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09 September 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
2024 - 2025 CSRC elections
The UFS’s recent pioneering of live election results during the 2024/2025 CSRC elections drove unprecedented student engagement.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has proven its commitment to innovation and student engagement with the recent 2024/2025 Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC) elections, which were held online and featured real-time results projection across all three campuses. The elections, held from 20 to 22 August 2024, marked a significant milestone for the institution, setting a precedent in the national higher education landscape.

Dr Grey Magaiza, Chairperson of the UFS Elections Logistics Committee (ELC), provided insight into the planning process that went into making the elections a success: “Planning for an institutional CSRC election is a very demanding process,” he explained. “Multiple stakeholders have to be appraised of the project, as it has multiple implications for the institution. The voting is the last phase in a long list of actions that a capable team must support.”

One of the most notable aspects of this year’s elections was the introduction of real-time results, a first for any institution in South Africa. Despite the challenges that came with being pioneers in this area, the ELC managed to overcome them through rigorous scenario planning and extensive negotiations. “This is a huge milestone, but it did not come without its own challenges,” Dr Magaiza said. “We had to engage in multiple negotiations with numerous process owners. The debates that ensued only sharpened our ability to observe potential blind spots.”

Students embrace live voting

The transition from traditional online voting to a system with live results was met with enthusiasm by the student body. “Students have always been for online elections. The majority of students we talked to loved the live results format,” Dr Magaiza said. The decision to share the live results link with the entire student body, despite initial requests for it to be limited to party agents, was particularly well-received, further enhancing transparency and engagement.

Security and accuracy were also top priorities for the ELC, with advanced IT processes in place to ensure a seamless voting experience. Each student was provided with a unique one-time PIN (OTP) sent to both their UFS email and cellphone, and the system was designed to cater to the specific needs of each campus.

The live results projection, which updated every five minutes, not only drove massive voter turnout across all campuses but also fostered a more dynamic and engaging election atmosphere. “The turnout was massive across all three campuses, surpassing the previous year’s figures,” Dr Magaiza said.

Reflecting on the success of the elections, Dr Magaiza emphasised the importance of collaboration and preparation. He also expressed confidence that the UFS model could serve as an example for other institutions in South Africa. “Live results enhance transparency and acceptance of the election results. As UFS, we have not had a single objection with regards to the first-past-the-post election results,” he concluded.

The 2024/2025 CSRC Elections at the UFS have not only set a new standard within the university, but have also highlighted the potential for innovation in student governance across the country.

News Archive

The solution to student food insecurity is a holistic approach
2017-02-10

Description: Dietetics read more Tags: Dietetics read more

Dr Louise van den Berg from the Department of
Nutrition and Dietetics says the University of the Free State
is taking steps to teach students how to budget and make
them aware how important food nutrition is.
Photo: Pixabay 

Research at the University of the Free State (UFS) has indicated that nearly 60% of students are victims of food insecurity and suffer from hunger most of the time. The research by the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences shows that a further 25% are food insecure but are not hungry most of the time.

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dr Louise van den Berg, says food insecurity is common among student populations across the world. However, local research shows that it is almost double that of tertiary institutions in developed countries.

Food insecurity among students caught many people off-guard
Dr Van den Berg says in South Africa nobody had really looked at the problem until recently “It seems student food insecurity has caught many people off-guard.” She says people tend to think of tertiary students as a privileged group.

The research has now indicated how deep the problem really is on campus. The students that most likely go hungry are single, male, black or coloured, and are generally first-generation students.

They are also mostly undergraduates, those paying their studies from non-bank loans or bursary means, those not living with their parents or guardians or those that need to support somebody else financially.

The results further indicate that those that are likely to suffer from hunger seldom or never have enough money for food but have to borrow money for food, have to ask for food, sell items to get food or steal food.

“A healthy student is a
successful student.”

Bursary money send back home for parents to survive
Dr Van den Berg agrees that one of the main reasons for the situation is economic stress. Research has shown students rarely spend money on food when resources are scarce. Furthermore, parents of students studying with bursaries are not always able to fully support them on campus. Some students send bursary money back home for their parents to survive.

She says other factors that contribute to campus food insecurity are that all over the world universities have terminated catered food halls due to high costs. “To a large extent this has created a food desert for students and now they need to look after themselves.”

To throw money at the problem does not seem to be the answer. 

Students are food-uncertain beings
The research indicates that young people on campus do not know where to buy food, much less the correct, nutritional food they need. Dr Van den Berg says most universities are now aware of the problem and have been taking steps. This includes teaching students how to budget and making them aware how important nutrition is for their success and their responsibility for themselves.

Universities are also looking at private funding for food aid and food schemes. Dr Van den Berg says other solutions are the restructuring of bursary fees, student self-help initiatives and food gardens.

The Faculty of Health Sciences is taking the initiative to manage a food blog on the UFS website. It will also use other social media platforms to post food-preparation videos and recipes for students.

Dr Van den Berg says it is important to grow the 15.6% group of students who indicated they are food secure because a healthy student is a successful student.

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