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The Long Journey Back to Campus

01 March 2022 | Story Prof Francis Petersen | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)

Prof Petersen_web — Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State.

Opinion article by Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State.

For the past two years, students in tertiary institutions have had to negotiate the choppy waters of emergency online tuition. In February, thousands of students at universities across the country will be returning to the shores of face-to-face learning. But it will require a process of reconnection that may take time and will have to be guided sensitively, says Prof Francis Petersen.

It is a fact of life that, in so many spheres, one’s journey is often as memorable – sometimes even more so – than one’s experiences at a destination. The South African education context is no exception. Many of us grew up with stories of parents and grandparents expanding at length about their difficult journeys to school ‘back in the day’. Some of the details of what happened inside the classroom may have faded over time, but the journey often remains etched in memory. Journeys that tell of sacrifice, of braving harsh weather and long distances – often on foot. A great victory already lies, after all, in the mere process of getting somewhere.

The Online Move

There is little doubt that online tuition was a vital lifebuoy for education during the pandemic and lockdown, and that it will form an increasingly important part of our future educational landscape. The huge digital divide that the move to online education has exposed, remains a most pressing concern that needs to be addressed urgently in order to ensure that students from all socio-economic sectors and both rural and urban environments can access online resources.

One consequence of online learning that is maybe not deliberated as frequently, is that it has essentially eliminated the need for a journey – in this case, the physical journey to a tertiary education campus. Once again, this fact comes with many perceived advantages: no transport costs, no travelling time, no risk associated with moving out of one’s comfort zone. Provided you have access to sufficient resources and connectivity (a topic for another time!), and provided you have a safe home environment conducive to learning (which many of our students sadly lack), it has become incredibly easy and convenient to access education – anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace.

But there are some aspects that can become complicated in the absence of a physical journey.

Because journeys imply a few things:

A Journey Requires a Deliberate Decision About a Destination

People go on journeys because they want to get somewhere. They decide where they want to end up and then take the steps necessary to get there. The physical journey to a place of learning, of course, also reflects a more figurative journey towards an envisaged career and a successful future.

Over the past two years, students have often reported feeling as if they were ‘drifting’ in the online environment, not always sure where they were heading, feeling a bit lost and disconnected. Maybe part of the reason for this lies in the fact that they were not physically going anywhere. Without this physical aspect of the journey, it can become difficult to plot yourself, and difficult to convince yourself that you are moving ahead and making progress.

A Journey Requires a Measure of Sacrifice

A journey also almost always implies sacrifice in some form. Whether it is getting up early to catch a train, a bus, or two taxis to university, incurring fuel costs or transport fees, or just strolling to class across campus from your residence – a successful journey requires discipline and planning. And it takes some form of sacrifice of time and resources.

Which brings me to the next point:

A Journey Requires Commitment

It takes commitment to make those sacrifices needed to complete a journey. And in turn, sacrifice fuels commitment. As human beings, we tend to treasure those things that were hard to obtain, and we do our utmost to hold on to them. The opposite of ‘easy come, easy go’, is equally true. It is often just as easy for students to opt out of online learning sessions, as it is to access it. And this is where the problem sometimes lies: commitment is not really tested or strengthened.

Gaining Courage from Fellow Travellers

Probably the most poignant aspect of the journey analogy, is the fact that it makes you aware of other travellers. The students treading the campus pavements with you, passing you in passages, walking with you into class, are a constant reminder that your journey is not a solitary one. Fellow travellers – and fellow students – reaching out to one another, sharing tips and experiences, make the journey easier for everyone. Interacting with others and knowing that we are not alone, is a vital part of what makes us human, what makes our journeys meaningful.

Dealing with Fear

Countless COVID-19 research projects from all over the world seem to point to one basic bottom line: the absence of physical interaction has taken a huge psychological toll on most of our students. However, psychologists working on our campuses report a significant increase in students seeking psychological help in the run-up to the restart of contact learning. They say some students find the prospect of returning to campus stressful and even terrifying. It is a move that will take them outside their new comfort zones. Many students relate how they have been living in an ‘artificial online world’ for the past two years – not only academically but socially too. Students who used to be very sociable have been spending their non-academic time behind screens too, engaged in gaming, streaming services, and social media. Two years was long enough to blur memories of what used to be normal. Long enough to entrench new habits – not all of them conducive to good mental health – which can take time to change. It was also long enough to desensitise students to what they really need and want.

