​​On 19 October 2019, Die Burger published an op-ed by Prof Michael le Cordeur, Chair of the Department of Curriculum Studies the Faculty of Education of Stellenbosch University (SU), on the recent Constitutional Court judgment about SU's Language Policy. Click here for the column on Netwerk 24 (only available in Afrikaans).

The top spellers in the country are from the Western Cape. In the national finals of the 2019 Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival held on 19 October at Stellenbosch University, 11 of the 30 winners were from the Western Cape and five from the Northern Cape. Last year, the Northern Cape was the provincial winner with the Western Cape coming in second. The competition is offered for Grade 1 to 10 Afrikaans Home Language learners. The overall winners in Grade 2, 5, 6 and 7 were all from the Western Cape. 

A total of 376 learners from 187 schools across South Africa took part in the national finals. Learners flexed their spelling muscles in Afrikaans Home language (Gr 1–10) and English First Additional Language (Gr 6–9).

In order to reach the finals, learners had to compete in a series of local and provincial rounds held across the country during the year.

WOW supports multilingualism and this year 84 learners from the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape took part in the Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival for English First Additional Language. Since 2017, WOW has also offered a spelling festival for isiXhosa learners in Grade 6 and 7 in four districts in the Western Cape. This year, a pilot spelling festival for Grade 3 was launched in one of the Western Cape districts.

In the section for English Additional Language for learners from Grade 6 to 9, the Western Cape shone. Five of the top twelve learners were from the Western Cape and four from the Eastern Cape. 

“Every year I think that the standard is very high, and then the learners outdo themselves," says Fiona van Kerwel, project manager of the WOW programme. “I am thrilled to be dealing with the really great problem of having to find words that learners will find challenging and which will showcase their spelling skills. Luckily Afrikaans is a rich language. We will not run out of words."

Saartjie Botha, director of the Toyota SU Woordfees and the WOW project, concurs: “The standard was even higher this year. Learners had to compete in up to 80 rounds to eliminate competitors. The competition has also grown. More than 700 schools took part in this year's Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival. This means that more than 100 schools throughout the country are participating in this remarkable festival."

Winners each received a cash prize, a medal and a shield from Sanlam, a badge for their blazers and a book prize from NB Publishers. The first-place winners received either a slim phone or a tablet.  Other sponsors include Stellenbosch University, kykNET, TAO (Trust for Afrikaans Teaching), the Het Jan Marais National Fund and the Millennium Trust.

Sydney Nhlanhla Mbhele, Sanlam's chief marketing manager, commented that it was an honour for Sanlam to be the named sponsor for the fifth year of the WOW Spelling Festival. “Spelling plays a huge role in how learners learn and what they can achieve academically, as well as in the development of learners' potential to be able to successfully enter tertiary education, and become financially strong, successful and valuable members of society."

The WOW National Spelling Festival is now in its eighth year. WOW, an acronym for Words Open Worlds, works to encourage a love of words and reading in young learners. The project also annually assists some 15 needy students at Stellenbosch University through bursaries.

National winners per grade in Afrikaans Home language

Grade 1

1. Ruan Maartens                                 Fairland Primary                                             Gauteng
2. Katryn Silvis                                   Jan van Riebeeck Primary                            Western Cape
3. Janolene Fiekies                             VRT Pitt Primary                                           Western Cape

Grade 2

1. Luke Versveld                                 Gericke Primary School                                Western Cape
2. Nay-Leesha Rezant                        Alpha Primary                                                Northern Cape
3. Marli Jacobs                                    CR Swart Primary                                          Mpumalanga

Grade 3

1. Wium Potgieter                             Parys Primary School                                   Free State
2. Marlouise du Toit                          Vredendal Primary School                          Western Cape
3. Duan Beukes                                 Melkbosstrand Private School                                   Western Cape

Grade 4

1. Megan Cruickshank                       Louw Geldenhuys Primary                         Gauteng
2. Logan Damane                              The Hague Primary                                      Western Cape
3. Hayden Vorster                              Helderkruin Primary                                     Gauteng

Grade 5

1. Lise la Grange                                 Niko Brummer Primary                                Western Cape
2. Carii van Rooyen                            Krugerpark Primary                                      Limpopo
3. Faith Pieterse                                 Alpha Primary                                                Northern Cape

Grade 6

1. Keesha Bukkies                               Laurie Hugo Primary                                     Western Cape
2. Sheona-Lee Blou                            Seagull Primary                                            Eastern Cape
3. Elmien Pieterse                             Pietersburg East Primary                             Limpopo

Grade 7

1. Tatum Ferrier                                Idas Valley Primary                                      Western Cape
2. Mila Kotzé                                      Truida Kesstell                                              Free State
3. Anri Botha                                       Sunridge Primary                                         Eastern Cape

Grade 8

1. Izelna Venter                                 Pietersburg High                                           Limpopo
2. Annabelle Theunissen                  Middelburg High                                            Mpumalanga
3. Skylah Williams                              Namaqualand High                                        Northern Cape

Grade 9

1. Josef Joubert                                  Piet Potgieter High                                   Limpopo
2. Asleigh Arendse                            Namaqualand High                                   Northern Cape
3. Luyanda Pofadder                         GS Friesdale RK                                          Northern Cape

Grade 10

1. Leandri du Plessis                            Sentraal High                                               Free State
2. Jennilee Stuurman                          Bernadino Heights                                     Western Cape
3. Elsa Marie van der Watt                HMS Bloemhof                                            Western Cape

Winners per Grade in English First Additional Language

Grade 6

1. Khanya Siheula                               Graslaagte Primary                                        Eastern Cape
2. Megan Potberg                              Graslaagte Primary                                        Eastern Cape
3. Kgatliso Ebuang                              Pabalelo Primary                                             Northern Cape

Grade 7

1. Bessie Longwe                                 Hindle Road West Primary                         Western Cape
2. Babalwa Zikhali                               Vela-Langa Primary                                     Northern Cape
3. Shaylin De Klerk                              Hermeslaan Primary                                    Western Cape

Grade 8

1. Tristen Tieling                                  Saxsonsea Secondary                                   Western Cape
2. Charlton Goliath                             Gelvandale High School                             Eastern Cape
3. Verona Appollis                              Atlantis Secondary                                       Western Cape

Grade 9

1. Mpho Xwethu                                 Vuyolwethu High School                            Northern Cape
2. Tanya Starbuck                               Otto Du Plessis High School                       Eastern Cape

3. Lauren Balie                                    Atlantis Secondary                                       Western Cape

​​The university years are a critical time period when students experience the challenging transition into adulthood. Although student years are characterized by positive experiences and personal growth, it is also a peak period for the onset of many common mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. 

The high prevalence of these conditions is significant not only because of the distress and disability it causes, but also because it is associated with reduced academic performance. It is for this reason that universities should take note of their students' mental health and their risk for common mental disorders – so that they can perform optimally during this important developmental period. 

With this in mind, the South African MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry has been working with a range of universities and colleges around the world on a mental health survey project aimed at keeping track of students' mental health and the risks they face. 

Professor Christine Lochner from the MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders said that in South Africa, researchers at the MRC Unit, a cross-university unit of Stellenbosch Universities (SU) of and the University of Cape Town (UCT), have been working together with international mental health experts at McLean Hospital (Columbia University, USA); Harvard Medical School (Harvard University, USA) and KU Leuven University (Belgium) on the WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project (WMH-ICS). 

The WMH-ICS Initiative is designed to “generate accurate epidemiological data … for the treatment of mental, substance and behavioural disorders among college students worldwide; to implement and evaluate web-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of these disorders; and disseminate the evidence-based interventions found to be effective using a continuous quality improvement approach designed to prevent degradation of these interventions in dissemination and successively to improve targeting of interventions using precision medicine procedures," says Lochner. 

“There have been a number of important publications based on data collected by the WMH-ICS, with Dr Ron Kessler from Harvard Medical School as the senior author on many of these. Locally, the work is done collaboratively at SU and UCT, with me, Dr Jason Bantjes (Psychology, SU) and Professor Dan Stein (Psychiatry, UCT) and Ms Janine Roos from the Mental Health Information Centre (MHIC) as leading researchers," Lochner explained. (For more information, see www.mentalhealthsa.org.za).

Lochner cited the latest paper published in BMC Public Health which was focused on the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) among 1^st year students in SA (and at SU and UCT specifically).

