Speakers inspire new Maties
A crowd of about 5 000 new Maties, along with their parents, filled the Danie Craven Stadium at Coetzenburg on the Stellenbosch University (SU) campus on Thursday evening (21 January) for the institution's official welcoming ceremony.
The event kicked off with students singing songs and getting into a celebratory spirit. Thereafter, three speakers inspired the new students to make the most of the opportunity they have to gain a tertiary education.
Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching, welcomed the students by saying that a fantastic time awaits them, but that it will not all be plain sailing.
"You are going to be challenged like never before. You will have to work harder than ever before. You will learn things you've never known, do things you've never done, go places you've never been … all so that you can become the person you want to be. Your destiny is in your own hands," he said.
Schoonwinkel added that SU has a reputation of excellence, and that students come here because they seek quality. SU currently boasts the highest success rate of all SA universities – 85% of SU students who enrol for modules pass, although not all of them eventually graduate.
With regards to the nationwide #FeesMustFall protest action by students last year, Schoonwinkel said that SU supports the goal of affordable higher education for all.
"The University understands that South African households are under financial pressure. Therefore, we try to assist all financially needy students who are academically deserving. Last year, we paid out more than R650 million in bursaries and loans, and 2016 won't be any different," he added.
Schoonwinkel also referred to the University's language policy, saying: "It is not an either-or situation but a case of Afrikaans and English."
The Chairman of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Axolile Qina, also inspired students by saying universities are much more than places of studying but also of growth.
"We must go beyond our degrees and think innovatively to develop and impact society, as well as influence and build relationships in our student communities and with our fellow Matie students," Qina said.
Student leader and postgraduate student, Tayla Faulmann, ended the programme by relating her experiences of being a new student at SU six years ago. Being the first in her family to attend a university, Faulmann initially felt out of place on campus but eventual found her true identity.
"If I can give you some advice for making the most of your time here, it would be to simply engage. Engage with a spectrum of people, with people you would perhaps not normally be drawn to and I promise you, you will reap the rewards," she told the new students.
Click here to read Prof Schoonwinkel's full speech.