​Eastern Cape high schools are part of a growing network of schools around South Africa that benefit from the afternoon satellite broadcasts of additional lessons that are made from the studio of Stellenbosch University's Telematic Services.

The extra classes are all arranged and scheduled by the Western Cape Department of Education, in line with the country-wide curriculum.  It is broadcast from a studio in Admin A on the Stellenbosch campus, as part of the telematics service offered by the Centre for Learning Technologies.

During late 2014 and early 2015, Eskom, Broadband Infraco, Denel SOC, Transnet SOC Limited, Globeleq, and Super Spar sponsored 38 schools spread over the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga to participate in the Telematics project.

These direct and interactive television broadcasts are now broadcast to 247 Eastern Cape schools. It already reaches 147 schools in the Western Cape, 107 in the Northern Cape and a six others in the rest of South Africa.  

The classes are presented by only the best teachers in nine fields, including Mathematics, Physical Sciences, English, Afrikaans, Life Sciences, Geography, Business Studies, History and Accounting. The presenters explain core concepts and address problem areas where learners had experienced difficulty in previous examinations. The whole curriculum is thus not dealt with during the broadcasts.

Learners are able to respond to or ask questions of the presenter in the studio near Admin A, via a web platform, with an SMS or a WhatsApp message. Through the web platform teachers can also download all the presentations and other resources. The education departments also provide workbooks that can be used during the broadcasts.

The expantion to 247 schools in 23 school districts in the Eastern Cape has been made possible by cooperation between SU, the Eastern Cape Department of Education and the Eastern Cape Education Development Trust. The idea is that these schools should, if there is sufficient capacity, serve as a central meeting place for other schools around them.

A monitoring and evaluation plan is part of this project, similar to what is done in the other provinces. This helps SU to thoroughly analyse learners' marks, the schools' context as well as feedback from the learners, teachers and principals about the impact of the programme.

According to Dr Antoinette van der Merwe, Senior Director: Learning and Teaching Enhancement, the core function of the SU Telematics Service is still to broadcast lectures and contact sessions for many postgraduate university courses across the country. This forms part of a mixed learning approach which includes physical contact sessions, broadcasts and web-based support.

Since 2009 part of the spare capacity on this platform has however been used to make school broadcasts possible.

"We are the only university in the country with this kind of technology, and that is why we felt compelled to use this service to the benefit of schools, especially in rural areas," she remarks.

"The learners who attend the broadcasts regularly, attest to the fact that it does have an impact on their learning experience," she adds. "In addition, the teachers who attend the broadcasts tell us that they often get too learn how to present specific concepts in a new way.""Many of the schools are located in relatively isolated areas, where broadband internet is not available at all, but where they can be reached by satellite broadcasts," she says.

"The broadcasts do not replace the teachers or what should be happening in class – it is simply additional support which one could typically compare with extra tutorials after school hours which learners of better equipped schools receive," explains Dr Van der Merwe.

To make the broadcasts possible, imported decoders and satellite dishes were among the equipment installed at the schools. The University used two contractors to do the necessary installations throughout the province – from Matatiele to Mthata, Lady Frere and East London.

Because many of the schools are located in isolated areas, it required keeping a cool head, according to Zainab Suliman, operational manager of the Centre for Learning Technologies. Electricity supply and sound management is the minimum requirement for schools to be able to receive these satellite broadcasts, she reckons.

"It is all worthwhile when everything is eventually in place, and we receive positive feedback and see how the broadcasts add value to these communities," adds Suliman.

Media enquiries:

Dr Antoinette van der Merwe
Senior Director: Learning and Teaching Enhancement
Stellenbosch University
021-8083075
www.sun.ac.za/lte​​​​
advdm@sun.ac.za
​

The music programmes of the 13^th Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival's (SICMF) ten evening concerts have been announced. Music lovers will have the opportunity to hear exquisite music – from 18^th-century works to contemporary pieces.

The festival – the biggest of its kind in Africa – is presented from 1 to 10 July at the Stellenbosch University Konservatorium. It boasts a unique concert series including music that has never been performed in South Africa. Besides chamber music, the SICMF will also present three symphony concerts.

About 300 music students will attend the 2016 festival where they will receive master classes, lectures and coaching sessions from the 30 faculty members, which include internationally acclaimed musicians.

The programme has six South African premieres, as well as the world premiere of local composer Matthijs van Dijk's commissioned work, Moments in a Life. It is based on the life of anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg, who will appear on stage as the narrator.

In Moments in a Life, Goldberg relates various pivotal moments in his life – from childhood, his time in Umkhonto we Sizwe, the Rivonia Trial, experiences in prison up until the inauguration of former president Nelson Mandela.

Among the other interesting premiere works is Techno Parade by French composer Guillaume Connesson (born 1970), in which Paolo Barros (flute), Ferdinand Steiner (clarinet) and Pieter Grobler (piano) will perform.                                                                 

Also on the programme is Distant Light, a concerto for violin and string orchestra, a work by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks, who was born in 1946. Violinist Daniel Rowland will be the soloist, accompanied by, among others, Suzanne Martens and Farida Bacharova (violins), Tobias Breider (viola) and Alexander Buzlov (cello).

Other works include the String Sextet in A major, Op.48, by Dvořák; Mendelssohn's String Quartet No.6 in F minor, Op.80; as well as the String Octet, Op.7, by George Enescu.

On Friday, 8 July American conductor Kazem Abdullah will lead the Festival Symphony Orchestra in a performance of music by Saint-Saëns, Debussy and Bartók. Acclaimed French violinist Nicolas Dautricourt will be the soloist in Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No.3.

