SRCS second in international competition

The Student Rag Community Service (SRCS) of the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University won second prize in an international competition for student community service organisations.

No other university in South Africa received a prize or honourable mention in the 2012 competition.

This honour came the way of the SRCS with a prize of $5 000 that they received with the MacJannet prize for world citizenship. The first prize was awarded to a student organisation in Mexico and the third prize to an organisation in China.
The MacJannet prize is awarded annually to student community projects from universities that are part of the Talloires International network. The NWU is a member of this network.

Pukfm station manager named member of Bright Stars Club

Potchefstroom Campus – Ms Amoré Truter, Pukfm station manager, the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University’s student radio station, was commended and named as a member of the Bright Stars Club at the MTN Radio Awards held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

This club honours promising young individuals who have made their mark in the radio industry, and they could not have chosen a more worthy candidate.

Under Amore’s capable hands, Pukfm grew from a mere campus radio station to an increasingly important role player in the community.

Unique science apparatuses fill a great void

Potchefstroom Campus - Unique laboratory apparatuses were designed by chemists from the Faculty of Natural Sciences on the Potchefstroom Campus of
the North-West University (NWU) to help learners in primary and secondary school with the practical aspects of science subjects. These apparatuses are used with much success in Norway and Ethiopia.

In 2001, Prof Corrie du Toit, and his colleague, Ms Marié du Toit, developed a compact and useful chemistry and natural sciences apparatus (MyLab) for science instruction in grades 4 to 12.

According to Prof Corrie, these sets can make a huge contribution towards successful science teaching in schools – even schools without laboratories.

It was recently reported that the number of schools with science laboratories decreased by approximately 35% between 2006 and 2011.

NWU accountants balanced the figures

Institutional Office - Taking into consideration the student numbers and the pass rate of 88%, the North-West University’s (NWU) chartered accountant (CA) students who have recently completed their studies, fared better than ever in 2012 in Part 1 of the national qualifying examination of the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

This pass rate was significantly higher than the national average of 78%. In a question about Financial Management and Management Accounting the NWU students did the best in the country. In doing so, they built on the achievements of previous NWU students who did the best in a variety of subjects on a number of occasions in the past.

The results put the NWU overall sixth in the country, with the University of Cape Town, Rhodes, Pretoria, Wits and Stellenbosch in the first five places.

Resulting from the report released on the independent investigation into the tragic drowning of Thabang Makhoang, an enquiry was received from the City Press.  Herewith the questions from the City press and accompanying answers from the North-West University:

1. Is the university content with the finding that Thabang's drowning was a "freak accident", given the fact that there are material differences in statements, a lack of cross-examination and the unavailability of evidence from state witnesses? 

Outcome: Independent investigation into the drowning of Thabang Makhoang at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University

Institutional Office – The report of the independent investigation conducted by Advocates Lourens de Koning (SC) and Vusi Pikoli into the tragic death of a first-year student on 21 January 2012 at the Potchefstroom Campus was finalised and presented to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Theuns Eloff, on 15 March 2012. During a meeting of the Council Executive on 20 March, a decision was taken that the report be tabled at an extraordinary Council meeting on 30 March.

After deliberation, the report as well as the recommendations were accepted by Council. Council also expressed their appreciation for the comprehensive nature of the investigation and the resulting report. The terms of reference of the committee conducting the independent investigation were as follows:

Polish students call NWU Vaal home

For Karolina Drejerska and Anna Jasiak the saying -home is where the heart is, does not seem to ring true. Although they pledge their allegiance to their country of birth, Poland, they have fallen head over heals in love with the picturesque Vaal Triangle Campus and already feel at home on the banks of the Vaal River. The 22 year old duo is currently pursuing their BA Honours degrees in Linguistics in the School of Languages within the Faculty of Humanities. “We were immediately filled with excitement when our Linguistic Department’s supervisor, Prof Bertus van Rooy approached us with the prospect of studying at the Southern tip of Africa,” said Karolina.

Intercampus Sport Day – a winning initiative

The Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University (NWU Vaal) Campus recently played host the University’s Intercampus Sports Day for students.  Sports teams from all three NWU Campuses – Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Vaal Campus came together to display good team spirit in a variety of sporting codes such as netball, soccer, rugby, chess and hockey.

Blood, sweat and tears for hockey ladies

The NWU Vaal women hockey team’s first friendly match of the season did not go as planned as they lost by 8-0 to NWU Pukke - their older university sibling. The outcome of this match will definitely serve as motivation for the team to improve during the season.  NWU Pukke had already started their season by competing in the competitive Pretoria League, which includes other heavyweights such as Tuks and TUT.