Psychological Support for Students

The value of providing our students with different forms of psychological support during these unusual and uncertain times cannot be overemphasised. At the University of the Free State (UFS), the various support initiatives we have implemented and expanded over the past two years have undoubtedly contributed to the fact that we could complete the academic years of 2020 and 2021 successfully. Among these initiatives are a 24-hour toll-free mental-health careline as well as an e-mentoring programme that offers socio-emotional support to students. Data analytics revealed that more than a third of our students engaged in these support interventions, and we see it as a major reason that, despite all the obvious challenges, we still managed to improve our overall institutional success rate in 2020 and 2021.

Social Interaction a Basic Need

As tertiary institutions, we need to not only focus on what is convenient for our students at this time, but on what they actually need. And as human beings, we need social interaction. We need to read social cues, expressions, and body language, hear voice intonation, and where possible and appropriate, touch and feel. University life is, after all, about so much more than just attending classes. It is about engaging in sporting and cultural activities, about honing your interests, and finding new ones. It is about learning to collaborate and building networks and support groups, about forming friendships, and entering relationships. And sometimes, it is about just having fun.

Returning to Campus

Most universities are currently introducing some form of blended learning programme, combining online and face-to-face tuition. At the UFS, 67% of our modules on offer will be in a face-to-face format (at least in the early part of 2022), with the necessary COVID-19 protocols in place to ensure a safe environment for staff and students. As we welcome our students back on campus, it is vital that we as university leadership carefully and effectively remind them that their study years should be a holistic experience, encompassing different aspects of their being. We should encourage them to make use of the precious reconnection opportunities with those around them. And be patient as they negotiate their way in an old-but-new environment.

Let the journey begin.

News Archive

Questions about racial integration in residences answered

2007-07-31

Answers to frequently asked questions about the racial integration of student residences at the UFS

1. Why does the UFS want to change the current situation in the student residences?

There are many reasons why a new approach to placement in the student residences is necessary. However, the main reason is of an educational nature. As a university, the UFS should create an environment in its residences where students can learn to appreciate and respect the rich diversity that is on offer at the university. A university accommodates students from many different backgrounds in terms of race, language, religion, economic status, culture and other aspects. If a student can learn to appreciate the value in this rich diversity at university, he or she will also be able to appreciate the value of this diversity in the workplace and broader society.

The current situation of predominantly white and predominantly black residences has not been able to cultivate such an appreciation for diversity and respect for one another as human beings, and will not equip students with the knowledge and skills required to manage diversity.

Besides this, there are many other areas of life in the residences that need attention. For one, we need to urgently establish a human rights culture in the residences so that the rights of all students can be respected. We need to address the abuse of alcohol, provide disabled students with their rightful place, and last but not least, really entrench a culture of learning in student residences.

Let us make the residences places we can be proud of – places of learning, of diversity, of respect; places of growth and development. This is the ideal we should all strive to achieve.

2. Why does the management want to force us to integrate?

It is a false argument to debate the issue in terms of “force”. Any decision by a University, or any other organisation, regarding matters of policy, rules and regulations implies a restriction on the choice of an individual and an obligation to comply. What we should focus on is whether this decision of the Council is in the best interests of our students.

The management of the university believes that it has a responsibility to give students the best education possible, not only in terms of what you learn in the lecture rooms, but especially in the residences as well. The residences can be very powerful places of learning about matters of great importance, both academic and non-academic.

The parallel-medium language policy separates students into largely white/Afrikaans and black/English classes. Efforts are being made to bridge this divide in the classroom, but we can also try to eliminate it in the residences.

The university is committed to building a new culture for the entire institution that is based on values and principles – such as an academic culture, non-racialism, respect for human rights and diversity – among staff and students.

In the context of student residences, the application of these values and principles still allows substantial room for the voluntary exercising of choice by individuals as well as by Residence Committees, notably with regard to the placement of students (they can still place 50 percent of first-year students), as well as the determination of the future character and traditions of a diverse residence.

Furthermore, students can still choose their residences (subject to availability of places), can choose a roommate, and so forth.

3. What about freedom of association?

The rights we enjoy in a democracy must be balanced against other rights, as well as the laws of the country. This means that the right to freedom of association must be balanced against laws that make it illegal to discriminate against other people on the basis of race, language or religion, for instance.