The SICMF's other orchestra, the Festival Concert Orchestra (consisting of 180 young musicians) under the baton of Daniel Boico, will perform on Saturday, 9 July. On the programme is Tchaikovsky's Second Symphony, as well as well-known orchestral works like the "Mars" and "Jupiter" movements from Gustav Holst's The Planets, and the popular "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar.

For the final concert on Sunday, 10 July the Festival Symphony Orchestra will be on stage again, this time accompanying Austrian clarinettist Ferdinand Steiner in Mozart's well-known Clarinet Concerto in A major.

• Tickets are available from Computicket, or call ( 021 808 2358 to purchase a festival pass. Visit www.sicmf.co.za for more information. 
  

Two staff members of Stellenbosch University (SU) received national acclaim on Thursday (19 May 2016) for their contribution to research and innovation management in Southern Africa.

Maryke Hunter-Hüsselmann, Manager: Research and Information Strategy in the Division for Research Development, and Anita Nel, Senior Director: Innovation and Business Development and CEO of SU's technology transfer company, Innovus, won the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Southern African Research and Innovation Management (SARIMA) Excellence Awards for Research and Innovation Management in Southern Africa. 

Hunter-Hüsselmann and Nel received awards in the categories for Distinguished Contribution to the Research Management Profession and Distinguished Contribution to the Innovation Management Profession respectively.  The winners were announced on Thursday evening at a gala event at the Coastlands Hotel, Umhlanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal.

The DST/SARIMA awards recognise individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the development of Research and Innovation Management during 2015.

Hunter-Hüsselmann was rewarded for her tangible contribution to the capacity building and professionalisation of research management in Southern Africa and for initiating innovative research management practices at SU. Some of these practices have since served as benchmark for other research management offices at institutions in South Africa and abroad. 

One of Hunter-Hüsselmann's initiatives, the Annual SU research report, of which she is the Editor, won the Excellence Award in the Research Reports category at the 2015 Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) awards ceremony. It was the fourth time the research report won this prize.

"I am truly honoured to have received the DST/SARIMA award and would also like to acknowledge my colleagues at the Division for Research Development. We are a team of dedicated, enthusiastic and service-oriented people. This award goes to all of them too."

"The DST/SARIMA awards recognise the importance of research management as a key element for strengthening and promoting the research endeavours of Higher Education Institutions."

Hunter-Hüsselmann has served as portfolio member on SARIMA's executive committee (2009), as Vice President: Capacity Building and Professionalisation (2012-2013), and Vice President: Research from (2014-2015) of the same organisation.

She is one of a small number of non-academic members of the South African Academy for Science and Arts, and also an associate member of the Organisation of Women in Science in the Developing World.

"The DST/SARIMA award is not just for me, but also for my entire time at Innovus," Nel said. She also paid tribute to all the researchers at SU who have played their part in the success of Innovus.

Nel was instrumental in raising significant funding for the Nedbank Stellenbosch University LaunchLab a business incubator in partnership with Nedbank and the Department of Trade and Industry. She also secured significant external investment in Innovus activities and spin-out companies.

Nel implemented a campus-wide platform for entrepreneurship development and played an important role in the development and consolidation of the concept for an initiative that will lead to the establishment University Technology Fund for a number of South African universities to support early stage projects and start-up companies. 

She has also established a very strong business network over a period of many years by building professional relationships with not only industry partners but also investors and service providers.

Nel serves on various committees and company boards.

MORE ABOUT SARIMA

Established in 2002, the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association is a stakeholder organisation that provides a platform for the promotion and facilitation of best practice in research and innovation management in Southern Africa. It strengthens the research and innovation system to ensure the social and economic development of the Southern African region. For more information, visit www.sarima.co.za.

• Photo: Anita Nel and Maryke Hunter-Hüsselmann

​Mountain-biking now forms part of Maties Sport's High Performance programme at Stellenbosch University (SU) and will become part of the exciting Varsity Sports series this year.

The Varsity MTB Challenge comprises two multi-day stage races. Varsity MTB Challenge will see the two races take place in the Sondela Nature Reserve in Bela Bela between 9 and 10 July and on La Paris in Franschhoek between 1 and 2 October 2016. The Varsity MTB Challenge will have a unique university flavour. The races are open to the general public, who will be able to race for their university of choice.

The past weekend Maties Cycling dominated the Intervarsity clash against UCT and the local cyclists showed that they are ready to be competitive in the Varsity MTB Challenge.

Mariske Strauss, African and South African mountain bike champion and Sports Science student at SU is very excited about the impact the HP program will have on the sport in Stellenbosch.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction. This means our sport is growing. It also gives the Maties cyclists access to a vast array of resources, all of which will help to promote their sports careers," said Strauss.

Strauss is hoping to go to the Olympic Games in Rio. She represented her country at the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

"Thanks to the support of the HP programme I not only have access to world-class facilities, but I also have the opportunity to work with the administration and give them the best possible idea of what exactly is happening in our sport. This is a great opportunity and hopefully we can get more participation and interest in the sport."

According to Strauss the HP programme will help to make the sport of mountain biking more accessible at university level. "We can now engage more students in the sport and offer an opportunity to those who might not have been able to afford all the extras – which we now have access to – themselves. We can therefore give people a better idea of what the sport is about and in this way we can grow much faster and become better."

For more Varsity MTB Challenge information visit www.varsitymtbchallenge.co.za. Social media platforms are Facebook: Varsity MTB Challenge; Twitter: @VarsityMTB and Instagram: @varsitymtb.