The study investigated the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of lifetime and 12-month CMDs among university students in SA with a particular focus on vulnerability among students in historically excluded and marginalized segments of the population.

Data was collected through self-report measures in an online survey of first-year students registered at the two universities – UCT and SU. They were assessed for CMDs with previously-validated screening scales.

The research concluded that, “despite advances to promote greater social inclusion in post-apartheid South Africa, students who identify as female, students with atypical sexual orientations and students with disabilities are nonetheless at increased risk of CMDs."

The study found, among other things, that a total of 38,5% respondents reported at least one lifetime CMD, the most common being major depressive disorder (24,7%). “Twelve-month prevalence of any CMD was 31,5% with generalized anxiety disorder being the most common (20,8%). The median age of onset for any disorder was 15 years, suggesting that most of the CMDs has its onset during adolescence already. Female students, students who reported an atypical sexual orientation and students with disabilities were at significantly higher risk of any lifetime or 12-month disorder and internalizing disorders such as depression and generalised anxiety disorder, whereas male gender, identifying as white and reporting an atypical sexual orientation were associated with elevated risk of externalizing disorders such as alcohol use disorder or substance use disorder. Older age, atypical sexual orientation and disability were associated with elevated risk of bipolar spectrum disorder."

Lochner said the research highlighted the need for universities to be alert to student mental health. She stressed that students have many opportunities to find help for mental challenges. “It would be important, however, to extend the reach and if needed, adjust the format of some of the existing services and break down barriers to treatment-seeking going forward," she said. Some of these issues have already been addressed and published on by the researchers and should be taken notice of by all tertiary institutions.

​​​​​More than 375 learners from 187 schools (Afrikaans and English, First Additional Language), from across South Africa qualified for the final round of the national Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival 2019, which will take place on 19 October at Stellenbosch University. 

"The Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival is one of the Woordfees and WOW's flagship projects, and the national finals are the cherry on the cake," says Saartjie Botha, Director of the Toyota SU Woordfees and WOW project.  (WOW is the acronym for Words Open Worlds.)  “The spelling festival is an initiative that focuses on continuous learning and tests much more than just the learners' knowledge of language and spelling rules. It expands their vocabulary, is an excellent exercise in concentration and gives learners the confidence to talk with ease in front of people they don't know. We are privileged to welcome the learners, their teachers and parents to Stellenbosch."

Sydney Nhlanhla Mbhele, Executive Brand Manager of Sanlam, remarked that it is a great honour for Sanlam to be the named sponsor of the WOW Spelling Festival for the fifth year: “As a responsible corporate partner, Sanlam is committed to ensuring that we leave a lasting legacy in the communities that we serve.  We do this by creating community value, influencing our growing business and continually evaluating our contribution to socio-economic development. We deem it important to form relationships and be associated with projects that deliver valuable contributions to communities."

Fiona van Kerwel, the WOW project manager, commented that the feedback she receives about the spelling festival is a prime motivator for her and her team. They travel throughout the country to ensure that the various rounds of the competition – from school level, through to the circle, district and provincial levels – run smoothly.  “Throughout the country, educators, parents and education departments attest to the fact that the WOW Spelling Festival helps young learners to sharpen their language skills and build self-confidence. At the same time they have a lot of fun as they practice, spell and learn. As one learner put it: 'The spelling festival gives me the words to describe, understand and work.'"

WOW supports multilingualism and once again offered the spelling festival in English First Additional Language for Grades 6-9 in the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape.  Since 2017, WOW has also offered the spelling festival in isiXhosa for Grades 6 and 7 in the four districts of the Western Cape.  This year a spelling festival for Grade 3 in one of the Western Cape districts was added.

Dr. Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation at Stellenbosch University, says that the WOW National Spelling Festival is a wonderful example of a contribution to nation building:  “Over the last few months learners, teachers and parents across all the provinces of our country have come together to sound and to spell.  In some areas this took place in three of our official languages and everywhere else people came together irrespective of the supposed borders that separate them. Even in competition we can make friends." He is pleased that Stellenbosch can play host to the final round of this national competition that brings the rich diversity of our country together. 

The national finals of the Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival will take place on Saturday 19 October at Stellenbosch University and starts at 10:00.  The prize-giving will take place at 15:00 in the Adam Small Theatre complex. 

To attend the event or obtain more information about the Sanlam WOW Spelling festival, contact Danie Marais at the Toyota SU Woordfees office : danie_marais@sun.ac.za of 083 325 3433.

​Stellenbosch University (SU) will confer honorary doctorates on six remarkable individuals in recognition of their extraordinary efforts to change the world for the better in their respective fields, namely the performing arts, economics, higher education, women's health, equal opportunities for people with disabilities, and rural development.

Their contributions to society through education, activism and research also embody the values underpinning SU's Vision 2040 – compassion, respect, excellence, accountability and equity.

The recipients of the honorary doctorates are:

• Ms Nasima Badsha grew up in South Africa and the United Kingdom, and has made outstanding contributions to South African higher education over a period spanning more than 30 years. She did pioneering work in creating access, equity and social justice in the higher education system and played a key role in conceptualising a new higher education dispensation in South Africa.
• Ms Rachel Kachaje from Malawi is a well-known activist with over 25 years' experience in advocating for equal opportunities and rights for persons with disabilities in Malawi, the rest of Africa and across the globe. Kachaje, who contracted polio at the age of three, held high office in several disability and human rights-related organisations and committees, and is also a former Minister of Disability and Elderly Affairs in the Malawian government.  
• Dr Bonisile John Kani, born in Port Elizabeth, is being recognised for his 50-year career in the performing arts and playwriting, not only in South Africa, but globally as well. Throughout his career, he has shown an unwavering commitment to ensuring that young people have access to the performing arts, and to using the arts as a tool to educate, develop communities and give a voice to the oppressed. Recent international successes include roles in the films Black Panther (2018), The Lion King (2019) and Murder Mystery (2019).  
• Prof Quarraisha Abdool Karim is a prominent National Research Foundation A-rated* South African scientist, epidemiologist who specialises in infectious disease, and associate scientific director of the Centre for AIDS Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). She is being honoured for her commitment to research and education in the field of women's health in Africa and globally, particularly her successful efforts in increasing the national and international focus on HIV, and her pivotal role in HIV prevention research.
• Dr Uma Lele, born in Maharashtra, India, is being honoured for her leadership in the theory and practice of rural development globally. In a career that has spanned almost five decades, her body of work has been characterised by efforts to influence public policy through rigorous empirical research. Lele, president-elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (the first female to hold this office), is undoubtedly the leading rural development scholar of her generation.
• Prof Leonard Wantchekon from Benin is so committed to improving economics training in West Africa that he founded his own university – the African School of Economics (ASE). Besides serving as ASE president, Wantchekon is also professor of Politics, International Affairs and Economics at Princeton in the USA. He had to overcome many hurdles to become an academic leader in his field. He is being acknowledged for his immense contribution to equipping the next generation of scholars with the skills, networks and belief in themselves to rise above their circumstances and become leading academics who are able to change the world for the better.

SU's honorary doctorates are a way of acknowledging the remarkable work of individuals who are regarded as role models and an inspiration to Stellenbosch graduates. The honorary degrees will be conferred at the December 2019 graduation ceremonies and those in March and April 2020.

*An A-rating by the National Research Foundation recognises academics who are considered global leaders in their respective fields for the quality and impact of recent research outputs.

​

​

Stellenbosch University (SU) has entered the realm of academic diplomacy and policy development with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help foster the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.

The agreement was signed on behalf of SU by the Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Prof Eugene Cloete, and Prof Oliver Ruppel, Director: Development and Rule of Law Programme (DROP). The other partners who signed the MoU on 10 October 2019 were the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt).

Prof Cloete said at the signing that DROP and SU at large together with these organisations were breaking ground in Africa in terms of SDG diplomacy, providing policy makers with non-prescriptive but highly qualified policy advice.

DROP, which was established in 2012, is affiliated to SU's Water Institute and the Faculty of Law. Its activities are trans-disciplinary in nature, with a strong legal and socio-political focus on climate change, justice, sustainability and transformation. “The focus at DROP lies on reconciling the tensions between environmental sustainability, economic development and human welfare, with a view on burning legal, political, economic and social developments in Africa," Prof Ruppel commented.

On behalf of PAP, the MoU was signed by its President, the Rt. Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang. The PAP is an organ of the African Union established to ensure the full participation of African peoples in the development and economic integration of the continent with its objectives including to promote peace, security and stability, the principles of human rights and democracy in Africa and encourage good governance.

The main objective of the new partnership is to implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 sustainability agenda with regard to policy development projects effectively. As a first project, the partners will team up on the issue of land degradation[i] neutrality (SDG target 15.3) and sustainable soil management on the African continent.

The project is financially supported by the German Ministry for Development Cooperation, through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit. It aims to develop a Model Legislation for Sustainable Soil Management in Africa.

PAP and DROP are supported by the German Environment Agency, which is Germany's central federal authority for environmental matters under the supervision of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Dr Harald Ginzky, a Director at UBA, strongly encouraged the MoU between the three parties to team up in SDG diplomacy and policy development for the benefit of the African continent and beyond.

For more information on DROP, please visit: https://drop.sun.ac.za/

(PHOTO: An area of degraded land in Ethiopia. Georgina Smith / CIAT.)

[i] Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable

After scooping a Distinguished Lecturer award, Dr Taryn Bernard from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences says she sees the award as recognition for the effort she has put into the design of her curricula.

Launched in 2017, the Stellenbosch University Teaching Excellence Awards acknowledge lecturers in two categories, “Distinguished Teacher" and “Developing Teacher", based on their experience and leadership in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Applicants had to submit a portfolio that demonstrated their reflection on and evidence of four main components: context, students, knowledge and professional growth. They also had to indicate the lessons they had learnt on their journey to becoming excellent teachers.

With eleven years in the teaching profession under her belt, Bernard highlights the importance for lecturers to pay attention to the difficulties students face when entering university and the mechanisms that can be used to support students.

Why did you choose teaching as a career?

“Probably like many academics, I chose research as a career and the teaching part was something that I needed to do in order to engage in the research I wanted to do. I was not a good teacher at first; I was shy and intimidated by big classrooms. But as I started to feel more comfortable and developed my own teaching style, which involved a lot of moving around and questions and writing on the blackboard, I started to see teaching as a very important aspect of my job."

What have been some of your career highlights?

“I love travelling and teaching in other countries. A big highlight for me this year was travelling to Kenya to present a course in critical discourse analysis at the University of Nairobi. Teaching critical methods of language analysis to a class of second-language speakers of English is a tall order, but the course was well received and in the end we all learnt something about culture and communication from each other."

What have been some of the biggest career challenges?

“Working on an extended programme has always been a significant challenge for me. Unfortunately, these programmes mostly remain an undesirable part of the South African Higher Education (HE) system, which means I often have to motivate people to see the relevance and importance of these programmes and the key role they play in transforming the South African HE sector."

 Why did you enter into this award?

“I knew that as a young academic it was important for me to have a teaching portfolio. The opportunity to win an award was just an added bonus."

 What does it mean to win the Distinguished Teacher/Developing Teacher award?

I see winning the Distinguished Teacher award for 2019 as an enormous accomplishment, especially because I am still an early career researcher. I see the award as recognition for the effort I put into the design of my curricula, the way I teach, but also recognition for my knowledge of the scholarship of teaching and learning. I think it is important for lecturers to pay attention to the difficulties students face when entering university and the mechanisms we can use to support them in this process. I see the award system as a way of recognising all the hard work and time that goes into being a good educator."

What impact will this award have on your teaching career going forward?

Starting a teaching portfolio from scratch was a mammoth task but it is now something that I need to keep updated, a “living document". In order to do this properly, I need to always be aware of my teaching philosophy, how it changes over time and how I implement it in the classroom. This is bound to have a massive impact on my teaching career going forward."

When you are not busy teaching, what are some of your favourites hobbies and why?

“I have a lot of hobbies, too many to mention. I listen to a lot of music. When I'm in need of a break, I walk around our beautiful campus to get a coffee. I always feel so grateful to work in such a beautiful environment."

 What do you hope to impart to students that you teach?

“I find it very rewarding to teach students about the complexities of language – how we use it to construct our own identities and the identities of others in ways that can be both empowering and disempowering. The term for this is critical language awareness, and I think it's a skill everyone should have."

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

This year, I went on a journey into coding and exploring quantitative data – a journey which ended with me regaining my love and appreciation of qualitative data. In five years' time I would like to have completed a longitudinal ethnographic study that documents the movement of a particular group of multilingual and multicultural students through the higher education system. There is still so much to learn about diversity and resilience, and so much of this can only be found in the stories students tell about themselves and their worlds.

*The above-mentioned candidates will receive her award during a ceremony at the end of the fourth quarter.

For more information about the Teaching Excellence Awards, contact Dr Karin Cattell-Holden at kcattell@sun.ac.za or 021 808 3074.

The new Statute (click here) of Stellenbosch University (SU) has taken effect, having been published in the Government Gazette on 16 August 2019. It was adopted by the SU Council in November 2018 and signed by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 10 July 2019. Interim measures to give effect to the new Statute are in the planning phase. The University has 24 months to align the composition of our statutory bodies with the new Statute.

An extensive consultative process to revise the previous Statute (of 2016) started in August 2017. The new document was drafted by a task team led by Registrar Dr Ronel Retief, in conjunction with experts. Consultations included a range of workshops, a month-long process of public participation, as well as inputs by stakeholders such as faculty boards, the Students' Representative Council (SRC) and the executive of the Convocation.

The Statute is SU's constitution. It provides the institutional framework for the effective governance and administration of the University. All rules, policies or other instruments issued by University bodies and functionaries are subject to the Statute.

Among other things, it covers the composition and functioning of Council, Senate, faculty boards, the SRC, the Institutional Forum and the Convocation. It also spells out the duties and responsibilities of office-bearers such as the Chancellor, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, vice-rectors and deputy vice-chancellors, Chief Operating Officer, Registrar and deans. It deals with donors, employees and students. Moreover, it covers the qualifications and honorary degrees conferred and awarded by the University.

The Statute, in turn, is subject to the Constitution of South Africa, 1996, and must also be consistent with the Higher Education Act, 1997. It commits the University to open, transparent, responsible and accountable governance and administration and contains various checks and balances to ensure this. In addition, the document aims to bind together the University community in the pursuit of academic and administrative excellence that benefits society as a whole.

The drafting of Institutional Rules that will support the provisions in the Statute – as required by the Higher Education Act – is set to start soon. The new Statute is available on the official webpage for SU policies and regulations, www.sun.ac.za/english/policy.

​

The 2019 winners of the annual Stellenbosch University (SU) Teaching Excellence Awards were announced recently. Lecturers of the Faculty of Science have bagged two of the 12 awards.

Dr Marnel Mouton was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award in the category 'Distinguished Teacher' and Prof Gareth Arnott was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award in the category 'Developing Teacher'.

Launched in 2017, the awards acknowledge lecturers in two categories, 'Distinguished Teacher' and 'Developing Teacher', based on their experience and leadership in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Applicants had to submit a portfolio that demonstrated their reflection on and evidence of four main components: context, students, knowledge and professional growth. They also had to indicate the lessons they had learnt on their journey to becoming excellent teachers.

Dr Marnel Mouton

According to Mouton, she is extremely grateful for this award and SU acknowledging the extreme hard work that goes into research and publications, especially in a field that is not her first original field of expertise.

“It is a great motivation to continue with this important work. It also means that I acknowledge the role that others played on this journey, such as colleagues from our faculty and the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the teaching and learning hub of the Faculty of Science, as well as initiatives of the University to develop its staff," says Mouton.

Mouton's teaching focus is currently mostly on science education. Over the years of teaching first-year Biology, she discovered that there was an articulation gap between school and first-year in higher education, which she hopes to help with over time.

“I found their understanding of most lacking or rather superficial. Over time I realised that we cannot just teach from where the school curriculum seemingly ended, but that we had to circle back to make sure that students indeed have a solid foundation for further knowledge building."

Mouton is also no stranger to winning awards at SU. In 2015, she received a Rector's Award for General Performance and in 2018, she was awarded the Faculty of Science: Best presentation from the Faculty of Science at the Annual Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL).

“Receiving the Teaching Excellence Award will definitely also be one of my career highlights. This award is a significant motivator. I have applied for funding to expand my research outputs in this field and have considered applying for more funding or a possible fellowship. After this award, I am even more motivated to pursue such avenues," says Mouton.

