Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
25 August 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rulanzen Martin
Vency Mupupa, Jessica Lynne and Dr Nadine Lake
From the left: Vency Mupupa, Jessica Lynn and Dr Nadine Lake.
Creating residences and other spaces that adapt to change without it being forced is a process that requires time, patience, and nurturing. Through recent engagements with Jessica Lynn, a transgender activist from the Kinsey Institute in the United States, the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS) and the Housing and Residence Affairs (HRA) division at the University of the Free State (UFS) are committing to creating dialogue and engagements that will foster gender-, transgender- and LGBTQI-positive attitudes for residences on and off the UFS campuses. 

Most of the advocacy and educating work envisaged by the CGAS and HRA did not materialise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are issues coming to the forefront amongst the student community in terms of gender identity and gender fluidity on all three UFS campuses. It is visible that these issues exist, but they are not being discussed,” said Dr Nadine Lake of the CGAS. She added that the Centre would like the UFS to continue addressing issues like acceptance, inclusion, and diversity, but to also focus on gender identity and not just on race.  

Inclusive living spaces: The seed has been planted 

“We reached out to Housing and Residence Affairs (HRA) around creating more education and advocacy for students and staff within HRA around transgender identity specifically, but then also gender,” Lake said. According to Vency Mupupa, Senior Officer: Accommodation Services at HRA, the seed for a broad-based gender awareness project within on-campus residences started in 2019, when HRA was tasked with conducting research into inclusive housing. 

“The focus is not only on transgender people but the LGBTQI community at large. We are starting small, but eventually it will affect the larger student population,” Mupupa said. 

She emphasised that the focus is not only on students in residences but also on staff within HRA and the residences. “We have 25 000 students, and on-campus residences can only accommodate around 6 000 students, so it is a drop in the ocean, but if we can educate everyone else the space will move away from being unaccepting and become more inclusive.” 

Transgender awareness breaks down walls 

Referencing her own experiences, Lynn, who is a transgender woman, said that advocating for gender awareness is all about creating safe spaces for people to be their authentic self. “It is a very closeted feeling,” she said. “When I transitioned, I experienced a lot of bad things, and I wanted to use my experience to help educate others so that are not trapped the same way I was. There is a very small percentage of people worldwide who identify as transgender… It is not like there are no transgendered people here, it is just that they are scared of coming out.” 

Universities are the perfect space

Lynn decided her awareness campaigns should focus on university students because the students she reaches are the next generation of doctors, lawyers, politicians, and judges. “It is all about how we can educate the next generation.”

Most university or college students are going to progress in their careers and will be able to use their influence to educate the next generation. “But, most importantly, most of these students are going to become parents – and sooner or later one of them might become a parent to a bisexual, transgender, or gay child, and through my presentations it would have hopefully opened a lot for them to comprehend,” Lynn said. 

Lynn is internationally renowned for her transgender awareness work and advocacy, and her longstanding relationship with CGAS widened the scope to intensify this project. “Jessica’s work is very important, firstly because of her affiliation with the Kinsey Institute, but most importantly her work in transgender identity,” Dr Lake said. Lynn has presented classes, seminars and talks at some of the leading universities around the globe and in South Africa has delivered talks at the UFS and Rhodes University.

• The Department of Social Work at the UFS will host a Gender Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Seminar with Jessica Lynn on 2 September 2022. Click here for more information. 

News Archive

UFS council elects Nwaila and Hancke
2005-03-15

Dr Charles Nwaila, Superintendent-General of Education in the Free State, was elected Vice-chairperson of the UFS Council and Judge Faan Hancke was re-elected as Chairperson today.

According to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie, the election of Dr Nwaila is an important achievement for the UFS as Dr Nwaila is a well known leader in education in the Free State.

Dr Nwaila pledged to work constructively with the UFS council and management to ensure that the UFS benefits all people of the province and the country.

The appointments are valid for a term of three years from 1 June 2005 to 31 May 2008.

The elections took place at the quarterly meeting of the UFS Council where a number of other key transformation steps were approved.

The Council approved a Strategic Plan for the UFS which reflects a renewed focus on transformation of the institution, calling it an important roadmap for the future of the UFS.

According to Prof Fourie, the Strategic Plan tried strike a balance between continuity and change, addressing the need to remain an excellent university in an ever-changing context and environment.

Prof Fourie said transformation had many aspects and dimensions and could not be reduced to an issue of numbers.

The Strategic Plan identifies five strategic priorities and corresponding challenges in the next phase of transformation.

The priorities are:

  • quality and excellence

  • equity, diversity and redress

  • financial sustainability

  • regional co-operation and engagement.

  • outward thrust

Prof Fourie said that besides the five strategic priorities the plan also reflected concrete actions and interventions to address them.

He said the renewed focus on transformation is embedded in the priorities and specific actions that are identified.

The Council congratulated the management for the roadmap and for the achievements that have already been achieved in terms of transformation.

In order to draft a comprehensive Transformation Plan that will give substance to certain aspects of the UFS Strategic plan – or roadmap – the Council approved the establishment of a Transformation Plan Team.

The team will consist of about 16 people, which includes the two coordinators, Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, and Dr Ezekiel Moraka, Vice-Rector: Student Affairs.

According to Prof Verschoor, the team was chosen and approved by the Executive Management earlier for the individual contributions that they could make.

While the individuals do not represent particular constituencies on campus they are a very diverse group of persons in terms of race, gender and various sections of the campus and the satellite campuses.

Prof Fourie, said there was an urgency and importance attached to the work of the Transformation Plan Team.

He said that while the team must produce a plan within a tight deadline, the task must be carried out very well, which could mean different stages in the work of the team.

According to the Rector, the UFS must take the lead in best practice transformation, while not underestimating the complexity of the issues facing the UFS.

The full list of names will be finalized soon.

MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by: Mnr Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
Cel: 072 207 8334
Tel: (051) 401-2749
11 Maart 2005

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept