RUTV 3

Fired_Soul
Last month panel of Rhodes management, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Dr Mabizela), the Dean of Student’s office as well as the SRC sat to decide on the presence of election campaign poster on campus. Thapelo Tselapedi, Vice president External of the SRC says that the executive committe of the SRC had decided that they would oppose decision taken by management to ban election campaign posters on campus. However when they executive committee took their decision to council, they were defeated. Management had already decided that posters should be banned, stating that they felt that there is a manner in which a university must represent itself and that the presence of election campaign posters would be harmful to the aesthetics of the university.

The SRC in opposing this decision taken by management states that Rhodes is a public instutution and should not isolate itself from society.

A decision was then taken by managemnt and the SRC to allow political parties to put up poster to advertise events on campus. Parties may use these events to put up election campaign posters around and inside the venue of the event, but only on the day of the event and for the duration of the event.

If you were in high school less than four years ago I am sure you still remember the feeling of being a learner. Sitting behind the desk and regurgitating what the teacher is feeding you. But things have changed now, the matriculants of 2008 wrote their first examination under the Outcome Based Education system (OBE). The system encourages them to apply what their have learnt in the class room in real life situations and think critically. Despite the change in the education system I still felt like I could relate to the learners on a very personal level. I also went to a high school in a previously disadvantaged community like T.E.M Mrwetyana Senior Secondary School-Grahamstown. The teacher we interviewed mentioned that one of the reasons why they could not successfully implement the OBE curricular is because they school does not have enough resources 

Listen to the podcast to hear more about what the OBE teacher had to say about the system:[podcast]http://rutv3.ru.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/teachermp3.mp3[/podcast]

 

 

 

How we followed the story: – “If it bleeds, it leads”

After brainstorming all possible angles we were going to follow to put together the story. We just noted down possible sources, location for filming and the research. One of the sources we were going to use is Prof. Chrissie Boughey; she is the Rhodes University Dean of learning and teaching. Prof Boughey was quoted in an article published in the previous edition of the Financial Mail. We could not meet with her for an interview so we were going to use her picture as a graphic cutaway in our package and also use her quote. We could not do that because we had to make the package as short as possible. Check out the full article about OBE: 

 

 

 

 

“The Benchmark Tests assess students against a set of ‘benchmark competencies’ — skills experienced academics have identified as necessary if students are to be able to engage with first-year work”.

 -Prof Boughey                                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may have watched  our video on the Get home safe project.

                      AND NOW JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

This is what your kids get up to  when you send them to study at university.

What’s the remedy, give us your comment

The man behind the mic…
He hails from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal and S.C.A.M is his rap name. Its meaning is simple. His initials are M.A.C.S which stands for Matthew Augustus Callcott-Stevens. S.C.A.M is his initials backwards, and this is to ensure that his name and who he is stays with him forever. A true cild of the new South Africa, S.C.A.M was born on the same day former president Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and shares his vision for a unified and more prosperous South Africa…..
Our story came about when S.C.A.M started to receive a lot of attention following the release of his debut album, “Rhythm and Rhymes”. He was featured on 5FM for an interview with Gareth Cliff, he was previewed in Oppidan Press, and local record label African Dope Records attempted to sign him to their label. However, all this hype turned bitter when S.C.A.M’s lyrics were scrutinized by members of the ANCYL in particular their president, Julius Malema. When we heard that S.C.A.M had in fact received threats from Julius Malema’s office and his parents were considering taking legal action, we decided the story would be relevant not only to students, but to the political climate with the elections approaching. While S.C.A.M lists a number of influences from Tupac to Nas to Skwatta Kamp, his greatest influence was the life altering experience of his father dying from lung cancer when he was a teenager. A devastating loss at any age, but too much to bare at 14, S.C.A.M went off the rails, ignoring his childhood friends and hanging out with thugs and dealers. Daily life soon involved fighting and smoking marijuana. Things reached an all time low when S.C.A.M tried to end his life. Thankfully he was unsuccessful. But with his anger consuming him, he realised that he needed to channel his destructive behaviour more constructively . When somebody suggested he try writing lyrics, he attempted it and really enjoyed it. S.C.A.M’s first song, “Heaven at 57,”(about his beloved father) gave him a sense of fulfilment that had been missing since his father’s death and encouraged him to write more. It was at this point that he was sent to boarding school to start a new life, and soon his focus shifted fromfighting and drugs to writing lyrics in every spare moment he had.

As a third year student at Rhodes University I have become accustomed to a certain standard of food. Being in Nelson Mandela Hall I have always commented that our catering is the best on campus, I have compared it with many other halls. Returning to res in 2009, however, I was surprised at the changes to our menu, particularly breakfasts.

But, where is the cheese?
Instead of having hot, substantial breakfasts every morning, there is now a limited option of cereal, toast, a juice or piece of fruit. Students who have been living within the residence system are used to options ranging from savoury mince and poached eggs, to my personal favourite, croissants and cheese. A lot fewer students are booking breakfast meals through the online system as they are simply not enticed by the new budget-friendly menu.

There has got to be an easier way…
While the University has put forward valid reasons for the meal alterations, students are still not satisfied.. They now have to spend more money either at the supermarkets or at the day Kaif. The money that is owed to these students from the unbooking of their meals, breakfast in particular, is only released to them at the end of each semester. This means that students who unbook say R500 worth of breakfasts have to wait till the end of term 2 to get this money back. There should be a system in place that allows students to get this money back earlier, maybe on a two week cycle? See the video below for a SRC’s explanation for the meal changes.
 
I have also noticed the vast increase in student numbers on campus. If I come to the dining hall at half past twelve after my lecture, I get to the front of the queue at around one o’ clock. This was totally unheard of last year and the year before that. See some of the other stories on the RUTV3 blog (particularly “Behind the Crowds”) to find out more information on the overcrowding at Rhodes this year.

                                                         GET HOME SAFE PROJECT – MORE DETAIL BELOW

You may have watched  our video on the Get home safe project.

NOTICE: We are pleased to announce that the GHS project is now up and running.

The “Get Home Safe” Project is brought to you by the Dean of Students’. It is an initiative that has been in the pipe-line for the better part of 2 years and is finally ready to get ‘on the road!’

“Get Home Safe” is an initiative that encourages students to take responsibility and to plan their leisure activities so that they do not place themselves in vulnerable positions. It is a proactive venture aimed to provide a ‘safety net’ for students, and promotes the idea that students should be responsible about their personal safety and alcohol consumption. While the ‘Get Home Safe’ vehicle will be a free service to all registered Rhodes students, it is definitely not a taxi – it is a last resort safety precaution when students find themselves in danger. There will be an educational intervention with those students who make excessive use of the service. Students are reminded to be responsible for themselves before we have to be responsible for them.

The soul of “Get Home Safe” is the 12 dedicated, enthusiastic student drivers who make up the GHS Team. The 6 male and 6 female students were selected from a great number of applicants (an indication of the level of support this initiative already has in the student community) and have been briefed and trained and are ready to go! The attached GHS brochure, poster and press release have all the information you need, in a nut shell!

For further information contact the Project Co-ordinator, Ms Pamela Pierce, in the Dean of Students’ office