Photo caption: Cyclists participate in the intervarsity competition against UCT. Photo credit: Outsider Communications

At a special meeting on Saturday 21 May 2016 the Council of Stellenbosch University (SU) discussed fundamental points of departure for the Language Policy. Council formulated a number of principles via consensus or a majority of votes, and these principles are to be presented to the Language Revision Work Group.

"Council's request to the work group is that these principles should be considered for inclusion before the new draft Language Policy serves at Senate on 3 June," said Mr George Steyn, Chairperson of Council.

One of the principles that were accepted by a large majority of votes, is that the English offering should be expanded so that no enrolled student would be excluded from the academic offering; that at the same time it should be ensured that the Afrikaans offering is not decreased; and that Afrikaans as language of instruction should be further promoted. In addition, Council also expressed that it was in favour of a commitment to the development and promotion of isiXhosa as academic language.

"The revision of SU's Language Policy is a continuing process, and the draft policy merely is a working document. The matter is complex with several points of view and inputs. Therefore it is regrettable that a few members of Council, in contravention of Council's code of conduct, intentionally cast suspicion on Council, the Management and the process via the Afrikaans media," Mr Steyn said. "As members of Council it is our responsibility to promote the interests of SU's students, lecturers and professional academic and administrative support staff, not those of other interest groups and external organisations. It is not productive to focus on individual elements out of context. Council has conveyed its principles clearly to the work group via the Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching, and we will have the opportunity to study the entire new draft policy thoroughly before our discussion and decision on 22 June 2016."

At its scheduled meeting of 9 May 2016 Council accepted a motion to convene a special meeting to obtain input and discuss the Language Policy, and that the outcome of the special meeting would be presented to the Language Revision Work Group for consideration before the new draft policy is tabled at Senate.

On 19 May 2016, two days before the special Council meeting, AfriForum Jeug and five other applicants withdrew in its entirety their application – that SU should halt the revision of its Language Policy.

In accordance with the negotiated order of 19 May SU should apply the current language specifications until its current Language Policy and Plan either can be revised or replaced. However, Stellenbosch University had already returned to the implementation of the Language Policy of 2014 and the language specifications published in the 2016 faculty yearbooks (calendars) on 29 March in accordance with the Court order of 11 March 2016.

According to Mr Steyn the focus of an article on the AfriForum website over the weekend, and the linked SMS campaign (AfriForum Jeug wen regstryd teen US & red Afikaans op Maties) reflect the selective and one-sided reporting of events. The claim in the article that the order by Judge Kate Savage on 19 May 2016 now forces SU to implement its Language Policy and Plan, as well as the language specifications published in the 2016 yearbooks – was in fact an order which SU had accepted and implemented close to two months earlier. "What is not mentioned in the article, is that AfriForum Jeug and five other applicants shortly before the hearing on 19 May withdrew their application – that SU should halt the revision of its Language Policy," Mr Steyn said. "SU can therefore proceed unimpeded with the revision of the Language Policy, and the Language Committee of Council can also continue with its work."

Senate and the Institutional Forum will discuss the new draft policy before it will be tabled at a scheduled Council meeting on 22 June. The University Council determines the Language Policy with the concurrence of Senate. If it should be approved, the objective is to implement the new Language Policy as from 2017.

In a letter published on 20 May 2016 in Business Day Live, a number of academics including Prof Stan du Plessis, Dean of the SU Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, endorsed the efforts of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank in their collective effort to avoid an investment downgrade.

The contents of the letter are reproduced below. To read the letter in Business Day Live, click here.

We, the undersigned academics and professionals specialising in related disciplines, note with a deep concern the conflicting media reports on the position of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, and especially the policy uncertainty that is being generated by such reports.

SA currently faces particularly serious challenges in its continued engagement with credit rating agencies and investors in the quest to avert the downgrading of the country's credit risk rating, and to promote a renewed effort to encourage economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation.

In a year in which economic growth in SA is widely expected to be less than 1%, an investment downgrade will result in undue hardship of a kind that will unavoidably impact most severely on the poorest of the poor.

A downgrade will, among other things, raise interest rates further and increase the cost of borrowing in both the public and private sectors.

It will put another question mark over the currency. SA's ability to curtail poverty and drive job creation will be severely hampered.

We, therefore, endorse the sterling efforts of Gordhan, the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank in their collective effort, together with business and labour, to avoid such an investment downgrade.

However, to continue to fulfil this important duty to SA, Gordhan and the Treasury must be afforded the necessary support and freedom to discharge this responsibility without fear or favour.

Gordhan's track record has demonstrated that he not only has a clear understanding of the overall economic and fiscal challenges facing SA, but that he has worked according to a definite and detailed fiscal plan in seeking to avoid these pitfalls.

In the long-term interests of financial stability in SA, it remains imperative that the government should avoid diverting from the broad fiscal path outlined in the 2016-17 budget.

A failure to adhere to the agreed fiscal framework will inevitably lead to an even higher tax burden, as well as precipitating a likely sovereign risk downgrade for the country.

To minimise these risks, SA needs to maintain continuity and predictability in its policy framework.

The importance to SA of stable and capable economic institutions such as the Treasury, the Reserve Bank and the South African Revenue Service — as well as other institutions such as an independent judiciary and a free press — cannot be emphasised enough.

Any weakening of this stability will have serious consequences for investor confidence and SA's economic performance. Effective institutions in SA remain one of its best recognised strengths in troubled times.

While there may sometimes be divergent views among economists about fiscal policy, we believe these are less important now than the need to avoid damaging the integrity of an institution such as the Treasury, whether from inside or outside the public sector.

We hope other key stakeholders in the economy will unite with us in raising serious concerns about the mounting and unwarranted pressure being put on Gordhan and the Treasury.