Prof Gareth Arnott

According to Arnott, winning the Teaching Excellence Award is also a career-defining highlight. He has been teaching for almost 12 years and says he feels honoured for being recognised for his work as a teacher.

“I don't teach for the recognition of course, but being recognised as a good teacher is rewarding. It is a big thing and I am honoured by it. It makes me feel that the work I have put in has been seen. Also having had a number of top first year students saying that they were impacted by my teaching has been rewarding," says Arnott.

He says he always loved science, but thought he would study genetics or biochemistry until he changed direction in his second year, which he believes was the best move he could have made.

Apart from teaching in the classroom, Arnott also has an active online presence, where he shares many of his lessons and other teaching materials. He has a YouTube Channel under his name and a research group based in the department of chemistry and polymer science at SU.

Arnott says he hopes that not only will his teaching inspire students but that it will also instill a sense of independence to help them figure things out on their own.

“If I can get them to accept that the 'Answer is not the Solution' and that they need to try and figure things out for themselves, then I feel I have done a good job. There are aspects where engaging more with the educational literature has made me better at teaching. It's not so much the award that has helped me see this, but the award is something that has come along this path I am travelling," says Arnott.

*The above-mentioned candidates will receive their awards during a ceremony at the end of the fourth quarter.

For more information about the Teaching Excellence Awards, contact Dr Karin Cattell-Holden at kcattell@sun.ac.za or 021 808 3074.​

In the photo above from left, Dr Marnel Mouton and Prof Gareth Arnott.

Why does bone health matter? Our bones support us and allow us to move. They protect our brain, heart, and other organs from injury. Our bones also store minerals such as calcium and phosphorous, which help keep our bones strong, and release them into the body when we need them for other uses.

The body constantly absorbs and replaces bone tissue. With osteoporosis, new bone creation doesn't keep up with old bone removal.

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine.

Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races. But white and Asian women — especially older women who are past menopause — are at highest risk. There typically are no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. But once your bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you might have signs and symptoms that include:

• Back pain, caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra
• Loss of height over time
• A stooped posture
• A bone that breaks much more easily than expected

You might want to talk to your doctor about osteoporosis if you went through early menopause or took corticosteroids for several months at a time, or if either of your parents had hip fractures.

Treating osteoporosis means stopping the bone loss and rebuilding bone to prevent breaks. Healthy lifestyle choices such as proper diet, exercise, and medications can help prevent further bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures.

What are the causes of Osteoporosis?

Your bones are in a constant state of renewal — new bone is made, and old bone is broken down. When you're young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone and your bone mass increases. After the early 20s this process slows, and most people reach their peak bone mass by age 30. As people age, bone mass is lost faster than it's created.

How likely you are to develop osteoporosis depends partly on how much bone mass you attained in your youth. Peak bone mass is somewhat inherited and varies also by ethnic group. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have "in the bank" and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age.

What are the risk factors for Osteoporosis?

A number of factors can increase the likelihood that you'll develop osteoporosis — including your age, race, lifestyle choices, and medical conditions and treatments.

Unchangeable risks

Some risk factors for osteoporosis are out of your control, including:

• Your sex. Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis than are men.
• Age. The older you get, the greater your risk of osteoporosis.
• Race. You're at greatest risk of osteoporosis if you're white or of Asian descent.
• Family history. Having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis puts you at greater risk, especially if your mother or father fractured a hip.
• Body frame size. Men and women who have small body frames tend to have a higher risk because they might have less bone mass to draw from as they age.

Hormone levels

Osteoporosis is more common in people who have too much or too little of certain hormones in their bodies. Examples include:

• Sex hormones. Lowered sex hormone levels tend to weaken bone. The reduction of oestrogen levels in women at menopause is one of the strongest risk factors for developing osteoporosis. Men have a gradual reduction in testosterone levels as they age. Treatments for prostate cancer that reduce testosterone levels in men and treatments for breast cancer that reduce oestrogen levels in women are likely to accelerate bone loss.
• Thyroid problems. Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. This can occur if your thyroid is overactive or if you take too much thyroid hormone medication to treat an underactive thyroid.
• Other glands. Osteoporosis has also been associated with overactive parathyroid and adrenal glands.

Dietary factors

Osteoporosis is more likely to occur in people who have:

• Low calcium intake. A lifelong lack of calcium plays a role in the development of osteoporosis. Low calcium intake contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures.
• Eating disorders. Severely restricting food intake and being underweight weakens bone in both men and women.
• Gastrointestinal surgery. Surgery to reduce the size of your stomach or to remove part of the intestine limits the amount of surface area available to absorb nutrients, including calcium. These surgeries include those to help you lose weight and for other gastrointestinal disorders.

Steroids and other medications

Long-term use of oral or injected corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone and cortisone, interferes with the bone-rebuilding process. Osteoporosis has also been associated with medications used to combat or prevent:

• Seizures
• Gastric reflux
• Cancer
• Transplant rejection

Medical conditions

The risk of osteoporosis is higher in people who have certain medical problems, including:

• Celiac disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Kidney or liver disease
• Cancer
• Lupus
• Multiple myeloma
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Lifestyle choices

Some bad habits can increase your risk of osteoporosis. Examples include:

• Sedentary lifestyle. People who spend a lot of time sitting have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do those who are more active. Any weight-bearing exercise and activities that promote balance and good posture are beneficial for your bones, but walking, running, jumping, dancing and weightlifting seem particularly helpful.
• Excessive alcohol consumption. Regular consumption of more than two alcoholic drinks a day increases your risk of osteoporosis.
• Tobacco use. The exact role tobacco plays in osteoporosis isn't clear, but it has been shown that tobacco use contributes to weak bones.

What are the complications?

Bone fractures, particularly in the spine or hip, are the most serious complications of osteoporosis. Hip fractures often are caused by a fall and can result in disability and even an increased risk of death within the first year after the injury.

In some cases, spinal fractures can occur even if you haven't fallen. The bones that make up your spine (vertebrae) can weaken to the point of crumpling, which can result in back pain, lost height and a hunched forward posture.

Prevention of Osteoporosis

Good nutrition and regular exercise are essential for keeping your bones healthy throughout your life.

Protein

Protein is one of the building blocks of bone. However, there's conflicting evidence about the impact of protein intake on bone density.

Most people get plenty of protein in their diets, but some do not. Vegetarians and vegans can get enough protein in the diet if they intentionally seek suitable sources, such as soy, nuts, legumes, seeds for vegans and vegetarians, and dairy and eggs for vegetarians.

Older adults might eat less protein for various reasons. If you think you're not getting enough protein, ask your doctor if supplementation is an option.

Body weight

Being underweight increases the chance of bone loss and fractures. Excess weight is now known to increase the risk of fractures in your arm and wrist. As such, maintaining an appropriate body weight is good for bones just as it is for health in general.

Calcium

Men and women between the ages of 18 and 50 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day. This daily amount increases to 1,200 milligrams when women turn 50 and men turn 70.

Good sources of calcium include:

• Low-fat dairy products
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Canned salmon or sardines with bones
• Soy products, such as tofu
• Calcium-fortified cereals and orange juice

If you find it difficult to get enough calcium from your diet, consider taking calcium supplements. However, too much calcium has been linked to kidney stones. Although yet unclear, some experts suggest that too much calcium especially in supplements can increase the risk of heart disease.

The Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) recommends that total calcium intake, from supplements and diet combined, should be no more than 2,000 milligrams daily for people older than 50.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D improves your body's ability to absorb calcium and improves bone health in other ways. People can get some of their vitamin D from sunlight, but this might not be a good source if you live in a high latitude, if you're housebound, or if you regularly use sunscreen or avoid the sun because of the risk of skin cancer.

To get enough vitamin D to maintain bone health, it's recommended that adults ages 51 to 70 get 600 international units (IU) and 800 IU a day after age 70 through food or supplements.

People without other sources of vitamin D and especially with limited sun exposure might need a supplement. Most multivitamin products contain between 600 and 800 IU of vitamin D. Up to 4,000 IU of vitamin D a day is safe for most people.

Exercise

Exercise can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss. Exercise will benefit your bones no matter when you start, but you'll gain the most benefits if you start exercising regularly when you're young and continue to exercise throughout your life.

Combine strength training exercises with weight-bearing and balance exercises. Strength training helps strengthen muscles and bones in your arms and upper spine. Weight-bearing exercises — such as walking, jogging, running, stair climbing, skipping rope, skiing and impact-producing sports — affect mainly the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine. Balance exercises such as tai chi can reduce your risk of falling especially as you get older.

