His election as chairperson of a special interest group (SIG) within an influential American educational research association has opened up the world to Prof Berté van Wyk.

Prof Van Wyk, chairperson of the Department of Education Policy Studies in the Faculty of Education has been involved with the Caribbean and African Studies in Education (CASE) special interest group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) for the past five years and was elected to serve a two-year term as chairperson from 2015 to 2017.

Africa and the Caribbean have certain overlapping research interests, according to Prof van Wyk, because many Caribbean residents' ancestors were slaves from Africa.

The SIG offers researchers a platform to share their research and also influences the research agenda by identifying certain topics that research must be aligned with.

As chairperson of CASE, Prof van Wyk would like to expand the group's footprint by increasing membership and scholarly output and expanding the network.

"We must also showcase our research in line with our mandate to encourage, conduct, coordinate and disseminate research of education specific to Caribbean and African countries," he communicated to members recently. To achieve this, he plans to edit a book with contributions by CASE members.

"It's a great honour to have been chosen as chairperson of CASE and it has opened up the world to me," he said. "I don't have enough time to take up all the opportunities that are coming my way. It also contributes to the visibility of SU as scholars and researchers are now expressing a desire to visit Stellenbosch.

"It's a very rewarding and humbling experience," he said.​

​​​The Varsity Netball match between Maties and NWU-Pukke on Monday was declared a draw after the game was unexpectedly interrupted in the third quarter due to load shedding.

The Varsity Sports Executive Committee, in consultation with the affected teams, have agreed to declare the game between Maties and NWU-Pukke a draw. 

“We have decided to declare the game a draw with both teams on 34 goals each,” said Duitser Bosman, Varsity Sports CEO. 

“This was a really close match with both teams taking the lead at various times in the game. The score at the time of the interruption was 34 NWU-Pukke and 32 Maties. The specific rules pertaining to the domestic situation will be written into the Varsity Netball rules before the weekend’s games in Pretoria,” concluded Bosman.

After three games, Maties are fourth on the log.

Photo: SASPA

A degree in international business is one of the new programmes that will be launched in 2016 by Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. The four-year course will attract students who are planning a career in a multinational business.

The Bachelor of Commerce in International Business will be presented in English medium only and will include an exchange semester that will see students enrol at a university abroad during their third year of study

Increasing globalization lies at the root of this full-time programme, said Prof Ronel du Preez, the Faculty's Vice-Dean of Teaching and Learning. "Many South African businesses have expanded their operations beyond their traditional domestic markets, while a large number of multinational firms has entered the South African market. They require employees who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to work locally and internationally."

The composition of the BCom (International Business) programme includes a combination of subjects from the Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Law, Arts and Social Sciences. BCom subjects make up the majority of the programme content and are complemented by subjects such as intercultural competence and the legal aspects of international business transactions.

In their first year, students will also be introduced to a foreign language when they have to choose one of Chinese, German or French.

According to Programme Coordinator Prof Pierre Erasmus only 30 places are available, and students will be selected on academic merit. Admission requirements include a Mathematics mark of at least 60%, as well as 60% for English Home Language or 70% for English First Additional Language.

"However, these are the minimum requirements. The programme will make heavy demands on students and they will have to consistently perform well," Prof Erasmus said.

"Students who fail modules, will have to change courses. They will be allowed to continue with a BCom (Management Sciences) degree."

• For more information, click here.
  

​​​Delegates from 12 law faculties in South Africa along with representatives from various branches of the legal profession and a number of language experts attended the second national workshop on the development of LLB graduates' writing abilities. 

The workshop, which took place on 10 and 11 September 2015 in Somerset West, was organised by Theo Broodryk and Chantelle Golombick of the Faculty of Law, Stellenbosch University. Werksmans Attorneys sponsored the event. The aim was to continue conversation between law teachers and other stakeholders at a national level on what can be done to develop law students' writing abilities.

