Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
10 March 2022
|
Story Anthony Mthembu
|
Photo Unsplash
The No Student Hungry team gearing up to start distributing food parcels to the selected students.
The UFS is one of the many institutions of higher learning where food insecurity is an active issue. However, the
No Student Hungry Programme is one of the initiatives launched at the university to assist in fighting food insecurity at the institution.
The purpose of the programme
Since its inception in 2011, the initiative has assisted many students in acquiring a healthy meal. Additionally, the Food Environment Office also hands out food packages, so that students can continue to achieve academically. “We are trying to develop a healthy environment for students and make it easier for them to have a nice and healthy meal,” stated Annelize Visagie, who heads the Food Environment Office at the UFS. The Food Environment programme is spread out on all three campuses, each with its own facilitators. Furthermore, the programme mainly caters for students who are not funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) but who are excelling academically. The abovementioned students apply for assistance online, and a list is then drawn up of students who receive assistance for the year.
Alternative solutions to keep the initiative running
On the Bloemfontein Campus, the No Student Hungry Programme will be catering for 200 students in the 2022 academic year, assisting them with a daily nutritious meal. Additional food parcels are also handed out to provide further assistance. “We give food parcels to the students on the list every Tuesday and Thursday at the Thakaneng Bridge,” Visagie highlighted. However, she argues that catering for the student population through this programme can be a challenge, as the demand for assistance is growing rapidly and the ability to assist is limited. The programme relies on partnerships and sponsors to assist the student body. In fact, the coordinators of the programme currently have a memorandum of understanding with Tiger Brands according to which they deliver around 100 food parcels for distribution.
In addition, the coordinators have put in place alternative measures to ensure that they can provide more food to students. “The
Kovsie Act Office, in partnership with the
Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, has started a food garden where healthy and nutritious produce are grown, in order to add value to the distribution,” she indicated. Although the programme can only assist to a point, students who are in desperate need of assistance are never turned away. In fact, the
Social Support Unit at Thakaneng Bridge usually assists students with food vouchers for a maximum of four days.
A commitment to teaching healthy eating habits
The programme is not only committed to curbing food insecurity, but also to ensuring that students have a healthy and balanced diet. As such, a booklet is being issued by the
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in collaboration with the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, which contains ways in which students can make a healthy meal using some of the ingredients offered in the food parcels.
“We want to teach students how to eat healthy in the cheapest way, because they don’t have a lot of money to buy expensive food products,” Visagie argued.
Extension of the academic calendar
2016-03-21
At the Senate meeting which was held on 29 February 2016, a resolution was taken to extend the academic calendar by one week to make up for the lost academic week as a result of the recent student protest action. In particular, it was decided that the commencement of the mid-year exams be postponed by one week. The Faculty of Health Sciences was the only faculty that was allowed to stick to the initial dates.
At its meeting of 2 March 2016, Rectorate discussed this matter and resolved to endorse the resolution of Senate, namely that the mid-year exams will be postponed by one week and that only the Faculty of Health Sciences can stick to the original dates as stipulated in the calendar.
Undergraduate lectures
(Excluding Faculty of Health Sciences)
First semester
Lectures start: 1 February 2016
Lectures end: 20 May 2016
8-credit modules
1 February 2016 - 1 April 2016
11 April 2016 - 20 May 2016
Holiday: 22 - 24 March 2016
Easter Weekend: 25 - 28 March 2016
Main mid-year examinations
Start: 23 May 2016
End: 11 June 2016
Additional mid-year examinations
Start: 13 June 2016
End: 4 July 2016
End of first semester: 8 July 2016
Holiday: 11 July 2016 - 15 July 2016
Second semester
Undergraduate lectures
(Excluding Faculty of Health Sciences)
Lectures start: 18 July 2016
Lectures end: 21 October 2016
8 Credit modules
18 July 2016 - 2 September 2016
5 September 2016 - 21 October 2016
Holiday: 3 - 7 October 2016
Main end-of-year examinations
Starts: 24 October 2016
Ends: 12 November 2016
Additional end-of-year examinations
Starts: 14 November 2016
Ends: 3 December 2016
End of Second Semester
9 December 2016
UFS holiday: 8 August 2016.
UFS recess from: 20 December 2016 - 3 January 2017.