The writers are:

Prof Frikkie Booysen, Department of Economics, University of the Free State; Prof Philippe Burger, Department of Economics, University of the Free State; Prof Stan du Plessis, Dean, Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of Stellenbosch; Prof Tommy du Plessis, Director, School of Business and Governance, North West University; Prof Lorraine Greyling, Department of Economics and Econometrics, University of Johannesburg; Prof Gavin Keeton, Department of Economics, University of Rhodes; Prof Steve Koch, Department of Economics, University of Pretoria; Prof Waldo Krugell, Department of Economics, North West University; Prof Ismail Lagardien, Dean, Business School, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; Prof Murray Leibbrandt, Vice-Chancellor Poverty and Inequality, University of Cape Town; Prof Elsabe Loots, Dean, Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of Pretoria; Prof Ronnie Lotriet, School of Business and Governance, North West University; Prof Johan Lotter, Department of Economics, University of South Africa; Mr Lumkile Mondi, Senior Lecturer, School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Vishnu Padayachee, Distinguished Professor, School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Theuns Pelser, Dean, School of Business, University of KwaZulu Natal; Prof Jannie Rossouw, School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Raymond Parsons, School of Business and Governance, North West University.

​Brothers Dewald and Niel Botha are not cricketers who'd thought they'd get a degree as a back-up plan for when their cricketing days are over.

For these two students in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science their studies have always taken priority.

However, that did not stop them from excelling on the cricket field too.

Dewald (24), who received his Master's degree in Actuarial Science this week, captained Steinhoff Maties Cricket's first team for the past two years and also led the Boland T20 team that participated in the inaugural Africa T20 Cricket Tournament last year. This team included current and former national and provincial players such as Robin Peterson and Stiaan van Zyl.

"I learnt a lot from these players," says Dewald.

This batting all-rounder will now travel to England where he will play club cricket

His younger brother Niel (20), in his third year of an Actuarial Science degree, also represents Maties and was a member of the Boland T20 team too.

They agree that time management is key. "If you know you have matches over the weekend, you need to get you work done ahead of time."

Dewald and Niel, former learners of Eikestad Primary and Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, both started playing cricket at a very young age and represented Boland at various age group levels.

"Cricket has always been part of our lives," says Niel.

However, graduating has always been their main goal. While Dewald completed his master's degree at Stellenbosch, Niel hopes to continue his studies abroad one day.

The brothers love playing cricket because it challenges them on both a physical and mental level. They like the team aspect of the sport and have learnt some valuable life lessons, such as dealing with disappointment and performing under pressure.

"Balance is important if you want to be successful in both your studies and your sport. There is time for everything if you are disciplined and willing to work hard," they believe.

Main photo by Stefan Els

​​Earlier this year the Rector's Management Team (RMT) established a task team on rape culture. Over the last two months the Task Team has made much progress in examining aspects of climate and culture and we will present a full set of recommendations to the RMT on how some of these deep-seated attitudes and practices can be addressed.  Read more in a letter from Dr Birgit Schreiber, Senior Director: Student Affairs and Chair: Task Team on Rape Culture, below.​

Dear students and colleagues                                                                                                   

Earlier this year the Rector's Management Team (RMT) established a task team on rape culture. A diverse group of staff and students are members of the Task Team, setting out to examine attitudes, behaviours and beliefs about gender, violence, power and patriarchy, which in one way or another contribute to the deepening of gender violence within our campus community.

Activities to date

Over the last two months the Task Team has made much progress in examining aspects of climate and culture and we will present a full set of recommendations to the RMT on how some of these deep-seated attitudes and practices can be addressed. A website with information and resources to counter gender violence is also being developed.

A great deal of work has been done behind the scenes with regard to, among others, exploring gender balances in the Division: Human Resources, reviewing equity among staff, improving procedures and protocols for addressing crises, sexual harassment and sexual assault, and streamlining reporting on matters related to gender violence, sexual assault and rape. Key conversations with student groups, residences, PSO's, the Division: Human Resources, and other stakeholders are also taking place to examine current practices on campus that may play a role in maintaining or entrenching a culture of gender violence.

I am also happy to report that we have the RMT's full backing – see this video message of our Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers.

Your feedback needed

Although a wide variety of students and staff are represented on the Task Team –providing invaluable feedback from their particular constituencies – we would like to get feedback from as many staff and students as possible. We would like to hear about your experiences, your perspective on rape culture, your suggestions on how to effect changes to attitudes and practices, and any other ideas you may have.

For this purpose, we have set up a dedicated e-mail address, ttrc@sun.ac.za. Please use this to comment, to make recommendations, to provide information in general and to engage with the Task Team.

Soon the Task Team will also put out a climate survey, conduct interviews and hold feedback sessions to gather as much information as possible.

In the meanwhile, we want to congratulate those student leaders and staff members who have already initiated conversations and debates, and participated in other ways of creating awareness on campus. Please continue these activities in your residence, in your house, on our campus – not only during the academic term but also during the recess following the exams.

We are grateful for the many contributions received thus far and continue to assert our resolve in eradicating gender violence and rape culture. We will only be successful if we can tackle these matters together as a campus community.

Sincerely,

Birgit Schreiber (PhD)

Senior Director: Student Affairs and Chair: Task Team on Rape Culture

​​​​Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector of Stellenbosch University (SU) recently attended a class in the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science alongside Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students who specialise in the school subject Natural Science.

The class was presented by by Dr Nazeem Edwards (Faculty of Education) and Dr Rehana Malgas-Enus (Faculty of Science) as part of the Stellenbosch University Chemistry Outreach Initiative (SUNCOI).