Prof Laurel Currie Oates, Director of Seattle University's Legal Writing Program which has been ranked as the top legal writing program in the United States by U.S. and World Reports, conducted day one of the workshop. Prof Oates dealt with a variety of topics, exposing the workshop attendees to a variety of teaching techniques. This involved dealing with issues such as best practices in teaching legal writing, establishing program objectives and objectives for individual classes, assignment design and providing feedback to students.

Day two commenced with language experts from Stellenbosch University's Language Centre, Marisca Coetzee and Helga Sykstus, sharing their insights regarding the development of appropriate reading strategies for understanding academic and legal texts. 

This was followed by a session presented by Gail Kemp, Director of the Law Society's School for Legal Practice, during which she explained their approach to developing students' legal writing skills. Thereafter, Professor Salim Nakhjavani and Jean Moore presented on the reconceptualization of the Writing Centre at the Wits School of Law.

The workshop concluded with a panel discussion on proposed collaboration methods going forward. The panel consisted of Prof Geo Quinot, Vice Dean of the Law Faculty at Stellenbosch University, Advocate Tim Bruinders SC of the General Council of the Bar and Mr Shayne Krige, Director at Werksmans Attorneys. Following this discussion, delegates decided to form an association that can serve as a permanent structure to promote active engagement around the issue of writing development across all stakeholders in legal education. 

A committee was constituted to guide the initiative under the lead of Prof Nakhjavani. The remaining committee members are Mrs Jean Moore, Prof Anton Kok, Dr Karin Chinnian, Mrs Elmarie Fourie and Mr Theo Broodryk.

The full programme of the event is available here.

 Photo Captions:

1: Members of the committee elected to establish a new association focusing on legal writing development (from left): Prof Anton Kok, Ms Jean Moore, Dr Karin Chinnian, Mr Theo Broodryk, Mrs Elmarie Fourie and Prof Salim Nakhjavani. 

2: Prof Laurel Currie Oates, Director of Seattle University's Legal Writing Program with Mr Theo Broodryk of the Stellenbosch Law Faculty.​

​Leaders have to convey a message of hope while at the same time addressing challenges in such a way that others can be convinced there is hope.

"Hope is the common denominator which can spur rich and poor to action," said Stellenbosch Executive Mayor Conrad Sidego on Monday (14 September) at a breakfast jointly hosted by Stellenbosch University's Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development (FVZS) and the ATKV.

At this event, which was also attended by a number of corporate sponsors, Folkers Williams, Programme Coordinator: External Offering of the FVZ, the ATKV's Ms Melvina Mason Hearne and Seymour Bothman supplied more information about the Leadership Development and Academic Success Programme.

The FVZS Institute this year launched the programme at Hoërskool Strand where learners were trained in leadership skills. This programme will be extended to another three schools in 2016.

According to Mason Hearne the ATKV decided to become involved in this programme after an article by Sidego appeared in Rapport (''Die toekoms lê inderdaad in jong mense se hande" –  12 July 2015) in which he wrote about the importance of involving the youth in important decisions and to help shape and empower them as leaders.

Sidego said learners are in the spring of their lives. What their summers will be like, is determined by the kind of care guidance they receive now as "young trees".

"These Spring People have to be guided to become ideal Summer People.  We need individuals as well as corporate citizens to help these young people to address the many challenges they have to face now."

With the Leadership Development and Academic Success Programme learners are, taught a number of skills, including debating skills, they are taught how to manage conflict and the complexities of multi-culturalism are addressed.

"With this programme the young leader's role as an active citizen is also highlighted," said Folkers Williams.

 At the ATKV/FVZS breakfast on 14 September were messrs Seymour Bothman (Senior Manager: Education (ATKV)), Mark Kays,  Banie Breda, a financial planner at Metroplitan,  Conrad Sidego (Executive Mayor ofStellenbosch) and Daniël Nienaber of Metropolitan. In front are: Folkers Williams, Co-ordinator External Offering (FVZS) and Ms Melvina Mason Hearne , Project Organiser: Eductation (ATKV Western Cape).

