DieMATIE WENNER VAN DIE ATKV-MEDIAVEERTJIE VIR BESTE KAMPUSKOER ANT
Maties Netbal buig die knie teen Tuks 11
WOENSDAG 4 OKTOBER 2017 | GR ATIS SES-EN-SEWENTIGSTE JAARGANG | NO 12
Kan R99 999 in 99 dae ingesamel 3 word?
Oud-Matie maak naam in die mediabedryf 10
Photo: ELZE GOOSEN
IN OCTOBER WE WEAR PINK Students wore pink lips this week in support of breast cancer awareness.
Student court deems constitution valid ANÉ VAN ZYL
S
tudent court has ruled that the 2014 version of the student constitution is valid and enforceable. This comes after Bernard Pieters, AfriForum Youth leader, approached the court alleging that the 2014 constitution (version 2.4) was never approved by the university council and is therefore invalid. Pieters also claimed that the most recent Student Representative Council (SRC) was null and void, and he requested that all the financial decisions of the SRC from 2014 to be examined and audited by an independent auditing company. Student court found that no provision was made in the 2011 or 2014 version of the student constitution, or in the statute of Stellenbosch University (SU), that the council needs to approve amendments
made to the student constitution for it to be valid. Student court also said that the university council’s approval of the 2011 version of the student constitution can only be seen as an act of good faith, and not that such approval was in fact a validity requirement. Student court also found that amendments proposed by the SRC in 2014 were accepted by students in a referendum with 1 141 votes to 240. “The amendment process set out in the 2011 student constitution was followed and the amendments set out in the 2014 version of the student constitution are therefore valid,” court documents state. Pieters is of opinion that student court did not act in the interest of students. “Justice did not prevail, as I believe none of my statements were proved wrong. The ruling was therefore in the interest of SU and not the students,”
he said. “I also do not have vendetta against anyone currently serving on the SRC, student court or student parliament. The issues I brought forward before arose before any of their terms began.” Student court also did not find any compelling evidence suggesting that there has been a misuse of funds or any financial wrongdoing by the SRC. Student court documents state that “there is no basis for the examination of the SRC’s financial decisions by an independent auditing company.” Following this the request from Pieters was denied. Previously held SRC elections that took place in accordance with provisions in the 2014 student constitution were also declared valid, which means there is no need to restart the election process. Lwando Nkamisa, current SRC chairperson, believes Pieters should have followed other procedures before
he approached student court with the matter. “We have student parliament, he could have tabled the motion there, and thereafter proceed to student court. We have to utilise all our existing structures thoroughly before going to court.” Nkamisa said. Nkamisa also said that the SRC would welcome an audit from another independent company. “The SRC is audited by the same company or institution that audits the university’s finance, and we also follow the university’s finance policy. We have nothing to hide.” The Senior Director of Student Affairs and Chairperson of the Stellenbosch University Council were listed as respondents in the matter, but as they are not students or members of a student body, student court does not have jurisdiction over them. They were removed from the list of respondents.
Summer van Haght was listed as respondent, “for not having furnished, despite repeated requests, any proof of the legitimacy of this student constitution”. Student court found that this allegation does not set out a case against van Haght. She was therefore removed from the matter. Inge Odendaal was also cited as a respondent in the matter. Court documents state that no case has been made out against her, nor is the order sought against her. In accordance with this, Odendaal was also removed from the matter. Pieters is not deterred by the judgement, and sees the ruling as a sign of external influence. “The resistance I get from SU is a good indication that I’m moving in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to what’s going to be done in the next few months.”
Lipstick and cupcakes help to raise breast cancer awareness on campus GIZELLEDE GÖTZ
With pink lips and free cupcakes, Venustia is helping PinkDrive support women diagnosed with breast cancer. Venustia has launched their ‘Pink Lip’ and ‘Donate and get a free cupcake’ initiatives on campus this week, encouraging students to raise awareness on social media and to donate to the cause. Nicole Brummer, vice-prim of
Venustia, said that they are building on last year’s lipstick initiative. “The Pink Lip is effective in the fact that if someone who rarely wears lipstick suddenly wears these bright pink lips, people are going to notice it and might start asking questions.” Members of Venustia have been handing out cupcakes in the Neelsie in return for a donation of any kind since Monday. “All donations from students will be given to PinkDrive to help them in
their efforts,” Brummer explained. Elsa Richter, second year BA Humanities student, said in response to the awareness week: “I believe that people on campus need to be aware of the threat breast cancer entails and must have the opportunity to help where they can.” Third year civil engineering student Theo-John Stergianos believes that breast cancer awareness is a vital aspect in any community. “I fully support Venustia in their
efforts and will definitely be donating for those cupcakes,” he said. PinkDrive is a non-profit organisation that aims to raise funds to help medically uninsured breast cancer victims. Fébé Meyer, Marketing and Event director of PinkDrive, said that PinkDrive helps to provide free scanning, such as mammograms, to women who are not medically insured. “We have worked with the university and some of its residences
in the past and we are very happy for Venustia’s contribution,” Meyer added. PinkDrive encourages both men and women to feel for lumps on a monthly basis from puberty onwards. Residences like Minerva and Huis ten Bosch have also shown their support by wearing pink lipstick and posting photos on social media, using the hashtag #bcaw2017.