One of the goals of this outreach programme is to train teachers with regards to chemistry practicals (Teaching the Teacher the Nuts and Bolts of Chemistry).

"We collaborate with the Faculty of Education so that we can train our current students-teachers, before they graduate, to equip them with the resources and the skills required when they go out to teach," said Dr Malgas-Enus.

On this specific day, the students had the opportunity to perform four experiments included in the curriculum for Grade 7-9 themselves.

They made play dough to use as modelling clay to represent molecules and illustrate atom connectivity. They also made "elephant toothpaste" to illustrate the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, using a catalyst (yeast).

"This was to demonstrate what a catalyst does (speeds up a reaction) and also to show a decomposition reaction in action," Dr Malgas-Enus explained.

The students created a density tower using different coloured sugar solutions with different amounts of sugar to demonstrate the principle of density. Lastly they performed an acid-base reaction using Milk of Magnesia, hydrogen chloride and universal indicator.

SUNCOI has developed a kit that include all the necessary equipment to perform ten experiments. These can be used by teachers who don't have access to laboratory space and equipment.

"Don't lose hope when you get to school and there is nothing," dr Malgas-Enus told the students.

PGCE student Jaco Erasmus said it was great to be able to perform the experiments and to "see how things work". He found the exercise very useful.

According to Dr Nazeem Edwards, PGCE students derive several benefits from collaboration with SUNCOI: They are exposed to the implemented CAPS curriculum, they gain practical experience and they should be in a better position to identify possible issues and challenges. 

Wine and brandy can be heart-healthy, but in some cases they are decidedly not.

There's no easy answer when it comes to the possible health benefits of South African wines and brandies, says researcher Dr Dawie van Velden. Over the last few years he has conducted multiple studies on the subject with geneticist Prof Maritha Kotze of the Department of Pathology. The studies were supported by, among others, Winetech and the South African Brandy Foundation.

The findings of these studies have taken Van Velden all over the world and he recently visited Australia and France. According to Van Velden, France has seen a decrease in wine sales over the last few years due to the so-called "criminalisation of wine" and the dangers alcohol is said to hold. This is despite the fact that many French people follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, which includes lots of wine.

There is no need to be anti-wine, says Van Velden. His research has shown that regular, moderate consumption of wine and brandy increases the level of "good" HDL cholesterol in the blood, that it has a protective effect on the heart.

Red wine offers the added benefit of a high polyphenol antioxidant count and is thus more heart-healthy than brandy.

During the study, 37 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 70 drank only red wine for 28 days and only brandy for another 28 days over a two-month period. The men had to consume a cup (250ml) of red wine or just more than three tablespoons (50ml) of brandy a day. Each participant underwent a genetic screening test for cardiovascular risk factors beforehand.

"Alcohol, and red wine in particular, could help prevent heart disease and diabetes," says Van Velden. But moderation is key since too much alcohol can have an adverse effect on health, and could even be fatal.

Van Velden also points out that a person's genetic make-up determines which health benefits of alcohol, if any, they enjoy.

For example, some participants tested positive for low-penetration mutations of the HFE gene, which causes hereditary haemochromatosis (iron overload). They also had higher levels of triglyceride (a harmful fat) in their blood after alcohol use.

"By means of a genetic screening programme, we could identify individuals who would not derive any heart-health benefits from even moderate alcohol consumption," he says.

"This shows that environmental factors can influence gene expression and explains why some people experience an increase in their cholesterol and triglyceride levels when they consume alcohol," says Van Velden. "It increases the risk of heart attacks in this genetic subgroup."

Personalised genetic testing is worth considering before you pour your next sundowner. It could give your insight into your genetic blueprint and how much wine or brandy (if any) is good for your heart.

This article originally appeared in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences' annual publication. Visit www.sun.ac.za/FMHSpublications to subscribe.

The founder of Mantelli’s biscuits, Simon Mantell, last Friday delivered a Leader’s Angle presentation on “Turning obtacles into opportunities” at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). To him, “business is an exercise in common sense”. 

Herewith some highlights from Mantelli's founder Simon Mantell's Leader's Angle presentation last Friday (20 May) at the USB. He spoke on the topic "Turning obstacles into opportunities". These highlights were compiled by Heindrich Wyngaard and Amber Kriel from the USB's media team.

On turning obstacles into opportunities:

Life and business offers us the choice of wearing either an obstacle hat or an opportunity hat. Somehow personal and business life seems to be a never ending obstacle course; sometimes mole hills and sometimes they seem like insurmountable Everest type challenges.

Yet, out of almost all these obstacles, come opportunities which provide optimism and hope – two viral character traits.

On creating and developing markets:

Entrepreneurship is a fancy overused buzzword. Business is an exercise in common sense. It's about implementing systems and controls and it requires practice (like a golf swing).

Whether one is a business owner, a director, a middle manager or an employee on the [shop] floor, I strongly believe that it is possible, with practice, to be able to:

• Identify the opportunities
• Develop the opportunities; and
• Profit from the opportunities

On how to foster job creation and skills transfer:

This is the time bomb we face in South Africa today. What is being done to the masses in the country today is even worse than the Bantu and Black Education Act. They were promised a better life [post-1994] and it hasn't happened. In fact, education is deteriorating. We have excessive school leavers who are unemployable.

If you haven't employed blue collar workers you don't understand what they go through on a daily basis. I have staff that are up at four in the morning in order to get to work and then the taxis are late, and then the taxi drivers/owners are shooting at one another. As a result, absentee is a problem.

For white collar workers there is this terrible four letter word called "work". They want a job, but unfortunately with the job comes this terrible side effect called work. There is unrealistic expectations from people with a tertiary education and they feel the world now owes them a living.