​ 

People should not just be the targets of development but should also participate in processes that aim to improve their lives.

This was one of the viewpoints of Prof Karel August of the Department of Practical Theology and Missiology in the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University in his inaugural lecture on Monday (14 September 2015).

August said for development to be successful, especially in local contexts, it has to be consistent with people's aspirations and also be contextually and culturally relevant.

He added that people should be allowed to participate in their own development and not be treated as objects, targets and beneficiaries, nor manipulated as participants in designs and projects that are not of their own doing.

"People must be both the target of development and the tools (subject) with which to attain it. In becoming the tools to shape their own development, people create a world of meaning that enables them to understand their social reality."

"The participation of people in their own development is an essential part of human growth and a process through which people themselves become aware of and understand their problems and the social reality within which they live in order to affect lasting solutions for themselves at the grassroots level."

August said since priorities, needs and criteria for development may differ in each community and may not always be the same as those of the development worker, people should decide for themselves what improvements are needed and how they are to be created.

August said it is important to recognise that all rural communities still cherish their culture as manifestations of their traditional knowledge, skill, values, customs, organisation and management systems and institutions.

He added that since development is aimed at improving peoples' lives, it has to consider their culture, that is, their spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features.

"Culture should at all times be respected in the way in which we conduct the study and process of development."

"One of the reasons for the failure of various development strategies was that the cultural dimension had long been a neglected aspect of development."

He said that in an attempt to bring material benefit, "customs and social patterns have been ignored and local tradition seen as an obstacle to change and technology, without understanding the rationality of society's accumulated wisdom".

August emphasized that these essentials have enabled people in the local setting to survive as communities in a specific physical and social environment.

• ​Photo: Prof Karel August (middle) with Proff Nico Koopman, Acting Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, and Hendrik Bosman, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Theology, at the inaugural lecture.
  
• Photographer: Justin Alberts
  

​

The Student Forum Executive Committee hosted the first ever departmental Genetics quiz night early September 2015. Students and staff of the Genetics department were invited to "a night of braintainment, good food and amazing wine". On arrival, there was snacks and wine (compliments to Inqaba Biotech and Rickety Bridge), while the guests had to find their randomised team partners via colour coded wristbands. And with team names such as Quizards of Oz and Bantersaurus Rex the night promised to be a lot of scientific fun!

The quiz started off with a fundamental genetics question – an easy question considering there was an abundance of geneticists and geneticists-to-be in the room. Team Darwin raised some eyebrows when they could not name Mendel's law of independent assortment. A question about the original name of the month of August bowled everyone over except for Team Bantersaurus Rex, who immediately knew the answer to be Sextilis.  Team Mars walked away as the winners of the evening and received sponsored prizes from the faculty of Science and Save Our Seas Foundation.

The evening ended off on a high note with a sponsored dinner party by Baobab Capital at The Big Easy where everyone was treated to hamburgers and drinks. The Genetics Quiz Night was a definitive success with entertaining atmosphere – and to quote a certain prominent person in the department: "The genetics department is definitive a hamily, I mean happy family!"

All the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science's top awards for 2014 were taken by female students, with the prestigious Merck Award for the best final-year chemistry student going to Ms Jean Lombard.

Ms Lombard also walked away with the award for the best performance in Analytical Chemistry in the second and third year. This is a new award, initiated by Prof Klaus Koch, to encourage the study of Analytical Chemistry.

The other prize winners were:

• Ms Roxine Staats – Merck award for the best final-year student in Biotechnology
• Ms Petronella Wessels – Element Six (Pty) Ltd DST/NRF Centre of Excellence award for the best third-year student in Chemistry, including Polymer Science
• Ms Sunel de Kock – SMM award for the best honours student in chemistry
• Ms Inge Weideman - Element Six (Pty) Ltd DST/NRF Centre of Excellence award for the best honours student in Polymer Science
• Ms Jana Botha – Book prize for the best second-year student

During a special award ceremony on Friday 24 April 2015, departmental head Prof. Peter Mallon said the department strives towards producing the best graduate students for South Africa's chemical industry.

