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A day-residence drive: Exposing off-campus students to an on-campus home

25 August 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied

The impact of COVID-19 on students who started their studies at the UFS in 2020 and 2021, is the fact that they had to experience the UFS student life virtually. As such, the ability to experience day-residence culture was minimal.

Consequently, the SRC: Day Residences, Nontando Kalipa, along with representatives from the seven day residences and the SRC, visited off-campus accommodation as a means to market day residences. The initiative ran from 1 to 4 August 2022. “We went to various communes and other student accommodation such as Quattro, CampusKey, and ResPublica, and explained our mandate as SRC: Day Residences to the off-campus students,” Kalipa expressed.

The Importance of the Initiative

According to Kalipa, there is a lack of knowledge about the role and relevance of day residences in student life; this was seen in the responses received from some of the off-campus students who were approached during the outreach. “We came across some students who had never heard of day residences, and others who knew of them but didn’t really understand their function,” stated Kalipa. Therefore, she insisted that representatives from the respective day residences should also be involved in the initiative. “The RC primes were there specifically to share their experiences about day residences with off-campus students,” said Kalipa.

The Relevance of Day Residences in Student Life

“Day residences offer a holistic student experience, so off-campus students can expect any of the seven day residences to assist them in becoming well-rounded individuals,” expressed Corbin Butler, the incoming SRC for Day Residences. These spaces offer off-campus students access to cultural and sporting activities, such as Stagedoor, SingOff, and basketball tournaments, among others. On-campus students have the advantage of being exposed to other students from all walks of life and interacting with them consistently. As such, Butler maintains that day residences aim to bridge the existing gap by creating that very same experience for off-campus students. “We don’t want you to just get a degree and leave, we also want to capacitate you with life skills, and that’s the benefit of being part of a day residence,” Butler stated.

News Archive

Theatre, photography, literature, and lectures: TFR Studies to showcase their success

2016-11-29

The end of the year usually introduces a mood of reflection on what was and what could have been. For Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation (TFR) Studies at the University of the Free State, the past year recalls a flourish of achievements worth celebrating.

Therefore, TFR Studies held an end-of-year event to showcase the successes of 2016. This comprised lectures from leading researchers in social sciences and housing rights, the release of three new books, a theatre production, and a photo exhibition.

Description: TFR Studies to showcase their success Tags: TFR Studies to showcase their success

Lectures
Prof Anthony Collins – a leading scholar in identity and culture – will speak about violence in contemporary South Africa. Prof Collins, who holds a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, has extensive knowledge in the interdisciplinary area of critical social sciences and won two national awards for teaching and learning.

In addition, housing rights activist Faeza Meyer will share her experiences of forced eviction and violence in Kapteinsklip, Western Cape. She will also talk about the process of documenting these experiences and working together with feminist historian Koni Benson.

New books
Breathe in the smell of fresh ink as Dr Samantha van Schalkwyk, Dr Kim Wale, and PhD candidate Naleli Morojele introduce their books to the public. Themes of violence and gender – pertinent to South Africa – thread through each of these books in unique ways.

Theatre
The award-winning play, AVU – directed and produced by Michelle Hoffman who is a master’s student at TFR – will be performed. The story dances between the blurry lines of reality and fantasy, between Boer and Bantu.

Photo exhibition
Lerato Machetela, a PhD candidate with TFR, has featured as one of SA’s Heroes for her work among the youth of Jagersfontein. Through an innovative method, Machetela is employing an arts-based approach to research through PhotoVoice. The result: a photo exhibition by the youth of Jagersfontein – and a rare opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a child.

Photo: Jagersfontein Diamonds in the Rough gumboots group, production still of AVU, and Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela with the PhotoVoice exhibit.

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