Edition 12

Page 1

SINCE

1942 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

8 OCTOBER 2013

VOLUME 72: EDITION 12

varsitynewspaper.co.za

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Liesbeeck petition for Warden’s removal Hannah Gauss t the end of September, a petition drafted by the Liesbeeck Gardens Committee and Residence students called for the immediate replacement of the residence’s acting Warden Dr Tiriyanhu Chinyoka. The petition regards allegations made against Dr Chinyoka in which students expressed their concerns regarding the implementation of overly harsh disciplinary decisions, new rules such as the overnight visitors’ application process, the tragic loss of a student, and Dr Chinyoka’s behaviour towards students. Zanthemba Eleni, Safety and Security House Committee member from 2011, explains: “You will have to write a motivation letter why you want to have that visitor. [In the letter you need to state] what you are going to do in your room as visitors, even if it’s family.” “The allegations are very serious, such as the Acting Warden cursing to the students, or in many ways the Acting Warden making dictatorial decisions inside the residences,” states Jarred Devar, SRC Residence Coordinator. Throughout the year, Liesbeeck students and House Committee members forwarded multiple complaints to Devar. “The majority of cases coming in from Liesbeeck were DC [disciplinary court] cases,” Devar explains. The petition was drafted by students protesting the harsh implementation of new rules and disciplinary consequences by Dr Chinyoka. “Those particular [new] rules were implemented particularly harshly, I reflected that in my reports about certain DC cases,” says Devar. “I think in many ways it is the warden’s responsibility to engage with the nature and culture of a residence. That might be where the role of the Acting Warden has fallen a bit short.” “We want him to be replaced. We want a more permanent warden for the residence, someone who will understand the dynamics of students,” says Nonina Maranjana, former head-student of Liesbeeck House Committee. “There must be some kind of accountability for

A

Image: flickr.com/dayzeelar LIESBEECK GARDENS: Protests the implementation of new rules and disciplinary conseqeunces by acting Warden Dr Tiriyanhu Chinyoka. anymore,” says Eleni. Liesbeeck Gardens has a negative reputation on campus. “It is the worst self-catering res, you can’t even shower [and] the shops are far away,” explains Damian Smith, Actuarial Science student.

residents feel “infringed and overrun”

For the 2014 residence allocation, several students stated they declined the offer for a residence place in Liesbeeck Gardens. Student Arthur Kyara comments: “I got an offer for Liesbeeck, but I didn’t want to go so I dropped it and changed with someone.”

Additionally, students currently living in Liesbeeck are moving out of the residence. According to Eleni, “Throughout the year students have been moving out, doing res swaps and living on their own, because Liesbeeck has become the place where they can’t take it anymore.” After the petition was granted by the SRC, house members distributed the petition in Liesbeeck in order to gain support. Within days, Dr Chinyako sent an email to all residence members stating: “UCT residence system does not allow door-to-door campaigning of any sort of any reason in the residences unless possibly authorised by the warden.” The mail furthermore contained, “If the violators are SRC candidates then the wardens will naturally have to also report them to the CEO

of the SRC’s IEC [Independent Electoral Commission].” The Acting Executive Director of the Department of Student Affairs, the Director of Student Housing and Residence Life, as well as Dr Chinyoka refrained from commenting on the situation. Acting Executive Director of the Department of Student Affairs, Dr Ian Mackintosh, explained that students are “welcome to suggest amendments to the rules and policies governing residence life; such an amendment must be passed by Senate to take effect. Residence staff do not have the authority to establish or implement new rules.” He continued, “There is also a system in place for residents to bring their concerns to the attention of the Student Housing office.”

IN THIS ISSUE

wardens, like an evaluation system.” “We were told as House Committee that we could not call meetings with the Acting Warden because we did not have a head student – our head student left in June because she was done with school,” said Maranjana. Students living in the residence expressed a negative change in Liesbeeck. “The first two years it felt like a place you can call home. There was peace and Ubuntu,” says Zanthemba Eleni, former Safety and Security House Committee member in 2011. She says it is now a place where residents feel “infringed and overrun”. Residence students complained about a lack of interaction between residence management and residing students. “They feel that Dr Tiri doesn’t listen to what they say

Biko memorial

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First year spread

PAGE 11

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