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Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks
29August2011
year73issue17
Elections 2011: SRC under review
Pre-Spring Day under threat
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NINA VAN WYK
events in recent years and has partially funded the National Serenade Competition which will be held at Tuks this week. The 2012 orientation schedule has been reorganized to ensure that there will be space for Ienk Melodienk and that it does not clash with Rag. “Surely the university would not have provided nancial and other support for events it intends to discontinue,” Mulder said. Regarding Rag, the recent problems with the Tuks Rag Committee have prompted management to review Rag. “The university has provided assistance and support for the Rag Committee to overcome their challenges. This has empowered them to continue Rag in its current form next year,” Mulder said.
Recently AfriForum Youth started a petition to preserve some of the university’s traditions believed to be under threat. It was rumoured that the university board recently debated discontinuing Serrie, Ienk Melodinek, Rag and Spring Day. According to Nicolize Mulder, Media Liaison Ofcer, university management wrote a letter to house committees the week before last, to correct misconceptions that were created by the AfriForum petition. In the letter it was conrmed that Serrie, Ienk Melodienk and Serenade are not at risk. Mulder said that university management has contributed signicant resources to these
Spring Day is also not being discontinued and according to Mulder, arrangements for the annual Spring Day party are in an advanced stage. Further Mulder said, “It should be noted that Spring Day, like all future large-scale events, must now comply with the terms of the Safety at Sports and Recreation Events Act, No 2 of 2010 (new legislation enacted in 2010). This means that arrangements are much more complex than in the past.” In conclusion Mulder wanted to remind students that it is August and that this is the time of year when societies and individual candidates start running their SRC election campaigns. “In an election, as it is in the case of war, the truth is often the rst victim,” Mulder stated. “The recent
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petition about student traditions is unfortunately misleading in the extreme. It has stirred up much unnecessary negative emotion on campus. Even in an election, this is unacceptable.” University management was further concerned about students who unthinkingly provide their contact details on petition or other forms without considering the consequences. Mulder concluded: “It is disconcerting that the full particulars of signatories to the petition, including their student numbers and contact details, [were] put on public display on the grafti wall. There are no guarantees about how or by whom the information students provide in this manner will be used in future.”
NINA VAN WYK You may have noticed the newly painted footprints on campus and wondered what their purpose might be. Perdeby investigated and found that they are in fact tness trails. Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, Vice Chancellor of the university, had the idea of making a tness trail on campus. Johan Brits, Head of Facilities, said, “The idea was to give the staff the opportunity to go out on campus and be active instead of sitting in front of their computers all day. It offers a safe way of spending your lunch hour without leaving campus.” Brits also said that it is a way for students and staff to see all the beauty on campus and to get some fresh air. The footprints are antelopetracks. The yellow footprints show a shorter trail (2200m) while the red footprints show a longer trail (4100m). These two trails are 100% wheelchair friendly. The blue pawprint trail is for the more active hiker who wants more obstacles like stairs. The starting point of each route is at the Student Centre, although you may start the trail at any point. Photos: Kobus Barnard
2011 election supplement inside