Swimming, cycling and exercising on machines such as elliptical trainers can provide a good cardiovascular workout, but they don't improve bone health.

Bone health is important. If you need to talk to a sister or a doctor about osteoporosis, please contact Campus Health Service at 021 808 3496.

​The Unit for Religion and Development Research (URDR) is an interdisciplinary research unit based at SU. It empowers communities, organisations and governments through evidence based research, theory building from below and capacity building through education and training.

The Unit offers a unique research space, positioned within multiple worlds, with a focus on social transformation and sustainable development.

This enables it to sensitively navigate the faith and secular divides still prevalent in development work today; to nurture cooperation between the worlds of theory and practice, academics and faith institutions, and government and civil society; and to offer multi-sectoral, interdisciplinary approaches to the complex issues surrounding key sustainable development goals.

The URDR was founded in 2002 with a focus on nurturing evidence-based good practice. It emerged in response to the need to equip faith communities, in particular, to play an ongoing and effective role in social transformation in post-apartheid South Africa. A critical religious development discourse was required to meet new challenges and contexts, to map and understand emerging trends, and to equip faith communities to play an effective role alongside other actors in sustainable community development.

The URDR was recently commissioned by Girls Not Brides to do a study on understanding the role of resistant religious leaders from Christian, Muslim and Hindu traditions in efforts to end child marriage and develop effective strategies for working with them for change. Child marriage violates girls' rights to health, education and opportunity. It exposes girls to violence throughout their lives and traps them in a cycle of poverty.

Currently, 12 million girls are married every year before they reach 18. Almost one in three of these girls are living in sub-Saharan Africa – up from one in seven girls 25 years ago. One in nine girls in the developing world is married by age 15. Through Girls Not Brides the URDR research team had access to 1 000 partner organisations across multiple faiths and in more than 95 countries. Key informant interviews with practitioners from all over the world, review of programme documentation from organisations working with religious leaders on child marriage, as well as a literature review were conducted.

While not all religious leaders oppose ending child marriage, this study focused on those who do to help support activists who are facing challenges in their attempts to work with religious leaders. The following seven overlapping drivers (or underlying roots) were identified as shaping the attitudes and practices seen to typically fuel religious resistance to ending child marriage:

• Marriage viewed as a religious ritual;

• Lack of awareness of child marriage consequences;

• Child marriage seen as ordained by religion;

• Fear of premarital sex and pregnancy;

• Reinforcement of patriarchal power;

• Parental protection and power over children;

• Religious fundamentalism.

 Several strategies were suggested in relation to understanding the particular drivers within a specific context and building on what is being seen to work in the field across multiple faiths.

*The article appears in the latest edition of the Stellenbosch University Research Publication. Click hereto read more. 

Photograph: Stock image – Unsplash​​

​​The Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University has expanded its offering to include from 2020 a more interdisciplinary approach for those students who want to specialise in the fields of medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics and computational biology, and biomedical engineering

This interdisciplinary BSc degree allows for a more flexible combination of different fields, such as chemistry combined with physiology; mathematics and computer science with physiology; or computer science combined with mathematics, statistics, biochemistry and genetics.

“This means we will be able to accommodate a student who is interested in genetics, but also in mathematics and computer science, or someone with a keen interest in mathematics as well as biology. We are therefore offering an opportunity for students to combine their interests in the mathematical, the biological and the physical sciences, while at the same time preparing them for new fields that require an integration of knowledge and skills," explains Prof Ingrid Rewitzky, head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Vice-Dean of teaching and learning in the Faculty of Science.

Applied Medicinal Chemistry curriculum

With this curriculum, the Departments of Physiological Sciences and Chemistry and Polymer Science offer a broad, multi-disciplinary background in chemistry and physiology to prepare students for careers in the medical, pharmaceutical and allied health industries.

Prof Anna-Mart Engelbrecht from the Department of Physiological Sciences says students will be exposed to topics such as drug synthesis in chemistry, physiology, as well as the pathophysiology basis of diseases. In the third year, students will also be introduced to a module in the legal aspects of patent law and innovation management. A module in botany will provide them with the botanical background to understand the diversity of plant forms and function at a local and global scale.

“This knowledge can be used for sustainable drug development from plant extracts, novel processes of plant extraction and use. It is therefore essential that students should possess knowledge of the legal aspects of innovation protection and management when new drugs are developed," she explains.

Prof Willem van Otterlo and Dr Catherine Kascula from the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science point out that this curriculum will provide students with the strong chemical background needed to interface in an applied manner with the physiological sciences, with an option of extending their studies into the chemistry or physiology honours programme.

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology curriculum

This curriculum provides comprehensive training in computer science, mathematics, statistics, biochemistry and genetics. Students who follow this curriculum will have a deep understanding of biology, with the analytical dexterity offered by mathematics and statistics to use existing or develop new software tools, using their computer science skills.

Prof Hugh Patterton, director of the Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB) at SU, says students will be able to use and analyse large biological datasets effectively, and gain new insights from the data. “Bioinformatics and computational biology are specialized fields in data sciences, where enormous biological datasets generated by modern technologies are used to understand living organisms at an incredible level of detail. It allows a deep insight into the chemistry and processes that define a living organism, the relationship between organisms and the evolution of life, and is used to answer fundament​al questions in biology," Patterton explains.

On a postgraduate level, selected students can pursue an honours programme in bioinformatics and computational biology, or, with additional undergraduate modules taken, honours programmes in biochemistry, computer science or genetics. The CBCB will also be offering an MSc and PhD degree in bioinformatics and computational biology.

Biomedical Mathematical Sciences curriculum

Biomedical engineering involves the application of engineering principles to biology and medicine to solve healthcare problems, and is currently regarded as one of the fastest growing job markets in the world.

The Biomedical Mathematical Sciences curriculum will expose students to the fields of mathematics, computer science and physiology. It can lead to an honours programme in physiology or mathematics, or a postgraduate diploma and later an MSc in biomedical engineering in the Faculty of Engineering.

*For more information on any of these new offerings, contact Prof Rewitzky at 021 808 3289 or rewitzky@sun.ac.za

​​

“There shouldn't be a divide between old and young people when it comes to art museums. Accessibility is important and the transformation of museums has to continue happening over time. More young people need to get involved and become friends of the museums, patrons and trustees."

This was the message from Marilyn Martin, former director of Iziko South African National Gallery, when she spoke at the Stellenbosch University Museum on Wednesday (23 October 2019) as part of a lunchtime conversation about her book, Between Dreams and Realities: A History of the South African National Gallery, 1871–2017.

During her conversation, she also encouraged young people to be more involved in the art museum space and said the role of museums should help bridge the gap through education.

According to Martin, art museums should not be seen as exclusive and elitist, because she believes that, “you do not need to be an expert and know art in order to enjoy it. All you need to do is be open to it and experience it for yourself."

Martin's conversation at the museum was largely based on her book, which focuses on her work experience and extensive research on the art museum industry. The book also highlights the achievements of directors, who often faced political agendas, strained relationships within and outside the institution and celebrates South Africa's heritage, art history and cultural wealth.

“There has been fundamental changes in the South African museum eco system. There needs to be a clear distinction between private and public museums. As many art museums face financial constraints these days, we need to ask the question, 'Who wields the power?' And, 'have men, money and the market captured the art museum space?'," says Martin.

Martin believes that the distinction between public and private museums has not received much attention but the arrival of major private initiatives in Cape Town has created an opportunity to revisit nomenclature that are taken for granted. She says there should be a discussion on the differences, similarities and intersections.

Since her retirement from Iziko Museums in 2008, she has been working as an independent writer and curator. Prior to her career in the museum sector, she was senior lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Wits University.

Martin was also a Visiting Professor at Kingston University, United Kingdom (2008–2011) and a senior scholar at the Michaelis School of Fine Art and lecturing in Visual and Art History at UCT. In July 2016, she was appointed as an Honorary Research Associate at UCT.

Martin has participated in conferences, both nationally and internationally, and has written numerous articles on art and culture in national and international publications. Her biographical listings include Who's Who of Southern Africa and The International Who's Who of Women.

For more information on her latest book, Between Dreams and Realities: A History of the South African National Gallery, 1871–2017, click here.​

In the photo above from left, Bongani Mgijima and Marilyn Martin.