"The chemical industry and chemists will be central to addressing many of the challenges South Africa faces. We are producing some of the best chemistry graduates in the country, students who will be able to go out and tackle those challenges. Many of our graduates have gone on to leading roles both nationally and internationally" he said.

Over the past 27 years winners of the Merck award, for example, have established a tradition of excellence. The 2009 winner of the Merck award, Sean Robinson, is busy with his doctorate at Oxford University, while other winners like Leigh-Anne Loots (2005), Carola Niesler (1994), Japie Goldie (1990), Lizl Simpson (now Cronjé) (1991), Stefan de Goede (1993) and André de Villiers (1997) are making their mark in academia and industry.

Prof. Louise Warnich, Dean of the Faculty of Science, congratulated the students on their achievements: "If one considers that we have thousands of students going through the system each year, ending up as the best is really special in more than one respect. And remember, we are now watching out for you!"

On the photo, from left to right: Sunel de Kock, Jana Botha, Petronella Wessels, Roxine Staats, Jean Lombard and Inge Weideman.

​

Last Friday, 21 members of the Stellenbosch University Institute for Plant Biotechnology (IPB) braved the strong winds and set out for Sir Lowry's Pass Village to spend the day there participating in the IPB annual community outreach. The outreach day was organised by two IPB staff members, Pauliane Davids and Christell van der Vyver. With donations collected from IPB staff, postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students, along with a subsidy kindly granted by IPB Director Prof Kossmann, we were able to sponsor the painting of three homes in the Sir Lowry's Pass community. The event was originally planned for Mandela Day in July, but bad weather forced us to postpone until spring arrived. 

The day started with a visit to the Hemel-op-Aarde project. Here, we learned about the work of the Open Schools Worldwide Centre for grade RR to grade 1 learners, which provides writing, reading and mathematical support to the kids. Next, we were joined by members of the Sir Lowry's Pass Community Empowerment Project, who organised the painting of the Sir Lowry's Pass residents' homes. IPB members were split into three groups, each tasked with painting one home. Despite initial (good-natured) grumblings about who had been given the biggest house to paint and who would have to work the hardest to finish, work commenced, and finished approximately three hours later. Delroy did need five hotdogs as a reviver, and Bronwen was covered in paint. However, on the whole, everyone seemed to have survived the painting ordeal and had only a few cramping arm muscles to complain of. While painting, we were treated to running commentary from interested community members, who came to witness the activity. Tannie Annie in particular expressed her gratitude upon seeing her freshly painted house, and we had to promise a few residents that we would return next year to paint their houses also – testimony to a job well done. 

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a well-deserved drink and some hotdogs. Our team left Sir Lowry's Pass Village satisfied with the small yet positive contribution we were able to make to the well-being and upliftment of the Sir Lowry's Pass community.

The IPB would like to thank Mr Campher Serfontein for serving as coordinator on behalf of Sir Lowry's Pass Community Empowerment Project to help organise this day.

SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers this afternoon (Friday 18 September 2015) received a memorandum from participants in a march organised by the South African Students’ Congress (SASCO).

“We will study the memorandum and respond in due course,” Prof De Villiers said.

The group of about 250 protestors gathered in front of the Admin B building in Victoria Street to voice their unhappiness with the pace of transformation at SU and the exclusion of black students through language.

One of the speakers said, despite these issues, SU has an important role to play to equip student of all races with quality skills to take South Africa forward.

SASCO is a registered student organisation on campus and has, in terms of legislation, followed the correct procedures to obtain the necessary permission from Stellenbosch Municipality for the march.

In an email to staff and students yesterday (Thursday 17 September 2015), the University said it “recognises the right of staff and students to participate in orderly protest.”

This year the second campaign will run from Monday to Thursday, 5th to 8th October on Stellenbosch Campus in the Neelsie VV Hall. 

