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09 February 2022 | Story Lacea Loader

The University of the Free State UFS) is aware of media reports on 8 and 9 February 2022 about challenges that students are facing related to off-campus accommodation and in particular an incident that took place on the Bloemfontein Campus in the early hours of 8 February 2022 when a group of students arrived late evening at Protection Services and requested emergency accommodation.

It is untrue that the university did not provide emergency accommodation to the group of students, and we wish to confirm that accommodation was indeed offered in two on-campus residences. However, the offer to provide such accommodation was not taken up by the Bloemfontein Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC) on behalf of the group. During Tuesday morning, university staff managed to obtain accommodation for the group in an off-campus emergency accommodation facility, to which they were taken by shuttle.

Several measures are in place to ensure the successful management of the accommodation process in consultation with and in agreement with various stakeholders. When the need arises, the university arranges emergency off-campus accommodation for students on all three campuses. Where a student cannot afford to pay for emergency accommodation, the university has measures in place, which include the provision of daily transport in the form of a shuttle service to the emergency accommodation and back to the campus – specifically during the registration period.

In addition, an Emergency Accommodation Committee, on which the CSRC sits, meets weekly. The CSRC is part of the committee’s decisions to accommodate the needs of students related to emergency accommodation.

News Archive

Placing of new first-year students in residences to change
2009-09-12

As of 2010, new first-year students who study at the University of the Free State (UFS) will be fully integrated in the residences. This will be done as part of the university’s objective to increase diversity in its residences.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, made this proposal to the UFS Council yesterday during its quarterly meeting as an alternative to his idea of having exclusively first-year residences as of next year. The proposal was unanimously supported by the Council.

“I have discussed my idea of having first-year residences widely with many stakeholders and, based on the feedback I received, decided not to go ahead, but to make a proposal to Council that first-year students be placed in residences with a 50/50 racial balance in which no student grouping dominates. It is a proposal that most role players are comfortable with and which will cause the least disruption to our senior students,” said Prof. Jansen.

“We must create a new culture in our residences. Our residences must be places where academic work enjoys priority in the organisation and culture of the residences. The university has many goals, one of which is that students learn to live and learn together so that they are better equipped to face the challenges of the modern workplace,” he said.

From next year, new first-year students will be placed centrally in residences by the university management, with some participation of senior students.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Deputy Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
12 September 2009

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