​In the Social Work Department at Stellenbosch University (SU), international knowledge exchange opportunities have become an important aspect of the teaching and learning offering.  

Many social work students and academics from abroad have visited the Social Work Department, which is based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, over the last few months providing visitors and SU students alike with a more broader understanding of social work in a globalised context.

“You only understand the global impact on your micro environment when you have contact with social workers outside South Africa. It's difficult for our students to really understand the impact of globalisation on social work if they are not exposed to global experiences. Through these experiences they are able to look beyond the street child begging for money at that moment, but understand the wider impact of social work on society and the global neoliberal discourse on social welfare. This is very important," says Prof Lambert Engelbrecht, the Chair of the Social Work Department. 

“These types of programmes are also important for our department as it helps us to think beyond the research that we do and look at the impact of knowledge exchange between our students who come from different environments. Social work can be very contextual, but there are still parallels to be drawn between different countries. Learning from other contexts helps you to play an even bigger role in South Africa beyond that of social worker and understand the role social workers can play to influence social welfare policies to the benefit of social work service users all over the world." 

One such visit took place earlier this year when a group of students from the University of Southern California (USC) visited the department as part of their Global Immersion Programme focusing on the design, development, deployment and scaling of social work innovations in South Africa.

The 25 students, who graduated with a Masters degree in Social Work at USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, were hosted by the SU department. They were accompanied by Prof Renée Smith-Maddox, a Clinical Professor and Diversity Liaison at the School, and Prof Stacy Kratz, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Virtual Academic Center at USC.

Their visit also coincided with the department's celebrations of World Social Work Day, which took place in March this year. At SU, the day is celebrated each year by the Social Work Department with interesting seminars presented by academic leaders in the social work field. The theme for 2019 focuses on Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships.

According to Smith-Maddox, South Africa was selected as the site for USC's Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Global Immersion Program for several reasons. 

“It was an opportunity to take emerging social workers on the School's inaugural immersion experience in SA and engage them in specialised graduate study for their social work practice and expose the students to the historical and socio-political context of SA, its trends in social innovation, and how community stakeholders play a part in their own empowerment. We also wanted to conduct a comparative analysis of the social welfare system and the role of social workers in South Africa and the United States," said Smith-Maddox.

The group, said Smith-Maddox, was also able to learn more about the service experiences of South African social workers and understand the opportunities their counterparts had for advocacy work, community engagement and social innovation.

“Collectively, USC's social work students, Dr Kratz, and I had an opportunity to learn from a tremendous group of people while immersing ourselves in a different cultural context. Combined with the diverse individuals and groups we got to meet, interact, and connect deeply with, it was life-changing for all of us. Through our interactions and observations we were able to raise our level of awareness of how social problems as well as the solutions to them are globally interconnected," she added.

Kratz said that with both USC and SU's Social Work Department focused on “educating and training" students to solve the most complex problems of the day, visiting South Africa as part of the global immersion programme, propelled USC “students to challenge their current thought processes, especially in terms of the inherent tensions between inclusion and exclusion". 

“These students are global citizens: leaders and innovators who have massively increased their problem-solving and analytical capabilities, their tolerance for ambiguity, and deepened their respect for empathy."​

She added: “Designing and implementing the USC Global Immersion with Dr Smith-Maddox, and constructing the Stellenbosch venture with Dr Engelbrecht profoundly expanded my belief in the critical importance of building relationships with social workers from other countries and cultures."

“This immersion allowed us to provide the brave space for meaningful dialogue of how thiscomplex and multifaceted phenomenon impacts communities, and individuals. The Stellenbosch experience will live on with long-term and lifelong rewards for all the students, and the people they eventually will serve."

The feedback from the USC students who had participated in the programme indicated that they had also found it to be beneficial.

According to Lisa Liberatore, one of the many reasons she applied for the South Africa Global Immersion programme was to “learn how social work practice was contextualised and operationalised outside the United States". Cape Town, she said, provided the ideal opportunity to do so. 

“It opened my conscious to see how social work pedagogy and professional practice fail to address colonisation and the impact it has had on indigenous, black and brown communities around the world, but particularly how in the United States it is often shunned or ignored to allow for the tolerance of cognitive dissonance of individuals who have not truly understood their privilege or how it has played out in their lives, many of whom are in the social work field."

Liberatore said that the visit also offered her an “opportunity for experiential learning of ethical, effective community development practice in the unique historical and sociopolitical context of South Africa". 

“Through the immersion opportunity I hoped to study macro social work strategies and practices in South Africa that were ameliorating impacts of systemically rooted marginalisation and persistent poverty in order to better understand how I might find more innovative and effective approaches to address these challenges back in the United States upon my return."

Listening to the knowledge and experiences shared by SU students, academics and practising social workers, Liberatore said it became clear “that imposing top-down, one-size-fits-all solutions to systemic, entrenched social problems is not effective". 

“The foundation of social change is instead to empower people to become agents of their own change. The role of social workers in creating meaningful, scalable social change through community development is to empower impacted people through localised, bottom-up initiatives that involve their input at all stages of design and implementation."

Fellow student, Tiffany (Tea) Dang, found that “despite the environmental differences" between the two countries, that some of the issues the United States and South Africa faced, were quite similar.  

“The human experience of poverty, oppression, and inequalities are universal. This immersion gave us a platform to practice and focus more on collaboration; learning from each other's experiences and applying it to better our own communities," said Dang.

Photo: A group of 25 students who recently earned a Master  in Social Work degree  from the University of Southern California (USC) Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work visited the Social Work Department at Stellenbosch University as part of a Global Immersion Programme that forms part of their social work studies. (Anton Jordaan, SSFD)

​It worries property law expert Prof Zsa-Zsa Boggenpoel how easily South Africa’s highly acclaimed progressive constitutional ideals and laws are often still ignored. It worries her that in doing so, the voices of vulnerable, marginalised people are silenced, and their rights watered down. She also knows that all too often people do not even have an inkling about the legal paraphernalia that are supposed to support them.

Prof Boggenpoel will deliver the next lecture in the Division for Research Development’s Forward with Research Impact series on 30 October at 13:00 at the University Museum. She will reflect on specific cases in which the issue of homeless people and their basic rights to a place to stay and privacy have been handled by authorities and the South African legal system.

“We often see how the law says one thing but in fact is far removed from what is happening on the ground,” explains Boggenpoel, a professor in Public Law at Stellenbosch University since 2018 and holder of the South African Research Chair in Property Law. “More and more I see a need to bridge this gap.”

The Chair has recently provided input into a booklet about people’s rights when it comes to evictions. Among its recent workshops has been one in September about the Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture’s 2019 report to the Presidency. On this topic, Boggenpoel feels that the country’s laws do not yet adequately allow for all facets of South Africa’s land reform conundrum to be resolved. The determination of compensation for expropriation is an issue that she has already written about as far back as 2012, in the South African Law Journal.

As can be expected, her postgraduate students focus their attention on how Article 25 of South Africa’s Constitution plays out in reality and within communities. One student is for instance deliberating the minimum standards that people can legally expect from the housing provided to them. Another student is considering whether inhabitants are consulted adequately when informal settlements are relocated. .

For Boggenpoel there is more sense in discussing how the law should be than in only thinking what it is: “The law is not as rigid as many people think it is. We daily see how courts are stretching it. We need new ways of resolving issues in South Africa.”

She believes a more progressive reading of the law could potentially help solve many of the problems and tensions that the country experiences: “My passion lies in unlocking that. I try and think of ways in which we can be more progressive in protecting marginalised groups, for instance. I want to unlock possibilities that have not been opened before. The law has potential to do that, but we need to be more creative in the way that we see things.”

A modern jurist

One of her postgraduate students recently wrote a blog post about Boggenpoel, describing her as a remarkable example of “the modern jurist” who “responsibly challenges the status quo, debates only after conducting proper research of the law and facts, thinks outside of the box and has the courage to speak her mind when necessary.”

Based on her CV and even her Twitter profile, one could easily get the impression that the law is all that Boggenpoel lives for. Photographs in her wooden-floored office space, on the other hand, provide glimpses into another important part of her life: that of working mother.

Boggenpoel, one of SU’s youngest professors, gave her inaugural lecture last year, at the age of 32. A few months later, she gave birth to her and husband Blake’s second son. She has become an expert at juggling many balls (read: postgraduate supervision, writing legal commentary, packing lunch boxes and finding lost soft toys), while also trying her best to be an involved (albeit sleep deprived) mother.

