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UFS position statement on xenophobia

12 April 2022 | Story Lacea Loader

The management of the University of the Free State (UFS) is deeply concerned about the continued xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in our country, specifically the actions of, and statements made by groups and individuals.

The UFS condemns all forms of xenophobic and Afrophobic actions and thinking and expresses its solidarity with the members of the university community hailing from other regions of the African continent and the world. The UFS is committed to promoting diversity, social justice, inclusivity, and transformation and is united in its diversity. As a university community, it cherishes diversity as a catalyst for positive change, innovative research, and cutting-edge teaching and learning. Xenophobic actions, threats, or statements will not be tolerated at the UFS. The UFS is committed to nurturing and entrenching a human-rights culture and advocating human rights, both within the context of the university and beyond.

Xenophobia, Afrophobia, and discrimination jeopardise the process of internationalisation at any university. It limits the international and multicultural exposure of our students, which is important to achieve graduate attributes and to specifically develop students’ international and intercultural competence. The UFS is strategically strengthening its collaborations and partnerships in Africa and beyond. It recognises the positive power of diversifying the knowledge paradigms with which it interacts. International staff members, postdoctoral fellows, and students make a significant contribution to the academic project, scholarship traditions, and intellectual diversity of the university.

The management of the UFS will do everything in its power to ensure the well-being of all members of its international university community.

Xenophobia is the ‘fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign’ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), whereas Afrophobia can be understood as the ‘fear and hatred of the cultures and people of Africa’.

News Archive

Parent Day on 3 December 2011

2011-11-30

University. What happens next?

Is the campus a safe environment for my child? What will be expected from me as parent once my child arrives here? When and where should my child register and what does Kovsies offer him/her?

The University of the Free State (UFS) is aware of the fact that parents have continuous questions when their children enter the grown-up world for the first time.

Therefore the UFS offers parents or guardians the opportunity to ask these questions.

As part of Student Affairs’ Gateway programme, the UFS will host a Parent’s Day at the Bloemfontein Campus on Saturday 3 December 2011. Parents or guardians of prospective students will be able to find out more about everything the UFS offers, how students can get involved in organisations, when and where registration takes place and what life in a residence is like today, etc.

Mrs Cornelia Faasen, Senior Officer: Learning Communities and Orientation, says the Parent Day will enable parents to assist their children with the transition between school and university and make it easier for them.

“This Parent Day has been successfully hosted in 2010 for the first time. Students are facing far greater demands, responsibilities and challenges than they did at school. Parents need to better understand the university environment in order to have better insight into the world their children are entering into.”

The programme for the day includes several presentations on admissions, finances and scholarships, residences and more. There will also be a question-and-answer session with the heads of faculties.

Date: Saturday 3 December 2011

Time: 10:00-14:00

Place: Callie Human Centre, Bloemfontein Campus

For more information, contact Ms. Cornelia Faasen at faasen@ufs.ac.za or +27(0)51 401 9102

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