The campaign urges students and staff to come for a quick, free and confidential HIV test. We specifically encourage first years and students from the LGBTQI community to make use of this opportunity. 

First Things First aims to encourage young South Africans, our future leaders, to be responsible, get tested for HIV and to empower themselves. The focus on first year students and the LGBTQI community emphasises the need to provide quality HIV testing to vulnerable individuals. 

​Contact Malan (pmwalt@sun.ac.za), our Key Populations Coordinator for more info or support if you are from the LGBTQI student community. Or contact Jaco (jgbrink@sun.ac.za; HIV Prevention & Research) for more info about this campaign and other available services.

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You just can't keep Toni Mould down. This alumnus of Stellenbosch University (SU) and co-founder of Bridging Abilities, a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO), has shown that even with a disability one can still fulfil your dreams. 

Despite having had cerebral palsy since birth, which affected her speech, balance and coordination, Mould went on to obtain her degree in social work from SU in 2009. Here she was also a recipient of the prestigious Rector's Award for Succeeding Against the Odds – awarded to Matie-students who excel academically despite challenging socio-economic conditions, limited opportunities or disability.

Although she had very little time for extra-mural activities during her studies, she did Ballroom and Latin Dancing for Maties Dance Society and participated in a few competitions.

"The Maties Dance Society always made room for the dancers with disabilities. We had our own class every week."

Today Mould is an accomplished cyclist. She started cycling in 2013 and took part in the local league.  With an iron will to succeed, Mould won two gold medals at this year's National Championships. As a member of Maties ParaSport Club, she will be representing South Africa in the local Paracycling World Cup this month.

Reflecting on her time at SU, Mould says she received a lot of support from her alma mater.

"I was given extra time to write my tests and exams, and I had someone type my social work exams for me as I orally answered the paper. The university also put rails in the bathroom in my residence."

Mould says she had to buy a word prediction computer program to type her assignments.  She also speaks fondly of the electronic scooter he parents bought her to get around campus.

As one of the directors of Bridging Abilities, Mould currently provides opportunities for people with disabilities to foster their personal and social development through sport and recreation.  She does the administration and event organisation for her NPO.

Mould says she works from home which gives her the freedom to set her own hours. "While it does get very lonely at times, the flexibility allows me to work with what my body can cope with on a given day and also allows me to take time off for my training," she adds.

• Photo: Toni Mould in her South African colours.
  
• Photographer: Armand Hough
  

Balancing her studies with her career as Paralympic cyclist has been a greater challenge for Roxy Burns (26) than coping with her disability while studying at Stellenbosch University (SU).

Roxy, who is busy with her honours degree in Education, has Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT), a rare, genetic, progressive disorder that manifests as a combination of cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and immune disorders.

Both her parents happen to have the recessive gene that causes this condition and Roxy's 22-year-old brother James, a BSc Geo-informatics student, also suffers from AT.

Although the original diagnosis sounded bleak – most AT sufferers are in a wheelchair by the time they are 10 and many of them don't reach the age of 20 – it has since been discovered that the Burns siblings have an atypical, mild version of this disorder.

Roxy mainly has to deal with symptoms of cerebral palsy – problems with balance, coordination and fatigue – and this hasn't stopped her from getting her degree or performing on the international cycling stage.

"I don't need much help to be independent," Roxy says. "I'm blessed to have AT so mildly. In fact, I'm grateful that I'm disabled. People find it strange when I say that, but I wouldn't have had so many opportunities or have met so many people from all over the world otherwise."

She matriculated from Rhenish Girl's High in 2006 and went straight to SU where she studied and completed a BA degree in Sport Science.

"The only understanding regarding my disability I needed from the University was that my handwriting was terrible and I that wrote slowly which meant I was granted extra writing time for tests and exams. Also, with the practicals required for Sport Science my lecturers had to know that I got tired quicker than the average student."