Employing people is not an easy task. But here is the opportunity: If there was zero unemployment, we would have no one to employ.

​​​Each individual is responsible for his/her own safety despite additional security measures implemented by Stellenbosch University. Please make sure that you don't put yourself in danger by being careless or unaware.

Follow these tips:

• Avoid walking alone. Make arrangements to get home safely before you leave. Walk with friends or use the shuttle service.
  
• Sport fields, the mountain road and parks are isolated, even during the day. Don't go walking or jogging on your own, regardless of whether it is dark, dusk or day. Invite someone to go with you or establish an exercise group.
  
• Earphones with loud music limit your awareness of you surroundings and a criminal can surprise you. Make sure you are aware of what is going on around you when you go walking or jogging.
  
• Cellphones and computers that are visible, make you a popular target.
  
• If a vehicle stops to ask for directions, keep your distance to avoid being pulled into the vehicle or being robbed.
• If you think you are being followed or you see a stranger approach in a quiet area, cross the road or change direction. Walk purposefully and as fast as you can to a safer area with people and good lighting, even if it means you have to take a longer route home.
• Invest in a safety whistle if you have to walk alone. You'll attract attention when you blow the whistle and a loud noise in a criminal's ear might distract him/her long enough for you to get away.
• Carry pepper spray in your hand - available at the Matie Shop.
• Don't allow people to enter a building allowing for card access with you. Insist that the person uses his/her own card.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, immediately move to a safer area with more people and lighting. Ask for help.
• Use the safest routes even if they're not the shortest.
• Be careful at ATM machines. Look around before and after you withdraw money.
• Don't drink too much and become an easy and vulnerable target. Be a good friend and make sure your companion who has had too much to drink arrives home safely.
• Keep your keys ready.
• Property can be replaced, but not lives. If your attacker is armed, it is safer not to resist.

Report suspicious looking people, behaviour of vehicles to: 021 808 4666 (Stellenbosch) or 021 938 9507 (Tygerberg). 

There is much in the hard sciences that we do not understand or may never know. So writes Prof. Doug Rawlings, former acting-dean of the Faculty of Science and for many years chair of the Department of Microbiology. The following is adapted from his farewell address given on 27 November 2015 – a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek contemplation on knowledge and how it grows.

When speaking with colleagues in the general arts and humanities, it has been surprising to discover how encouraged many are to hear that knowledge in the hard sciences is not as cut-and-dried as they thought.

At an existential level, we wrestle with similar questions as we attempt to find answers. The question 'why do I exist; why does anything exist?' is something that concerns all of humanity and illustrates the point. The first part of the question is a search for purpose and meaning and has been asked for centuries. It falls within the professional domain of theologians and philosophers and is contained within the second part. The second part is a scientific matter and the current best answer is – we do not know!

It is called the fine-tuning problem, because so many constants have had to be fine-tuned for anything we experience to exist at all. Some accept it as divine providence, while it is in the nature of science to seek an explanation based on testable theory supported by evidence.

What can we learn from the physicists?

Half of the problems in this Faculty began with the acceptance of Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1915! This viewpoint is based on the following considerations. Physics is where the big science questions lie. Everything that we do and teach in the Faculty of Science is based on physics. Physics is considered to be at the apex with chemistry being a derivative of physics. Biology is said to reducible to physics and chemistry.  Even "pure mathematics" is thought, by some, to be based on properties of the universe. So we are all physicists or applied physicists of some sort.

Like every natural science student, I did physics in my first year as an undergraduate and it was the subject in which I obtained the highest marks. However, I decided not to continue with physics but rather to continue with applied physics which in my case was chemistry and microbiology.

The search after knowledge is like following a moving target

I think it is time that we who are applied physicists acknowledge some of the challenges our physics colleagues face and why we should be so grateful to them for teaching our students this important subject. Imagine what it is like to have to stand in front of a class and say – "we do not know what more than 80% of the stuff in the universe is, but let me tell you about the less than 20%"? As a physics lecturer, I would have found this rather uncomfortable, even a little embarrassing. To call it "stuff" sounds very unscientific and so we use terms like dark energy and dark matter.

But the truth is, nobody knows what it is.

What makes the situation worse is that when it comes to the less than 20%, we do not understand that either. Richard Feynman made this clear.  He was arguing that there are things that we know that we do not know and there are also possibly things that we do not know that we do not know. Quantum mechanics is like the latter for a chimpanzee. We know that we do not understand quantum mechanics, whereas a chimpanzee does not know that there is such a thing as quantum mechanics to be not understood.

Click here to read the entire article, based on the farewell address.

The theft of bicycles is a big problem on the Stellenbosch campus.

Follow these tips to NOT become a victim:

• Lock your bicycle with a u-lock. Fasten it to both the bicycle frame and a bicycle stand.
• Don't use a thin chain or cable locks. These locks are broken by thieves without any difficulty.  
• The use of a combination lock is also not advised.
• REGISTER your bicycle for FREE at Campus Security. If your stolen bicycle is recovered, Campus Security can identify the owner immediately.
• Make use of the bicycle sheds on campus.
• Those who want make use of the sheds must register and activate their bicycle and student card at Campus Security to obtain entry.  
• Rather lock your bicycle inside the shed than outside to the framework of the shed.
• Keep a record of the bicycle's serial number, model, colour and any outstanding characteristics. Write it down and/or take a photograph.
• Label your bicycle with your name and information. Be creative.

Report any suspicious people, with a good description, to Campus Security immediately. 

Memorise the emergency numbers of Campus Security, 021 808-2333 (Stellenbosch) and 021 938-9507 (Tygerberg). Or send a whatsapp message  082 808 2333.

