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26 August 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Sonia Small
Sing off
SingOff participants getting ready for the upcoming finals of the competition.

The SingOff competition, which is regarded as one of the biggest arts and culture experiences at the University of the Free State (UFS), has returned after a two-year hiatus. “Due to COVID-19, the competition has not happened in just over two years, and we are very excited to have it happen this year,” expressed Hlumelo Xaba: SRC Arts and Culture. 
The SingOff finals will be held in the Kopanong Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State on 27 August 2022 from 17:00.

What the UFS community can expect

From the rotations, which took place from 24 to 25 August 2022, leading up to the finals, the competition has generated a lot of excitement, specifically among the residences. “There’s a lot of competition this year, each and every person wants to make a name for themselves. So, the audience can expect a lot of competition, energy, and fun from the eight groups selected to be in the finals,’’ stated Xaba. 

Although the format of the competition has not changed much, some new elements have been introduced to make it more interesting. “What we decided to do this year, is to make it 80% music and 20% creativity. The creativity portion includes all the choreography, instruments, and costumes used by the participants,” explained Xaba. In addition, two new categories – best male and best female vocalist – have been added to the finals of the competition.

Collaboration

The excitement about the SingOff finals is not limited to the UFS community. In collaboration with the SRC: Arts and Culture, Standard Bank has jumped on board as the official sponsor of the SingOff finals. “This is something that has not happened in nearly four years, so we are very excited about Standard Bank being able to collaborate with us,” Xaba highlighted. In fact, Standard Bank has also been instrumental in building hype around the competition through the activations it has been hosting at the Thakaneng Bridge from 24 August 2022.


Furthermore, Standard Bank has contributed a cash prize of R10 000, which will be divided among the final top three, along with trophies to be awarded to the runners-up.

Xaba maintains that SingOff is an important aspect of student life at the UFS. “It allows people to gain exposure through the arts, and it also builds a sense of community and camaraderie among students,” he expressed. As such, with the final stage of the SingOff fast approaching, Xaba urges that, “all the participants and the UFS community at large should enjoy this moment, as it is about building memories”.

News Archive

Central SRC constitution for UFS approved by Council
2005-07-20

University of the Free State Fact Sheet

1. The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) on 10 June 2005 unanimously approved the establishment of a Central Student Representative Council (CSRC)  to constitute a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of students of all three of its campuses in the governance of the university.

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

3. The need to establish 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.

4. The constitution of the Central SRC is the outcome of a consensus reached during a lengthy process of negotiation between the SRCs of the three UFS campuses, indirectly involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, ANCYL, YCL, Pasma, SASO, SADESMO, AZASCO, SCO, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, ACDP, etc. Independent constitutional and political experts facilitated key parts of the negotiation process.

5. In this process, the UFS management went out of its way to ensure the participation of all student formations, especially Sasco and the ANC Youth League, as well as the duly elected SRC officials of the three campuses.

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

7. The central SRC will have 12 members made up of delegates of the different 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. This ratio ensures a strong voice for the smaller campuses in the central SRC.

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

9. 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.

10. The historic official inauguration of the first Central SRC is scheduled to take place in early August 2005.

11. This event, like the adoption of a broadly negotiated new constitution for the main campus SRC, represents a  breakthrough in that all three campus SRCs delegations and all relevant student organizations have been part of the process and have accepted the outcome of the process.

20 July 2005

 

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