To make time for her cycling she spread her modules over a number of years and finally graduated in March 2011. "Because of cycling I had to make use of the second exam opportunity in November 2010, thereby missing the cut-off date for the December graduation. I also just made my graduation. Our flight from Italy, where I had been competing, was delayed by nine hours so I attended my graduation straight from the airport," she recalls.

"Currently I'm studying towards my honours in Education and again I extended my degree over two years for training purposes. I still make use of the extra time for tests and exams and I use a computer for exam purposes. This is for my benefit and also for the benefit of the people who have to mark my answers sheets, because now they don't have to deal with my handwriting," she jokes.

Her cycling career started at the beginning of her high school career and her first international competition was the Cerebral Palsy-International Sports and Recreation Association World Championships held in the USA in 2005. She hasn't looked back since. 

"I specialise in track cycling (para-cycling) and am currently ranked sixth in the world. There are five bicycle classes, C1 to C5, with C1 being the most severely disabled and C5 the least affected," she explains. She was recently reclassed from C4 to C3.

Roxy represented South Africa at the Beijing and London Paralympic Games and describes both as an amazing experience. "The atmosphere in especially London was electric and the stadium was packed. The crowd cheered for every single rider."

Her eye is now firmly set on Rio 2016. She competes in the 500m time trial and 3 000m individual pursuit events on the track, but is specifically focusing on the 500m time trail event as that is where she believes she has the greatest chance of winning a medal.

Her advice to other disabled athletes is: "Give your all and work as hard as you are able to get what you want."

​Matie athlete William Kaptein charged to victory in the Cape Town Peace Run over 10 km on Sunday (20 September), completing the course in a personal best time of 28:34 and breaking the course record in the process.

The 23-year-old athlete is very satisfied with the result, especially as he now qualifies for IAAF Silver Label status. The qualifying time is 28:40. Athletes with this status receive invites to various events around the world.

"It opens doors to the international stage," Kaptein said on Monday.

Kaptein moved from Robertson to Stellenbosch at the beginning of 2014 to join the Endurocad academy, founded by long-distance runner Elana Meyer. He also joined the Maties Athletics Club.

In 2015, he was selected for the Boland Track, Road and Cross Country teams and he recorded a top 10 finish in the men's senior 10 km race at the ASA Cross Country Championships earlier in September.

He is working towards qualification for the 10 000m track event at the 2016 Olympic Games, but track running is not his forte.

"I grew up on a farm and prefer to run in road or cross country events," he said. "I still have to adapt to the track."

He feels he has developed tremendously as an athlete since he came to Stellenbosch and he has big dreams for next year. He has also enrolled for a qualification at ETA, a sports college offering internationally recognised fitness, coaching science and sport management courses.

His short-term plans include participating in the PetroSA 10km event on 26 September and successfully defending his title in the Gun Run halfmarathon on 11 October.

He improved the course record last year when he won the event over 21,1 km in 01:03:21.

​​​Photograph: Elana Meyer FB

PIA NÄNNY talked with Dunn-Coetzee about her new challenge and with Cilliers about his plans after retirement.

At the beginning of 2015, Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee took over from Prof Charl Cilliers as the new Director of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development. This year, Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee has experienced an eventful year. She not only became engaged and married, but she was also appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) at the US.

This ex-resident of the Heemstede Hostel is the third director of the centre and the first woman. She began her career at the CSCD in 2001 with a six-month internship under the guidance of Dr Handré Brand. Amongst others, she received training in crisis management from Louis Vlok, who currently is the head of the 24-hour Crisis Service.

Dunn-Coetzee is no stranger at the US – she is leaving a deputy director's post at the Centre for Student Structures and Communities (CSSC) to join the CSCD.

I am trained as a psychologist and my focus is on the optimisation of potential. This is what I would like to do.

"I enjoyed it very much at the CSSC but am ready for this new challenge. I am trained as a psychologist and my focus is on the optimisation of potential. This is what I would like to do. I still cannot believe I got the post. This is a dream come true, and thanks to the unbelievable experience I gained at the CSSC, I shall be able to make a better contribution here."

