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One on one with the SRC president
SRC President Enwee Human. Photo provided HUMPHREY MOKOENA Tell us about yourself. I am a very humble guy. I am a full-time student studying LLB Law and I’m doing my final year this year. I’m also a BCom Law graduate. I’m a big sport fan as well. How do you feel about being the new SRC president? It’s still sinking in. In our first meeting the guys seemed very excited, quite bright-eyed and had a lot of ideas for this year. So I am excited because they’re excited as well. What legacy do you want to leave? The biggest legacy that has been left at this university, according to me, is by Dr Anton Rupert. He was a Tukkie of the century. I want to leave a sense of pride in the university and wherever I go I will always be a Tukkie. How was your experience as a first year? I am a boytjie born and bred in Pretoria. It was a very big adjustment from matric to being a first-
News
18 January ‘14
year student. The university is big, believe me, this place is huge. Once I was walking around with my backpack and sandwiches that my mother had made for me and I walked around here not knowing where to go. I remember I asked this one girl where the Centenary Building is and she sent me all the way past the Aula. I was stupid enough to fall for that because I was a little bit naïve. So one learns a lot in first year. Would you encourage new students to take part in organisations or societies on campus? Of course. It’s a platform where you can meet a lot of new people. You will always learn more about yourself, other people and different cultures. Looking back at your first year, what would you have done differently? Nothing. In life you will always go through hard times, it’s always an emotional rollercoaster ride. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today if the things that happened to me didn’t happen. I just think that everything that you do is a development of yourself in the end. Get yourself some goals and work towards those. What has been your highlight of university so far? There’s a lot. I had the opportunity to be the speaker of the student parliament. Also I was the deputy chairperson of the TSC (Temporary Student Comittee) and now being SRC president is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. Otherwise, being a student here. Through the years we’ve had our rugby team winning the Varsity Cup a few times beating the Maties. I’d also like to think the fact that we are on our way to becoming one of the top 200 universities in the world is a highlight for me. What advice would you give to first-year students? It’s always a big thing when you get to university because you suddenly now have all this freedom that you didn’t have in high school. The right thing to do is to have a balanced life that allows you to do proper planning. Manage your time effectively so that you can have enough time to study and a social life as well.
Political organisations on campus MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE It is still your early days of being a first-year student at Tuks and you may have noticed some politcal groups around campus. Perdeby has compiled a guide to political organisations if you consider joining one. AfriForum Youth AfriForum Youth is a civil rights organisation that believes in the promotion of mother tongue education and the development of healthy student traditions. It is opposed to racial profiling and believes that admission to university should be based on academic merit. Although it is not a political organisation, AfriForum Youth participates in the SRC elections. According to Barend Taute, chairperson of AfriForum Youth at Tuks, the organisation is continuously committed to the protection of student and residence traditions. Last year AfriForum Youth successfully campaigned to reduce Varsity Cup ticket prices. ANC Youth League (ANCYL) The ANCYL is the national and non-racial democratic youth wing of the ANC. It aims to champion the interests of the youth and the UP wing aims to drive transformation at the university. It campaigns for better student services and a more efficient prioritisation of services. The ANCYL at Tuks works with Sasco on the Right to Learn Campaign which has successfully increased access to the university and its services. Mmuso Bookholane, the convener of the ANCYL at Tuks, said that the ANCYL encourages young people to analyse society objectively. Cope@Tuks Cope@Tuks is the student faction of Cope. Thabiso Padi, chairperson of Cope@Tuks, said that the organisation aims to foster an environment in which students feel that they can be assisted. He added that Cope@Tuks works together with the SRC in order to meet students’ needs. Cope@Tuks was influential in implementing the transport system to Sunnyside and Arcadia and the SRC feeding scheme, and in extending library hours during examination times.
Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (Daso) Daso is the youth sector of the DA. Daso aims to create a more fair financial aid policy at UP and to make the university more inclusive and diverse. It is also committed to community engagement through charity projects in disadvantaged communities. Daso was the driving force behind the night-bus service to Arcadia. Former SRC president Mthokozisi Nkosi, a member of Daso, created the Study Finance portfolio on the SRC that assists students experiencing financial difficulties. Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) Pasma is a socialist organisation that believes that people improve their social and economic positions through education. Pasma aims to forge a classless society in which everyone is equal. The organisation also believes in free education. Pasma usually assists students in matters concerning accommodation, financial assistance, applications and academic exclusions. The current chairperson of Pasma at Tuks, Andries Petsoane, says that their assistance is not confined to their members but instead to students in general. He also added that Pasma encourages students to be politically conscious regarding issues affecting them. South African Students Congress (Sasco) Sasco is one of the biggest student political movements in Africa. The organisation aims for a non-racial and non-sexist learning environment and focuses on challenges faced by students from working class backgrounds. In addition to the Right to Learn Campaign, Sasco assists students facing academic and financial exclusion. Sasco is also committed to helping prospective students get admission to the university. Zandile Nkambule from Sasco said that their organisation will help students “grow politically as well as excel academically”.
Societies at Tuks BOIPELO BOIKHUTSO Student life is not only comprised of academics but social activities as well. Joining a society is one of the easiest ways to meet new people and make friends. Tuks has a number of societies that you can consider being a part of. TuksRag TuksRag is a charity initiative run by students. The 2013 chairperson Kiandiko Kasure said that TuksRag aims to encourage students to become involved in fundraising and community service projects. Rag raises funds by hosting events such as the Rag procession and Spring Day. Rag also hosts the TuksRag Queen pageant. This competition is held annually and is open to female students between the ages of 18 and 25. The participants, called debutantes, have to raise funds for charity as well as compete in the beauty competition. Rag is also famous for its annual Pot `n Pons event. At Pot `n Pons residences and day houses compete with each other by cooking a potjie and making punch. Each residence has to set up a stall with their Rag partners decorated according to a chosen theme. Stuku Stuku (Student Culture) was established in 1994. Stuku hosts Ienkmelodienk, a competition held every year during Orientation Week to welcome first years that are part of residences and day houses. It also hosts events such as Serrie and Serenade. In 2013 Stuku held events such as Tuks Idols and Tuks Dance-Off to allow day students the opportunity to engage in student life activities.
According to the new chairperson of Stuku, Lohann Pretorius, Stuku promises this year to be “a year of great change and a challenge”. The Inklings The university’s literary society The Inklings is one of the oldest societies on campus. The society started as a group called “The Holists” in 1982 when some students from the English department decided to write and perform a revue on the literary history from 1890 to 1914. The society runs creative writing competitions and in 2013 it ran a 55-word short story competition. The Inklings also runs creative writing workshops and publishes a bilingual magazine called Inclinations. According to chairperson Carole Godfrey the aim of The Inklings is to promote literature, language arts and culture on campus. She added, “We welcome all film or book addicts, whoever has an interest in reading, writing, acting or arts of any kind.” Up and Out Up and Out is Tuks’s official LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) society. The 2013 chairperson Nazo Tunzi said that it aims to “unite LGBTI people and provide information and campaigns that challenge and combat internalised homophobia and external homophobia”. Psyche The Psyche society is targeted at psychology students. It was established in 2010 but officially launched in 2011. It provides psychology students with practical experience within some fields of psychology by presenting them with opportunities to volunteer at various organisations. The volunteer work takes place
Kollege and Magrietjie at Pot `n Pons 2013. Photo: Michael Mbaya from March to November. Chairperson Byron Smit said that the society produces “a higher calibre of psychologists and provides additional support to the Department of Psychology”. Penseed Poets Penseed Poets is a poetry organisation formed and grounded in Christianity. The society was established in 2008 and it was initially called “Poets of the Light”. According to Kabelo Tlailane, one of the
founders of Penseed Poets, the society started with the idea of introducing an innovative and effective medium to reach out to people in an attempt to challenge and change perceptions and stereotypes. Tlailane explained that the society’s name comes from the notion that a pen can be used to plant a seed through poetry.