokaleng
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Annemieke Plekker
Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Student Council: Ms Glancina Mokone
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Pitso Ramokoatsi
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Ms Nicole Heyns
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Ms Iselma Parker
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Motheo Pooe

In the Qwaqwa elections, SASCO achieved 36,84% of the vote, with SADESMO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 29,73% and 18,56% and 12,74%, respectively .

Mr Bongani Ncgaca was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus, while the names of the SRC members at the campus will be announced on 7 September 2011.

The Central SRC will be established on 8 September 2011 by a joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The successful completion of the SRC elections at the Bloemfontein Campus follows a yearlong review process of student governance by a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) that consists of 59 delegations from student organisations and residences. The BSTF adopted independent candidacy for elective portfolios and additional student councils to provide ex officio seats on the SRC as the template for student governance, following the consideration of a series of benchmarking reports on student governance nationally and internationally.

The UFS Council adopted the new SRC Constitution, as drafted and submitted by the BSTF, on 3 June 2011.

Media Release
1 September 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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