Rhodes Universiity says students who can't afford their residence accommodation during the September holidays can approach the university for assistance, and that management is actively seeking long-term, sustainable ways to ease the financial burden on students.
Rhodes Universiity says students who can't afford their residence accommodation during the September holidays can approach the university for assistance, and that management is actively seeking long-term, sustainable ways to ease the financial burden on students.
This follows an overnight sleep-in protest at the university's main administration offices.
Rhodes University's Black Student Movement (BSM) students occupied the institution's Vice-Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela's office all Wednesday night 26 August until Thursday morning.
The students were protesting against the instruction to vacate the residences during holidays.
On Thursday they proceeded to the Council Chamber and occupied it. They complained that the university was not fair because some of them come in from far.
"We will not leave this place until they come with a clear solution to this matter. We want a long-term solution to this.
"They don't care about us. This institution is colonised too much and we want to fight that," said one student.
"Some of us are from outside South Africa and have to leave just for 10 days and come back again – that is costing us a lot financially."
Catherine Deiner, Media Relations Officer of the university, said that on Monday 24 August Mabizela sent out a circular alerting students about the university’s arrangements for the September holiday.
She said the circular explained that students on financial aid packages and unable to afford the September accommodation fee may approach the office of the Director of Student Affairs for assistance. Each approach would be evaluated individually.
Students whose fee accounts are in debit may approach the Student Fees Office (Debbie Wolhuter) with a view to charging the accommodation fee to their student fee accounts.
Deiner said this was not a sudden announcement, as at the Board of Residences Meeting on 11 August the Director of Student Affairs told the meeting that the same plans that had been put in place for the March holiday would be followed.
She said representatives at this meeting were asked to ensure the message is passed on to students.
"In the VC Circular of 26 March 2015, we pointed out that the issue relating to students who need assistance regarding transport or accommodation during the short university holiday was not new and that the university has been looking for sustainable solutions. “As we advance our objective of making Rhodes University accessible to students from poor, rural and working class families, we cannot continue to deal with this issue of vac accommodation in an ad hoc manner.
We need to draw on the collective wisdom of our university in order to develop a long-term and sustainable mechanism to meet this transformation challenge,” said Deiner.
Meanwhile, the United Front (UF) in the Eastern Cape weighed in on the issue with a statement in support of the Black Students Movement.
UF provincial publicity secretary Mziyanda Twani said they were a federation of workers and community and that included students. He said they have structures in Grahamstown and there are Rhodes University students who are part of those structures.
"We salute the bold students of the Black Students of BSM at the university currently known as Rhodes in their occupation of occupying the Vice-Chancellor's office which started last night," read the statement signed byTwani, provincial chairperson Khaya Gwana and interim national secretary Mazibuko K Jara.
"The BSM, rightly, is now occupying management offices until all students who cannot afford are treated with equality," read the statement.
UF said the occupation is a challenge to the logic of a capitalist, neoliberal and racist university that either profits off black life or else callously discards it.
"South Africa is still a country far away from being transformed. It is not yet the South Africa we want," the organisation said.
""The crisis at Rhodes demonstrates how the right to education of black working-class students is undermined by the user-pays logic that informs access to university education."
Deiner said the university is committed to finding a sustainable solution to address that challenge as it is aware of the huge financial burden and stress that students are put under while making transport and accommodation plans.
Deiner said the institution was aware that ad hoc plans would not suffice and that a permanent solution needed to be found. She said the university was committed to transformation and fully supported those who were striving.
While there has been some behaviour that disrupts staff from working or the disruption of meetings, the protest has generally remained peaceful and dignified and the university encourages student activism, according to Deiner.
However, she said the university will not tolerate vandalism or misbehaviour.
"At a recent retreat of the Vice-Chancellorate and the Deans, held over the weekend of 1 and 2 August, the financial burden on the students and the university regarding short vacations, in particular, the September vacation was discussed.
"Various suggestions were proposed and these will be explored further in order to develop a long-term and sustainable solution to this challenge. Among other things, this may entail reconfiguring our academic year in such a way that we mitigate the financial burden on students.
"On Tuesday 25 August the Black Student Movement (BSM) handed over a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, in which they raised concerns around the plans that were in place for the September vacation.
"Specifically, the criteria used to evaluate the ‘need of students’ needing accommodation, the short notice, the debiting of students’ accounts, the 48-hour rule in residences and accommodation for supplementary exams.
"The BSM also requested that the Vice-Chancellor respond to their memorandum the following day, 26 August 2015. They stated that they would occupy the main admin building if the Vice-Chancellor did not respond to their memorandum," said Deiner.
She said on Wednesday Mabizela addressed the BSM and gave a detailed and comprehensive explanation of the arrangements for the September vacation.
He reiterated that this was not a new issue and the university was looking for a long-term solution.
Deiner said the BSM was clearly not satisfied with the Vice-Chancellor’s response and proceeded to occupy part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office. The BSM then proceeded to the Council Chambers where a Head Of Departments' (HOD) meeting was taking place.
The BSM occupied the meeting space and engaged with the HODs, according to Deiner.
The HODs allegedly engaged with the BSM and brought the concerns raised by the BSM members to the Vice-Chancellor, where further engagement took place.