Freedom of association pertains to the right of individuals to form voluntary organisations such as clubs or private boarding houses, or their right to join or not join existing organisations. You exercise that right when you decide to become a student of the UFS, and again when you choose to live in one of its residences.

However, once you have decided to join an organisation voluntarily, you cannot subsequently demand that that organisation should provide a “club” or residence to your liking where, for instance, you only associate with your choice of co-members. You must accept the policies of that organisation.

In any case, how would that right of yours be balanced against the right of another individual who wishes to associate with a different set of co-members? (For instance – what about the freedom of a student to associate with students NOT from his own background, but indeed from another language, cultural, racial or economic background?)

The constitutional right to freedom of association can, in any case, not be used to exclude or discriminate on the basis of race or religion (Section 18 of the Bill of Rights).

Besides, the new policy guidelines will still make provision for freedom of association. This right can be exercised freely within a diverse residence with regard to friendships, joint academic work, socialising, sport, etc.

4. Will residences not lose their traditions?

The University appreciates that there are many valuable elements of tradition in residences. However, we must bear in mind that the traditions and character of student residences have evolved and changed over time, and they will continue to evolve and to change. In addition, we do not need to accept all aspects of residence life purely on the basis of tradition, including the unacceptably high level of alcohol abuse and unsavoury, humiliating and discriminatory orientation practices. The new approach to integrated residences provides the opportunity to retain the positive aspects of the current traditions and character, but also to develop new traditions and give residences a new character.

We can now establish a tradition and a character for each residence that are reconcilable with the values of the University as a place of scholarship and are aligned with the human rights approach of our country’s Constitution, the laws of our country and the strengths and diversity of the students in a particular residence.

5. Have students been involved in this process? Is there a role for them to play after the decision has been taken by the Council of the UFS?

In the first semester of 2007, during two rounds of consultations, the primes, SRC and student organisations were consulted about the proposed new placement policy to increase diversity in residences. Some residences also made written submissions on the matter (such as Madelief, Soetdoring, Wag-'n-bietjie, Vergeet-my-nie, Emily Hobhouse). Other residences requested and were granted more time, but did not make any submissions in the end (such as Reitz and Armentum).

Management also had several meetings with the above-mentioned structures to hear first-hand from students their concerns and solutions regarding possible challenges presented by integration in residences.

During these interactions, several excellent ideas and proposals were put forward by students. These views had a definite impact on the eventual proposal that was taken to the University Council, in particular regarding the minimum level of diversity (30%) in junior residences and the fact that residences still want to have a say in the placement of students, rather than the placement decision being left in the hands of Management alone (hence the 50% placement portion of residences). Management values the effort that was put into the process by the primes and residence committees, and thanks them for their contributions.

However, it should be stressed that consultation should not be understood as a process of negotiation, nor does it imply that consensus must be reached. What it means is that Management must take a considered decision after hearing the views of stakeholders.

Management would like students to continue to provide input and ideas regarding the implementation details of the policy guidelines. Task teams have been established and students will be informed about how they can interact with the task teams on an ongoing basis.

6. But integration in the residences was tried in the past (in the late 1990s), and then it failed. Why will it work now?

Yes, the University of the Free State did integrate its residences as far back as 1993, and for a few years it worked. The UFS did it at that time and is now doing so again, because it is the right thing to do. Yet it is important to understand why the previous attempt at racial integration in residences was not successful.

Firstly, both black and white students were much polarised because of the apartheid past. Secondly, there was insufficient management support for students in the residences, the student leaders generally as well as residence heads, in terms of dealing with diversity and related issues. Thirdly, the institutional culture of the UFS and the residences in particular was not addressed as part of broader transformation and integration in residences, whereas it is now being addressed.

In addition, the current decision to integrate residences has the benefit of being implemented after several more years of integration in schooling, sport, workplaces and other aspects of life.

This decision is also based on Management’s commitment to give all the possible support it can to this process.

This is a very important initiative that the UFS is undertaking. Management, in co-operation with students, must ensure that it succeeds. Integrated residences that produce high-quality graduates equipped to deal with the challenges of the workplace and our society is a worthwhile ideal we should all strive to achieve.

If you would like to make a proposal regarding the implementation and practical aspects of the new policy, please send it to the following email address: rector@ufs.ac.za

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