News
3
07 October ‘13
Sasco to boycott SRC elections MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE The South African Students Congress (Sasco) is planning to boycott the upcoming Student Representative Council (SRC) elections and is encouraging students not to vote. This was revealed by the student organisation in an email distributed to its members. The email, which was also sent to the Department of Student Affairs, explains that the organisation disregards elections that are based on an “unconstitutional constitution”. Moreover, it has listed a number of issues that it has problems with regarding the upcoming elections. Sasco stated in the email that they are concerned that only individuals can run for SRC elections and they argue that individualism does not serve the interest of the working-class student. The email also stated their discontent with the backing up of some of the individual candidates by other student organisations. “Daso and AfriForum have backed candidates in these elections while the majority of the students running in their own capacities (majority black) have no political backing or support. Thus, the latter are automatically put at a great disadvantage, in an unfair election environment and this leads to misrepresentation,” the email said. However, the chief electoral officer for the 2013 SRC elections Dr Willem Jorissen told Perdeby that individual candidates are permitted to be supported by any society or organisation. “We don’t ban the backing up of individuals by any means from academic, political or religious societies or organisations,” he said. According to the new constitution, only individual candidates can run for SRC elections and they may disclose their affiliation. The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) at Tuks does not agree with the new constitution either and has made it clear that they
reject it. Mmuso Bookholane, the convener of the ANCYL, told Perdeby that the new constitution is not a product of the students but a product of the director of Student Affairs Dr Matete Madiba. In July this year the ANCYL expressed discontent with the constitution amendment process followed by Dr Madiba and criticised her leadership style. When Perdeby approached Dr Madiba for a response to this, she did not want to comment on their remarks. Bookholane stated that the problem with this new constitution is the whole process that was taken to rectify it as well as the assumption that the demographics of the university are the same as that of the country. “We wanted organisations and societies to be in equal footing with individuals in the elections and also for votes to determine who must be in the SRC,” he said. The ANCYL said that it is not supporting or backing up anyone running for elections but it will be supporting Sasco in its call for a boycott of the elections. Bookholane advised students not to participate in the upcoming elections because a proper SRC is needed. That is, an SRC not constituted solely of independent candidates. Sasco posed the question of how an SRC made up of a majority of middle-class white students would understand the issues and struggles of a black working-class student. Sasco’s email stated that, “A true democratic constitution would never allow for such a partial representation. When the voices of so many students are silenced, democracy is silenced too. This is not a democratic election; democracy has left Tuks.” The elections are set to take place on 17 October from 08:00 to 20:00 in order to accommodate students who will be writing scheduled assessments. Each student can vote for every elective portfolio.
“A true democratic constitution would never allow for such a partial representation. When the voices of so many students are silenced, democracy is silenced too.”
Finalised changes to the reses for 2014 MARISSA BRITS Over the past few months the University of Pretoria has been discussing and implementing changes to the management structures of the university residences. The changes focused on increasing the success rate of residence students and updating the current placement policy to allow for a greater number of first years to be placed in residence. The changes further focused on emphasising academic performance and empowering first years. In the new Residence Management Focus and Model document released by TuksRes, it states that it is the core purpose of residences to support academic excellence without excluding the development of a well-rounded student. The document provides guidelines to explain what will be considered as acceptable traditions. Acceptable traditions are regarded as traditions that are value-adding, all-inclusive and acceptable by all house members. The document further focused on welcoming week and initiation practices in residences. TuksRes stated that it is the role of the head of the residence and house committee to provide leadership to first years that will affect them positively. Furthermore, TuksRes stated that there is a strong correlation between the academic performance of students and a student’s feelings of security, trust and comfort. It is for this reason that any initiation practices that include screaming, humiliation, sleep deprivation, restrictions on the use of