Following the protest action of a group of students at the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley since Tuesday, 14 February, the management team of the university met with the Student Representative Council (SRC) to address concerns and challenges faced by the students.
This protest led to the temporary suspension of registration and orientation.
Qondakele Sompondo, director: Institutional Advancement, stated that SPU supports the right to peaceful protests and is committed to listening to all student grievances.
However, he said, the university strongly condemns any form of violence and damage to university property.
At the meeting between SPU’s management team and the SRC, the following was agreed to:
Accommodation
- SPU has secured an additional 150 beds in accredited off-campus accommodation (AOCA) that will be made available for returning students, from 18 February.
- SPU will continue to update and publish the AOCA list, however, students must apply directly to the landlords for accommodation.
- Students must be registered and funded to access this type of accommodation. Landlords may require unfunded students to pay a rental deposit to secure AOCA.
- SPU will assist funded students by negotiating with the landlords about the late payment of their first rental due.
- All first-time entering students that applied for accommodation have been placed in SPU-owned or managed accommodation.
- First-year students who arrive on campus after 16:00 must notify the residence office in advance of their late arrival. Returning students who are residing in AOCA must make arrangements with their landlords to access their accommodation.
- SPU will accommodate vulnerable students residing in Kimberley. Students must use the link – which can be found on SPU’s Facebook page – to apply for this assistance by 24 February. A social worker will undertake the home assessments, beginning on 27 February, and based on the social worker’s evaluation, the outcome will be communicated to students. Students will be accommodated subject to the availability of space on campus.
Catering
- Registered residence students who wish to access the dining hall must book their meals 48 hours in advance by using the meal management system.
- This will ensure that the correct number of students have been catered for. The current manual system will be discontinued.
- Students residing in AOCA who want to access a dining hall for meals, must visit the residence office to have their names added to the meal management system, which is done by the Facilities and Services Department.
- These students will access meals by using their student cards in the dining hall. If a student has lost their student card, he or she must visit campus security to obtain a new one.
- If a student misses a booked meal, they will still be charged for that meal.
- SPU will ensure that the caterer adheres to the agreement on the portion and quality of meals provided to our students.
Finances
Allowances
- Returning students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will receive their learning material allowance from Monday, 20 February. First-time entering students must ensure that their banking details are uploaded to the ITS system.
- Registered AOCA students must provide all necessary documents to finance (including rental contracts). Students must allow time for the information to be verified before allowances can be paid out.
Merit awards
- SPU will endeavour to find funding for academically meritorious students.
- Currently, undergraduate students who have passed all their modules, and who are not repeating any module, qualify for a merit award to cover tuition costs.
- Postgraduate students can apply for merit awards if their grade average is 65% and above. Further information can be obtained from the research office.
Final year students
- SPU has made provision to assist unfunded students in their final year to graduate. Deserving students who apply for this funding will be assessed against set criteria.
Academic exclusions
- Students who appealed their academic exclusion by the initial deadline of 23 January, will receive their responses by Friday, 17 February. Late appeals up to and including 10 February will receive a response during the week of 27 February.
- No appeals received after 10 February will be considered for the 2023 academic year.