She acknowledges, however, that she has great footsteps to follow with Prof Charl Cilliers who retires as Director of the CSCD after 15 years. She describes him as the "face of the CSCD". "He established the brand mark and added the development section. Now I must consider strategically what my role is, where I can add value, and how I can develop what he did."

She believes the CSCD plays an essential role at the US.

"In my opinion, we actually need five such centres. I think we are not always aware of the amount of pressure to which students are exposed, the number of things with which they have to cope, and how unprepared they come to the university.

"Being a student is a challenging developmental phase, and they need more support than one may think."

Her objectives for her term as director are to ensure the university, and specifically the CSCD, is prepared for the diversification of its student corps and adaptable with regard to the needs of the student generation. It is important that the service delivery of a centre should be relevant to the needs of the student corps, she said.

She likes the fact that her work is human centred and that she can play a role to ensure students' experiences at the university are as wonderful, optimal and successful as they can be.

In October, Dunn-Coetzee married Anthonie Coetzee, a cattle farmer of the Free State who was appointed as manager of Maties Milk on the Welgevallen Experimental Farm. His Jack Russel and her two cats are living with them in Somerset-West.

Dr Handré Brand retires

Dr Handré Brand, Director: Department for Academic Counselling and Career Development at the CSCD, is also leaving this centre at the end of the year.

He was attached to the CSCD for 17 years, but his roots at the US lie much deeper. Before joining the CSCD, from 1976 until 1997, he simultaneously was a senior lecturer at the Department of Psychology, served as Director of the Unit for Counselling Psychology, and was chairperson of the Centre for Psychological Services and Training.

"I was privileged to be able to complete a very stimulating career in the context of various roles at the US," he said. To him, it is goodbye but not farewell. He is becoming involved again under the banner of an InnovUS project titled "Abstrahere".

Prof Charl paved the way

It is not an unfamiliar sight to see Prof Charl Cilliers of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) with a Bonsai tree in his hands. Since Prof Andreas van Wyk's time, he sees to it that there is a small Bonsai tree in the management wing of the US, and he nurses and exchanges the small trees. He has 86 small trees at his home, and next year after his retirement in December, he will possibly be able to pay more attention to the trees.

"I like the word 'retire'," he says. "It only means you put on another wheel."

However, it is also not to say, because Cilliers does not regard retirement as a time of doing nothing. It is not in his nature to sit still, he says, and he already wants to take on a number of possible things next year.

"I like the word 'retire'," he says. "It only means you put on another wheel."

Cilliers has been attached to the US since 1981 (and with the money he received with his long service award, he erected a little Chinese roof for his Bonsai trees). In 1999, he was appointed first as the director of what was known at the time as the Centre for Student Counselling (CSC).

He literally added the D to CSCD when he worked with a team of colleagues to establish the practice of student development at the CSCD formally. Later, as the convenor of a project team, he operationally described and scientifically grounded the term "student development".

"I am a great advocate of the development of potential," he says; therefore, the Wellness Project is the thing about which he "feels best" after his years at the CSCD. "It is amazing what the Wellness Project can do to enhance human development."

About Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee, his successor, he says, "She has much more than is required to be successful in the post, and I am unbelievably thankful for her appointment."

His advice to her is continue promoting the wellness of the CSCD personnel actively to live the example the CSCD is trying to advocate in doing so.

​

The Listen, Live and Learn Initiative is unique to Stellenbosch University. A listening, living & learning house (LLL house) is students living together in a house. Participants have a specific theme for the year and engage in conversation on the theme for the year that they live together. The students in the LLL house are ideally a small diverse group of students from different faculties, gender, race, background and nationality. Each LLL house has a theme for the year. The house hosts a conversation around the theme inviting academics, civil servants, experts and other people to join the conversation in the house.

The Listen, Live and Learn (LLL)-intern responsible for Social Entrepreneurship, Ellen Ovenden, invited the CSCD to be involved in their March Mental Health-programme.