facilities, pressure to consume alcohol, risk of injury, secrecy, hitting, punching and military-style practices such as standing in rows have been banned. First years will be given the same status and be treated in the same way as other residence members after welcoming week. Specific greetings for house committee members and mascots will only be allowed to take place during welcoming week and ontheffing is to take place at the end of the week. Further changes include the implementation of weekly house meetings and compulsory academic development sessions for all first years from Monday to Wednesday. Any form of greeting, whether to a senior or a mascot, will only be allowed if it is done by all house members. The same applies for any form of clothing. Visitors for both female and male residences are now restricted to common areas such as gardens and foyers. The future of the male residences’ clubhouses is also under consideration. According to TuksRes, the residences are alcohol-free zones and the existing clubhouses are impossible to manage within the liquor licence agreement. TuksRes has proposed that the liquor licence be cancelled and residences obtain permission to serve alcohol through the means of an
Huis Maroela’s mascot Marools outside their residence. Photo: Charlotte Bastiaanse
Katjiepiering girls’residence. Photo: Charlotte Bastiaanse application form. A HK member from a male residence told Perdeby, “I am feeling very pessimistic about the changes. They want to take away everything we as students enjoy.” According to Prof. Roelf Visser, director of residence affairs and accommodation, a proposal has been submitted by the residence chairmen and primarias but a decision regarding the clubhouses has not yet been finalised. Email perdeby@up.ac.za or tweet @Perdebynews to tell us what you think about the changes the university is making to residences.
INTERVARSITY NEWS KEEGAN FRANCES University of Witwatersrand (Wits) Two deans have resigned from Wits. The deans are not the first to have resigned. According to Eyewitness News, several other senior staff members have resigned in the midst of Wits’s current restructuring programme. Dean of Student Affairs Prem Coopoo and Dean of Health Sciences Prof. Ahmed Wadee handed in their resignations on 25 and 26 September respectively. According to Business Day Live, Prof. Wadee resigned with immediate effect after being dismissed by the National Health Laboratory Service pending an investigation. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Adam Habib said that he was not at liberty to discuss the matter with the media due to legal rules and protocols. Prof. Habib told Business Day Live that Coopoo chose to take early retirement after being placed on special leave pending an investigation into personal relations between herself and colleagues. Rhodes University Rhodes has approached Parliament for aid after large areas of Grahamstown have been left without water. According to Grocott’s Mail, residents in certain areas have been left without water since 23 September. According to the Rhodes executive director for infrastructure, finance and operations Dr Laine L’Ange, the outages affecting the university were caused by pumps malfunctioning at the Howieson’s Poort Dam pump station and the Waainek Water Treatment Plant. According to Grocott’s Mail, Rhodes officials received confirmation in writing from the presidency that the issue was being addressed and that a refurbished pump would be delivered on the weekend. The pump only arrived last Monday and municipal officials said that the problem would be resolved by 1 October. On Friday Rhodes students were still without water. University of Johannesburg (UJ) The 18-year-old UJ student who hijacked and kidnapped a fellow student at the UJ Kingsway Campus two months ago has been expelled. According to Eyewitness News, the accused student approached a 23-year-old accounting student when she was parking her car. He held her at gunpoint and forced her into the boot of her own car. He then withdrew cash from her account before abandoning her in Eldorado Park and escaping with the car. The accused student was apprehended by the police after the stolen Volkswagen Polo was discovered outside his Ennerdale home. The victim who wished to remain anonymous due to the trauma caused by the event told Eyewitness News that she is relieved that her attacker has been expelled, adding that she thought the action was fair considering the charges. University of Cape Town (UCT) UCT student Pabie Tabo has been identified as the administrator of the UCT-exposed blog containing academic grades, private information and the correspondence of UCT students. A report compiled by UCT students Kieran Duggan and David Horscroft and former UCT computer science employee Ben Steenhuisen, which was included in an article by Wits Vuvuzela, stated that the blog “publically name[d] and shame[d] people based on their marks or dress sense” and accused “UCT members of racism and [sexually objectifying] other students”. Tabo, also known as Qamram Tabo, claims that there was a third party who accessed her UCT profile to publish information. The validity of this statement will only be confirmed when UCT investigators review security camera footage.