One of the residences on the main campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein will henceforth be known as Armentum.
“The new name, Armentum, for the student residence formerly known as Hendrik Verwoerd was approved by the UFS Council at its recent meeting,” said Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.
The name change comes after a thorough and inclusive consultation process with students of the residence and other groups, leading to their agreement to the name change, and a process to propose new names.
Armentum was the first choice of the residents. It is the Latin for a herd or a group of large animals such as elephants (which is the mascot of the residence).
“The name is acceptable and suitable within our policy on name-giving. Latin names, like that of English, Afrikaans and Sesotho names are acceptable and Armentum is language neutral,” said Prof Fourie.
He said the name change from Verwoerd to Armentum was part of the transformation effort at the UFS to make the campus a more inclusive and tolerant place where all South Africans can feel at home.
Media release
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22 June 2006