RUTV 3

Rhodes University Society sign-up eveningThis is a piece about society sign-up evening at Rhodes University. The piece looks at how societies get students to sign-up to their different societies, the tactics they use, the different goodies they promise students etc. It also looks at the meassures SRC have put  in place into making sure that societies do not  only sign-up these students without doing antything constructive with the money. We spoke to difference societies signing up members, students signing up to these societies and Lastly, the SRC President, international vice president and the societies councillor about this matter.

A doccie exploring the taverns at Tanty location and the role they play in exacerbating crime in the area.

These are two women of vastly different ages who give an insight into their thoughts on crime and how it affects their community. This respose came after virewing a document, titled “Taverns at Tantyi” which showed how they are a hot spot for crime in the area. The community came with many ideas about how crime could be solved in the community, with the young and the old getting involved. What was important was then feeling as though their opinions did matter, and that what they had to say was valuable. In that regard, civic journalism is important because it is journalism ultimatley made by the public., They are the news, they matter. With a sensitive issue like crime, a sensitive approach is needed. It is difficult because you are essentially opening up old wounds for people and asking them to revivist painful memories. But what was interesting to note was that the kind of neighbourhood meeting we had, allowed for a safe space where people did not need to feel intimidated or afraid to share their stories and opinions.
-A story by Grethe and Sbosh-

  His lyrics have meaning to them as he tries to make the world a better place through his music. He speaks his mind and will not stop until his point has been reached… Read more about S.C.A.M on his MySpace Page:

http://www.myspace.com/scamcallcottstevens

Rhodes University 3rd year student Phakamani Lisa is COPING just fine. With the upcoming South African national elections on the 22nd of April 2009, she knows exactly where her ballot is going to go- for ANC breakaway party, COPE. With student apathy a major concern, Phakamani provides a refreshing perspective as to why she has placed her hope in COPE.

You may have watched our video on the Get home safe project. A new report gives some of the stats around the problem. They are really shocking. RUTV reporter Matthew Mpahlwa  goes into detail to bring you more on this story.

It is probably uncontroversial to state that all university campuses struggle with containing and controlling alcohol consumption by their students, since the age at which students first enter such institutions is an age of freedom and experimentation, where young people have the opportunity to test the limits previously set by parents and schools. This story attempts to address this gap by reporting on a survey of alcohol usage patterns at Rhodes University (in Grahamstown), the smallest tertiary institution in South Africa, with an annual enrolment of just under 6000 students. This story provides a brief overview of strategies which the University has adopted in recent years in an attempt to control alcohol usage and alcohol abuse, as well as describing the local context, which is also relevant to student drinking behaviour. While the level of drinking at Rhodes University is possibly no higher than that at any other University in South Africa, it does have a rather undesirable reputation as the “drinking university”, and the reason for this is twofold: firstly, the drinking behaviour is highly visible, because of the size of the town, and because of the location of many off-campus pubs and bars near to the university. This means that Rhodes students pursue their after-hours relaxation in a very concentrated, small area like Rhodes University.

As a result of this situation, the Dean of Students Office initiated the Get Home Safe Project, to serve as safety net for students to arrive home safely after long hours of drinking. They will be driven home by student volunteers who are on stand -by on all night. During week days they operate from  Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am in the morning.

For more information on the Get Home Safe project you can visit the Dean of Students website using the following link :  http://www.ru.ac.za/deanofstudents