​​Stellenbosch and surrounding areas are just as safe or unsafe as any other town and city in South Africa. Is is therefore imperative to take the same precautions here that you would take anywhere else.

Stellenbosch Campus becomes very quiet during exam times. Many students prefer to study at home and only come to Stellenbosch when they have to write exam. There is less movement between residences and campus and less activity in academic buildings. During the second exam opportunity things become even more quiet. This draws opportunistic criminals.

Even though Campus Security has close ties with the local South African Police Service and the broader security community in town and a lot of attention and money have been allocated to security issues by implementing technology, patrols, emergency numbers, shuttle services and a safety kiosk, your safety remains your responsibility as well. Please make sure that you don't put yourself in danger through careless and thoughtless actions. 

Here are some important tips:

Park close

For example, if you park at the Coetzenburg centre during the day and know that you plan to work in, for example, the library, you can take the shuttle bus to Coetzenburg at 16:30 and fetch your vehicle. After 16:00 the booms are open and this enables you to park near the building where you will be working.​

Loadshedding

Although loadshedding seems to be a thing of the past, be prepared! If possible, carry a flashlight with you and don't walk around in the dark if it isn't necessary. Please don't use candles or anything with an open flame.

Make use of the pedestrian escort service

Security officials will accompany staff members and students on request if they have to walk from one building to another or from a building to their vehicle on campus at night. This service is available from 19:00 to 05:00. Please call 021 808 4666 to request this service and leave enough time for a security official to join you.​

Report suspicious acitivity

Report suspicious-looking people, behaviour of vehicles: 021 808 4666 (Stellenbosch) or 021 938 9507 (Tygerberg). 

Save emergency numbers on your phone:

Stellenbosch = 021 808 2333; Tygerberg = 021 938 9507

Whatsapp: 082 808 2333.

Safety rescources

A whistle or pepper spray can be very useful in an emergency situation but this means you have to be prepared with the whistle aroun​d your neck or the pepper spray in your hand. You lose valuable time and the surprise element if you have to look for it first. The Matie Shop sells pepper spray. You can choose between a product with or without a key ring.​

Tips for personal safety

• Avoid walking alone. Make arrangements to get home safely before you leave. Walk with friends or use the shuttle service.
  
• Sport fields, the mountain road and parks are isolated, even during the day. Don't go walking or jogging on your own, regardless of whether it is dark, dusk or day. Invite someone to go with you or establish an exercise group.
  
• Earphones with loud music limit your awareness of you surroundings and a criminal can surprise you. Make sure you are aware of what is going on around you when you go walking or jogging.
  
• Cellphones and computers that are visible, make you a popular target.
  
• Don't allow people to enter a building with card access with you. Insist that the person uses his/her own card.
  
• Lock your door, even if you're in your room.
  
• Use the safest routes even if they're not the shortest.
  
• Property can be replaces but not lives. If your attacker is armed, it is safer not to resist.​
  

​As part of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science's ongoing commitment to changing its campus culture, Dr Maria Christodoulou was recently appointed as the faculty's relational coach. She has been tasked with helping to create a social learning environment that is inclusive, transformative and culturally competent; one that acknowledges individual and collective humanity and fosters a deep sense of belonging and acceptance for all.

Christodoulou completed her MB,ChB at this faculty in 1990 and also obtained a diploma in practitioner coaching in 2005. She has worked extensively in both the public and private sector, initially as an integrative medical practitioner and subsequently as a health, wellness and leadership coach. She combines her medical training and coaching skills with a wealth of knowledge of different healing traditions and theories of relational psychology, identity construction and human development. 

Her practice includes coaching individuals with cancer and chronic diseases, facilitating health and wellness-related workshops, and serving as lecturer and coach in the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, where she designed and implemented a postgraduate certificate course in Integrative Medicine in 2009. Christodoulou is also a faculty and advisory board member of The Coaching Centre and supervises and mentors both medical and coaching colleagues and students. 

In the past few years, she has focused primarily on coaching both individuals and teams of medical specialists in the public health sector, with an emphasis on leadership, resilience and equipping agents for change. Her combination of medical skills and extensive coaching experience afford her substantial insight into the complex challenges faced by health professionals in our context today. This, along with her passion for social artistry – which seeks to bring new ways of thinking, being and doing to social challenges in the world – makes her uniquely qualified to assist the faculty in its commitment to transform the lived experience of students and staff on the Tygerberg campus. 

In the next few months, Christodoulou will be meeting with various stakeholders (students as well as academic and support staff) and facilitating coaching conversations with individuals and groups across multiple levels of the faculty. She will employ coaching methods, tools, skills and practices to support and guide the faculty in attaining new levels of social, emotional and relational intelligence.

"I believe this will go a long way towards bridging the numerous divides among us and, more importantly, will offer us new ways of thinking, being and doing in relation to one another," says Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the FMHS. 

If you would like an opportunity to talk to Maria about your experiences or to share with her your ideas and perspectives on our campus culture, please contact her on mchristo@sun.ac.za or 083 459 9736.

​A dedicated Doctoral Office has been established at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University (SU) to facilitate the increasing number of doctoral students at the faculty. Dr Jyothi Chabilall was appointed as the new Head of the Doctoral Office.

"We have seen a tremendous increase – 200% over the last 10 years – in doctoral registrations and graduations at the Faculty," says Prof Nico Gey van Pittius, Vice Dean: Research at the FMHS.

In view of the Faculty's focus on enhancing and growing doctoral studies, the Dean's Management Team decided to establish a dedicated Doctoral Office that will address the strategic, administrative and logistical components of the complete doctoral process (from recruitment to graduation). This office will also be tasked to look after all research master's students in the Faculty, being the main conduit into doctoral studies.