The CSCD was involved on several levels. Angelique McConney served as part of a panel discussion that took place in the LLL Village quad on Tuesday 10 March at 17h30.  The questions focused on mental health, the myths around mental illness, treatment available, as well as the services provided by the CSCD on campus.  Angelique was joined on the panel by three other Mental Health experts.

The UPSS also assisted with compiling questions around mental health, specific to each of the 27 LLL houses that was posted on their Facebook-pages to facilitate discussion and reflection.

The UACD also participated by providing information on stress and anxiety that was distributed to students during the third week of March.

We hope to build on the partnership we formed during this collaboration with LLL – what an exciting way to contribute to the dialogue on campus!

More information on the LLL initiative can be found on http://www.sun.ac.za/lll

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In tribute of late President Nelson Mandela's birthday, a variety of community engagement activities were hosted. To honour his legacy, two staff members, Melanie Willems and Lizzie Witbooi of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development participated in the "Toasties for Tummies" Initiative on 22 July 2015.

The "Toasties for Tummies" Initiative is a Mandela Day Initiative. They assisted and prepared sandwiches for people who are in dire need of food within the Stellenbosch surrounding areas. Approximately 7883 sandwiches were made.  The sandwiches were distributed to various public schools, welfare organisations as well as Stellenbosch Feeding Scheme Action. It was a great privilege to be able to lend a helping hand to feed a hungry person. This is an initiative focusing on enhancing a sustainable social responsibility. It also enhances staff's social economic awareness regarding people who are living in poverty. What a wonderful way to contribute to the community! 

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What started as a "kitchen conversation", as coined by the facilitator, turned out to be a very informative Diversity Forum Session at the SSVO's Den Bosch on Thursday, the 3^rd of September 2015.The staff of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) has initiated courageous dialogues in an attempt to understand the current student context regarding issues of language and the role that the centre should play to ensure that diversity is promoted.

The Diversity Forum's mandate is to create a platform for all CSCD staff members to critically and openly engage in discussions regarding diversity subjects like social classes, sexual orientation, gender, language, religion, disabilities and many others that continue to affect, influence and involve us and our clients. The current climate at our university, prompted by the video "Luister", necessitated a conversation about the role that should be played by CSCD on issues of transformation and diversity. Greg Ricks facilitated the conversation and used the metaphor of having to remove a splinter out of the foot of a child, to explain the current dynamics on campus. Students are voicing their opinions on the slow process of transformation at Stellenbosch University (SU) in a variety of ways – dialogue on social media, marching and protesting in the streets and engaging with a variety of role players. This can be experienced as painful by some individuals, but it is part of the process "to get the splinter out".   In his address to student leaders, Prof de Villiers (Rector of SU) called on everyone not to be alarmed by restlessness on campus "…because South Africa is still a society in transition and the legacy of the past lingers." He implored everyone to facilitate critical thinking by going beyond our borders, out of our comfort zones, exposing ourselves to other perspectives and "move beyond superficial stereotypes". The conversation we had at Den Bosch, as a CSCD community, marks the beginning of our attempt to expose ourselves to other perspectives and metaphorically remove the splinter, as uncomfortable as it may be.

Our vision is to focus on student wellness and create hope for all. We intend to have regular conversations as staff members, about matters that relate to us creating a welcoming environment at our centre and making sure that our services are accessible to all students of Stellenbosch University. This remains an ongoing conversation as it is vital that we understand our student clients. It became clear from the discussion that it is not easy to engage in conversations regarding diversity and transformation issues, as it is an emotive topic.  However, although we might not have all the answers, we need to heed the call of the video clip and start to really "luister" to one another. If our end goal is being a world class university that produces world class graduates, we must be willing to take on these challenges and not shy away from them.   The rector's remark "Diversity is an absolute requirement for excellence" is a statement the Diversity Forum proposes to operate by while continuing to create a safe space for staff members to discuss matters that influence and involve us. More of these healthy debates will be held during the course of the last term.

 Photographer: Henry Africa