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Incident on the Bloemfontein Campus related to off-campus emergency accommodation on 8 February 2022

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

Information day about crop production

2005-10-27

The Department of Soil, Crop en Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) presented an information day about crop production at the Kenilworth experimental farm outside Bloemfontein.

Various research projects that are currently conducted at the farm were introduced and explained to guests. The day was attended by representatives from the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Department of Agriculture, Omnia, Pannar, Senwes, Griekwaland Wes Koöp (GWK) and farmers from the commercial and developing agricultural sectors.

The experimental farm is mainly used for the training of graduate and post graduate students and for contract research. There are currently 2 Ph D's, 2 Master's studies and 1 research project for the Water Research Council (WRC) conducted at the farm.

The facility is equipped with a centre pivot irrigation system, lysimeter complex for the insitu studying of plant-soil water relations and an automatic weather station.

In his welcoming speech Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS said that in the past couple of years agricultural research in South Africa has deteriorated. He said that the Faculty wants to commit itself to uplift and advance research by means of the experimental farm. The Department of Soil, Crop en Climate Sciences aims to present regular sessions like this one at the experimental farm.

Photo: Stephen Collett

From left:
Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS), Ms Keletso Seetseng (Master's student in Agriculture at the UFS), Dr Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector: Student Affairs at the UFS) and Dr Leon van Rensburg (from the UFS Department of Soil, Crop en Climate Sciences). Me Seetseng works on two Canola field experiments and manages 216 plots of these experiments.

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