Motherhood has provided Boggenpoel with the unexpected freedom to sometimes simply switch off. To close her laptop, and to simply sit with her four-year old while he builds a 16-piece puzzle. It’s giving her a rare experience of “taking things more slowly” in a life that has otherwise been characterised by goal-driven achievement and excellence.

This Y-rated academic was head girl of Hermanus High in 2002, played Boland netball at a senior level in the mid-2000s, and was at one stage even considered for the South African Protea squad. Her master’s degree at Stellenbosch University about building encroachments and the compulsory transfer of ownership was of such a high standard that it was upgraded to a doctoral thesis, which she completed by the age of 26. As part of her studies, she received a bursary from Oxford University. She is a member of the Young Property Lawyers Forum (YPLF) and writes about property matters for the Juta Quarterly Review. In 2015 she received two awards from Stellenbosch University related to the high standard of her work.

Value of mentorship

Boggenpoel confesses to be someone who “gets energy from being busy”. Her drive is rooted in her childhood in Mount Pleasant in Hermanus. Her parents divorced when she was nine years old, and thereafter her mother, who worked in a grocery store, raised her two daughters alone. Boggenpoel is actually the youngest of three children, but her older brother died of meningitis very young. She grew up with a sense that she wanted to make life as easy as possible for her still grieving mother, and therefore put her energy into developing her talents and into securing bursaries where possible.

After school she wanted to become an accountant, but destiny stepped in. At least becoming a lawyer still accorded with her ideals to ensure a comfortable life for her and her loved ones. Becoming an academic, however, wasn’t initially part of her plan, but is in hindsight a perfect fit.

It is largely thanks to the influence and wisdom of her mentor and predecessor as Chair in Property Law, Prof Andre van der Walt. He was considered to be one of the greatest legal minds in South Africa and internationally. Van der Walt passed away in 2016. His funeral letter, which Boggenpoel keeps next to her computer, serves as a source of inspiration in trying times.

“Andre just saw things on another level. I sometimes wonder how he could see so far into the future in terms of where things are going. I am still in awe when I read work that he wrote back in 1990 or 1989, and how relevant it still is in solving things,” she explains with fondness.

“We used to have conversations about thinking differently, and how one should not be limited by what seems to be at first glance something quite rigid. I think it depends on what you want to see. You have to really allow yourself to listen. We do not hear others. We too often decide in advance what people want.”

Over the past few years she has made the Chair her own, but still misses Van der Walt dearly. She hopes that through her guidance and intensive training of postgraduate students she too can play as important a part in developing the country’s next cohort of legal thinkers as he did.

​The South African Research Chair (SARChI) in the Sociology of Land, Environment and Sustainable Development, launched in January 2016, addresses a set of intersecting questions around the meanings and practices of sustainable development across local, national, and global scales.

The arid Karoo region of South Africa is its primary research site, hence it is called the “'Cosmopolitan Karoo". Covering nearly a third of South Africa and over a third of the country's agricultural land, yet home to less than 2% of the national population (the latter concentrated in scattered, generally struggling small towns), this marginalised area has entered a period of significant social and ecological change.

In a recent lead article for a “Karoo special issue" of the African Journal of Range & Forage Science, Prof Cherryl Walker and her co-authors identified climate change, weak governance and significant land-use changes as key drivers of change. Major new land-uses include growing numbers of renewable energy projects, both wind and solar; the continued interest in the potential of shale-gas mining (“fracking") across large swathes of the central Karoo; and astronomy, notably the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope (SKA) and the optical Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). In order to protect South Africa's investment in astronomy as a national research priority area, the whole of the Northern Cape, bar the Kimberley district, has been declared an “astronomy advantage area".

Approximately 130 000 hectares of former sheep farmland around the SKA's core site are being designated a “special nature reserve", accessible for scientific research purposes only.

These externally driven investments are repositioning the Karoo within the larger political economy of South Africa but also bringing very different ways of understanding “development" into an often tense encounter. Here a major research theme concerns external ways of understanding the Karoo as essentially an empty space, ripe for future development for the greater good, versus local ways of understanding the Karoo as a deeply social place, with unresolved claims for redress stemming from its divided past. This raises challenging questions around politics of scale in setting the agenda for sustainable development in post-apartheid South Africa and beyond.

There are no simple answers to what are not simple questions, but this chair aims to contribute to the development of both appropriate questions and more robust answers, through its programme of theoretically informed, empirically grounded and inter-disciplinary research.​

*The article appears in the latest edition of the Stellenbosch University Research Publication. Click hereto read more. 

Photograph: Stock image – Unsplash

A book on corruption in Africa, co-edited by the vice-dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Prof Pregala Pillay, was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing earlier this month.

The co-editors of the book, A Multidimensional Perspective on Corruption in Africa: Wealth, Power, Religion and Democracy, are research fellow Prof Sunday Bobai Agang, and head of the Unit for Moral Leadership, Dr Chris Jones, both of SU's Faculty of Theology.

Pillay is a professor in the faculty's School of Public Leadership and director of the Anti-Corruption Centre for Education and Research of Stellenbosch University (ACCERUS).

Through historical and contemporary perspectives on authority structures, institutionalised myths and rituals of authority, the volume explores how to correctly mobilise and influence citizens' behaviour and attitudes towards accountability, transparency and probity. This in order to strengthen integrity, equity and sustainable development in Africa. The book strongly advocates that corruption is everybody's business.

All the chapters in some way commemorate the inaugural anti-corruption year of the African Union in 2018 by interrogating how mechanisms to eliminate inequity and poverty can be built in Africa.

Through her work with ACCERUS, Pillay contributes to the corruption discourse with innovative research of corruption, anti-corruption initiatives and the restructuring of existing policies.

She says the book, in which she collaborates with leading academics and researchers, presents an opportunity to increase SU's access to new knowledge markets.

“Our publication is based on the belief that there is unlikely to be a single and uniquely different approach which would provide a successful blueprint for the fight against corruption," says Pillay. “We seek approaches to strengthen, deepen and strategically add to existing anti-corruption methods because we believe that our empirically based research leads to new paths of understanding and to achieving more assured and comprehensive results."

Jones elaborated on the book's assertion that corruption is everybody's business.

“Public commentators often criticise politicians, entrepreneurs, clergy and the state for the lack of public probity and accountability that leads to corruption and impunity. However, the reach of public transparency and probity can hardly be limited to public governance.

“Therefore, there is a need to explore how religious and other sectors interact with politicians in Africa and to interrogate, critique, practice and build mechanisms to uphold transparency, accountability and probity in the quest for equitable economic and socio-political transformation that will try to eliminate corruption and poverty on our continent," he said.

The authors expressed the hope that the book will motivate African public, private, religious and civil society institutions, together with relevant stakeholders, to build a common platform for probity and integrity to eliminate corruption, impunity and, hopefully, poverty.

• The book is available from bookstores or online at https://www.cambridgescholars.com/a-multidimensional-perspective-on-corruption-in-africa
  
  

​​​​​​​Repair and construction work to Stellenbosch University's Huis ten Bosch (HtB), which was extensively damaged by a fire earlier this year, will be transformed into a modern, fit-for-purpose residence. The residence will be open again in 2021.

Initially, it was hoped that the reconstruction would be completed in time for students to occupy the residence from January 2020. However, this will not be possible as the Stellenbosch Fire Department requires fire compartmentalisation and fire alarms for the whole residence as a pre-requisite for issuing a post-fire occupancy certificate. These requirements will take longer to implement than initially anticipated.

This repair and construction work began at the beginning of September 2019. The amount of around R62,5 million for the upgrade and repair work will ensure that Huis ten Bosch will not only comply with the most recent  municipal regulations, but also be equipped with a modern kitchenettes for students on every floor, upgraded electrical and electronic equipment, a new IT fibre route and its own water connection are some of the many improvements planned. The whole roof will be replaced by a fire-rated ceiling and roof. All the rooms will be fitted with two-hour rated doors which allow for fire zones to be compartmentalised

HtB residents were informed at a recent meeting that the major upgrade and construction of Huis ten Bosch is expected to be completed by 23 October 2020. Consequently, alternative housing arrangements had to be made for Huis ten Bosch students in 2020. Students and their parents/ guardians were informed in writing.

