Students and lecturers joined forces to establish a temporary Crisis Care Centre on the Pietermaritzburg campus to assist students during the registration period at the beginning of the 2019 academic year.
Founding member and lecturer in Education and Development Ms Jane Quin said: “The purpose was to share resources more equitably to ensure access for all who feel they have a right to be at UKZN.”
Through pooling resources, supplemented by donations from the public, the centre assisted just over 600 students in the first week of its existence. Meals for 15 beneficiaries were provided on the first day, reaching a peak of close to 100 at one point.
About 30 meals were provided at each of the twice daily servings. Students also received assistance with appeals processes, immediate shelter and access to safe accommodation. Senior students mentored first years.
“Many of our students come from deep rural areas and impoverished homes. Families or communities have already scraped together money to get a child to town to embark on a potentially life changing opportunity of studying at university. There often aren’t the additional economic and social resources to bridge the gap between arrival and settling through stressful periods of negotiating the complex processes of registration and accommodation, while waiting on funding. Students can easily be without food and shelter; and trusted advisors when they’re new to the space,” said Quin. The centre aimed to fill this gap.
Quin said that she hopes the University will come on board and use its resources to ensure access to students who have been accepted.
“For example, all students that have been accepted or have been part of the University in the past two years could be automatically registered on a temporary basis. Finalisation of registration pending appeals then becomes the Institution’s responsibility. Meal provision before NSFAS pays out is another example. The Crisis Centre has shown that all of this is possible,” said Quin.
Fellow founding member Dr Clint Le Bruyns concurred: “The University should take adequate responsibility as soon as a student shows up on our campuses. Every student matters. I would like to think that being a lecturer means caring, and that caring extends beyond my office door or lecture room,” he said.