"Ultimately I see the Doctoral Office as a centre that will advance the Faculty's academic, research and publication development by facilitating postgraduate recruitment, application, registration and examination processes," says Chabilall.

Chabilall was is well-known in the Faculty as she has been involved in inter alia organising the Pre-Doctoral Course offered by the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. She is an experienced mentor for master's and PhDs students, brings a wealth of knowledge in terms of facilitation and administration of postgraduate and research matters in the Faculty and has a proven track record of coordinating administrative support for postgraduate students.

Over the next few months Chabilall will be developing a strategic plan for doctoral studies, which include streamlining registration processes, ensuring that the Faculty increases its number of students registered for, and graduating with doctoral degrees, and that these students are well-looked after and sought-after for the quality of their PhDs internationally after graduation.

"We hope that this initiative will ensure that we continue to produce and increase our output of top quality doctoral students, research and innovation," says Gey van Pittius.

The Faculty of Education in collaboration with the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert (FVZS) Institute for Student Leadership Development recently launched the Leadership in Education short course.

A group of 40 students registered for the course that will address topics such as "Alternative learning models", "Teachers as agents of social change", "Diversity and inclusivity in education"; "Language in education" and "Educating to transform South African society".

The course was designed after the faculty's student committee – under the leadership of chairperson Mkululi (MK) Nompumza – approached the FVZS Institute and expressed a desire for such a course.

"The main objective of the course is to show prospective teachers that they can be leaders even though they might not hold official leadership positions."

MK hopes that by becoming better teachers and better South Africans, these teachers will set an example and be role models for the next generation.

Dr Leslie van Rooi, Head of the FVZS Institute, said they welcomed the student committee's request and encouraged other faculties to approach them with initiatives that will contribute to students' co-curricular experience at Stellenbosch University.

This short course coincides with SU's vision and will contribute to the development of the graduate attributes identified by the faculty, he added.

Programme manager Reneé Hector-Kannemeyer said that it is necessary to be critical about education and the current education system in South Africa and that the Leadership in Education course – as with all courses offered by the FVZS Leadership – seeks to inspire students to be conscious actors in the world.

"It is about starting a new thought movement, fuelling new ways of responding to where we are as a nation and as a continent and reigniting our imagination of what South Africa could be," she added.

The course was launched with Newberry House Montessori School as guest facilitators. They challenged students to explore alternative education models.

The objective of the Leadership in Education short course is that participants gain insight into the leadership role that prospective teachers and teachers in practice can play in improving various aspects of South African schools. Participants will also observe certain theme-related aspects of South African schools during their practice teaching period, and enter into facilitated group discussions on these aspects upon return from their practice teaching period.

Course participants will also find themselves working with fellow participants to integrate concepts, theories, and methods from two or more disciplines (other than education) to gain a richer understanding of a complex topic in South African education.

The course will continue when students return to class after their practice teaching period in the third term.

Stellenbosch University (SU) has long taken a firm stance against all forms of sexual misconduct and violence against women. The Rector's Management Team (RMT) has therefore noted with concern recent complaints about a rape culture at the institution, and has decided to appoint a Task Team to investigate rape culture to urgently look into the matter and make the necessary recommendations.

At its regular weekly meeting on 8 March 2016, the RMT reaffirmed the University approach of zero tolerance towards sexual misconduct. Rape is a serious criminal offence that falls under the jurisdiction of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the judiciary, and the University provides its full cooperation in all criminal investigations.

Sexual misconduct is also dealt with in terms of the University's Student Disciplinary Code and its Sexual Harassment Policy (for staff members). SU's Division of Legal Services investigates allegations, and University's Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee hears and acts on reported cases of sexual misconduct.

However, what is being raised goes beyond legal and disciplinary aspects. There are complaints of a general culture of disrespect and harassment of women students, and that this is regarded as normal. This should also be seen in the context of challenges in this regard in society as a whole.

Existing counter-measures at SU include ongoing activities on our various campuses to create awareness about gender issues and sexual harassment. Consciousness-raising sessions and sensitivity training for staff members and students take place both in and outside of residences. But more systematic interventions might be required to challenge entrenched practices. Coming up with recommendations in this regard will fall within the ambit of the Task Team's scope of work.

Policies and procedures are constantly under review with a view to strengthening SU's institutional response to sexual misconduct, assault and harassment.

Coetzenburg was the stage for top-of-the-log Western Province Grand Challenge clashes for both Steinhoff Maties Hockey teams this weekend and the action did not disappoint.

Both teams played against strong title contenders WPCC.

The Maties Women's team dominated from start to finish to beat WPCC by 5-0. Quanita Bobbs hit the back of the goal box four times and Tarryn Glasby scored Maties' other goal. Maties remain top of the log with 22 points after eight games. WPCC is on 18 after seven games.

The Maties Men managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat after trailing 3-1 with only a few minutes left on the clock. Ross Campbell scored his team's second goal to turn the tide and Keenan Horne scored the equaliser after great play by captain Dylan Swanepoel in the final seconds of the match. Daniel Bell scored Maties' first goal. It was a fierce battle and Maties' third draw of the season. WPCC is still top of the log with 16 points and Maties second with 12.

Vics also played in Stellenbosch on Sunday. The men won 5-3 against Pinelands, while the women lost 2-4.

Next on the calendar is Central against Maties and UCT against Vics on Sunday.

• On Monday Steinhoff Maties' Keenan Horne (photo) was named Varsity Sports Hockey 2016 Super Striker. Horne scored six goals during the tournament.