The University has made the following five accommodation spaces available for Huis ten Bosch students in 2020:

• Huis ten Bosch 2020: This will be operated as a separate building with a separate entrance between Huis Marais and Dagbreek which can accommodate 73 students. Kitchenettes, some parking and SU internet services are available and meal bookings and washing will be as per normal residence circumstances.

• Victoria 69: This premises is situated on Victoria Street, just below Irene residence and has three single and two double rooms available. Cleaning services, security, parking and Wi-Fi are available.  

• Armentum: This premises, which is situated close to the Helshoogte Spar on 23 Cluver Road, Universiteitsoord, can accommodate 18 students. It is about 10–15 minutes' walk from campus. Unfortunately, there is no Maties Wi-Fi available, although each student will be provided with ten gigabytes of free data per month. The facility has general lounges and kitchenettes, cleaning services, laundry facilities and good security and parking.

• Other SU residences: Thirty available places are spread over other SU residences: Sonop, Lydia, Monica, Minerva, Harmonie, Irene, Heemstede, Erica, Nemesia, Serruria, Nerina and Metanoia (women). Although the HtB residents will live in various spaces, they will remain part of the Huis ten Bosch community. A recreation hall in one of the other women's residences as well as a dining hall in their original cluster will be made available to the HtB community. If a student would like to relocate permanently to another residence, they need to inform the placement office in Admin A.

Please monitor the University's website, including our dedicated HtB web page, and our social media platforms for more news. We will communicate further details as these become available. Parents and guardians with urgent queries can contact Mr Grant Williams of our Centre for Student Communities: Tel +27 21 808 3064 or email him at ssg@sun.ac.za.

​

Stellenbosch University (SU) is the first tertiary institution in South Africa to adopt the Oracle Cloud Financials Application to replace our current financial system.

This new cloud-based system will enable SU to modernise our finance function by streamlining processes, increasing our productivity and improving our business decisions with access to real-time financial data and multi-dimensional analytics and reporting. 

SU's decision to follow an 'adopt' approach versus an 'adapt' approach means that some of our financial business processes and transactions will change from the way we currently do them.

The Business Optimisation workstream, led by Annemi Murray and her team, are conducting End-to-End (E2E) workshops. The team has completed the review of the Procure-to-Pay, Assets, Cash & Treasury Management and Expenses business processes and are currently working through the Accounts Receivable (AR) business process. The objective of the E2E workshops is to identify how SU's current business processes will need to change in order to adopt the streamlined Oracle Cloud Financials' processes. Functional representatives from Finance, IT and Faculties are playing an essential role in these workshops. 

The next SUNFin Implementation Project milestone is the delivery of Iteration 1 by our implementation partner, Visions. Iteration 1 is a prototype (an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process) of the new Oracle Cloud Financials system. This first Iteration of the SUNFin system is based on SU's configuration decisions made during the CPA workshops earlier in the year and is populated with SU data. The objective of the Iteration 1 review workshops is for Visions to walk the project team through this first release of the system and the core financial processes so that SU can validate configuration decisions. The Iteration 1 review workshops are currently in progress and will be completed by mid-November.

The SUNFin team will use the remainder of November to validate Iteration 1 and plan for the work required for Iteration 2. Iteration 2 is scheduled for delivery during the first quarter of 2020. 

During the preparation for Iteration 1, the SUNFin team identified several data cleansing initiatives which will be prioritised and addressed in preparation for Iteration 2. As part of this initiative the SUNFin team will implement new validation rules in the current financial system that will help prevent further data issues.

For more information on the SUNFin Implementation Project, please visit www.sun.ac.za/sunfin.

Please email your questions, comments, concerns or suggestions regarding the SUNFin project to sunfin@sun.ac.za.

​We are excited to invite you to take part in the SU Well-being, Culture and Climate at Work Survey.  The purpose of the survey is firstly to determine the well-being levels of staff, and secondly, and very importantly, to get the opinion of staff about the culture and climate within the working environment.  

All staff at Stellenbosch University are encouraged to participate.  More information about the background of the survey, the rationale for the survey, your freedom/choice to take part, the confidentiality and independence of the survey, instructions on how to complete it, etc. are available below.  For your convenience, the links are provided immediately below, followed by the background information, rationale, etc.  

The survey is available in all three official languages of the Western Cape.  To complete the survey, simply click on the link that corresponds to your language of choice (Please note: Your inetkey must be open): 

1. English: https://fw4l.novisurvey.net/ns/n/suwellatwordenglish.aspx
2. Xhosa: https://fw4l.novisurvey.net/ns/n/suwellatworkxhosa.aspx
3. Afrikaans: https://fw4l.novisurvey.net/ns/n/suwellatworkafrikaans.aspx

The survey should take you less than 20 minutes to complete. 

Background, and Becoming the Employer of Choice

In 2017, SU embarked on the first Climate and Culture survey.  720 staff members participated. The initial results indicated certain themes in which staff were positive about their experience at SU, and other themes required additional attention. Certain groupings of staff also had varied experiences, which SU management has tried to address. These groupings are: 

• Female staff are statistically less positive about their role in decision making
• BCIA staff are less positive about Addressing discrimination, Involvement in decision making and Equality,
• Staff under the age of 40 are less positive about Opportunities for development, SU leadership, Involvement in decision making and in the former Strategy of the SU. 

Please see an addendum outlining progress made with regard to these key areas. 

SU Management requests that you participate in this second round survey in order to determine progress in particular themes and to determine any changes in the views of staff.  The new survey is an improvement on the 2017 version and we are confident that SU, and many individual environments, will benefit from everybody's collective input. 

Success in our continuous quest for excellence, relevance and a significant social impact, depends on our people - specifically our staff and our students. Therefore, it is important to develop an institutional climate of understanding, appreciation, tolerance of cultural differences and beliefs, and shared values.  

In support of SU's vision, mission, values and aspirations as outlined in SU Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019 - 2024, it is imperative to support the health and well-being of our employees. In SU's pursuit to be the employer of choice, we envisage an enabling environment that includes the principles of co-creation and appropriate participation, and embodies the characteristics of an inclusive campus culture. 

Why the survey?

The University strives to be an employer of choice and a leading university by continuously improving the working environment of all its staff - including academics and professional, administrative and support staff (PASS). Through the SU Well-being, Culture and Climate at Work Survey 2019, SU provides all staff with an opportunity to reflect on and express their views on a range of important matters affecting them as staff members. The result/findings of the survey will also provide the University leadership with an opportunity to identify and address, through a comprehensive and structured programme, key challenges adversely affecting staff.  

Voluntary Participation

Please note that your participation in this survey is purely voluntary. However, without your participation, SU will not be able to address areas of concern, or build on our strengths. You are therefore requested to answer all questions as frank and truthful as possible. The survey provides you, as a staff member, with an opportunity to provide the University with important feedback on how you feel about key issues affecting you. 

Confidentiality, anonymity and independence

All your answers are completely confidential and anonymous. This means that the University will not be able to link answers/responses to the survey to any staff member.  

The survey is being conducted on behalf of SU by the Division for Information Governance in collaboration with the Division for Human Resources.  The survey will be conducted from 28 October to 15 November 2019.  

Invitation

All Stellenbosch University (SU) staff members are therefore kindly requested and encouraged to participate in the SU Well-being, Culture and Climate at Work Survey 2019.  The survey is available online. To complete the survey you simply have to click on the link that corresponds to your language of choice (Please note: Your inetkey must be open). 

1. English: https://fw4l.novisurvey.net/ns/n/suwellatwordenglish.aspx  
2. Xhosa: https://fw4l.novisurvey.net/ns/n/suwellatworkxhosa.aspx  
3. Afrikaans: https://fw4l.novisurvey.net/ns/n/suwellatworkafrikaans.aspx  

It should take you less than 20 minutes to complete the survey. 

All staff members will receive a copy of this message via email on Monday 28 October 2019. 

Staff without email and internet

Alternative arrangements to participate in the survey will be made for staff members who do not have access to email and internet in the course of their official duties.  Line managers are therefore requested to inform staff members who do not have access to email and/or the internet in the course of their duties, to contact Ms Alvira Albertus at the Human Resources division (alviraa@sun.ac.za or 021 808-2966) to arrange for participation in the survey.  

Please complete the survey, and then encourage each of your colleagues to do the same. We are looking forward to an excellent engagement and response. 

Thank you that we can rely on your valued participation.  

Prof Wim de Villiers
Rector and Vice-Chancellor