Over 2 000 people recently visited Stellenbosch University’s (SU) campus grounds for the university’s first in-person open day in two years. With this in-person open day, the university aimed to display the value of face-to-face learning as opposed to the comfort of studying online from home.
This is according to Magdel Pretorius, acting deputy director of the student recruitment centre.
The open day on 23 April was the first of three that will be hosted by the university, said Pretorius. In total, 2 100 people attended the open day, she stated.
The SU engineering faculty had white information tents outside the engineering building at the open day and guests were also able to see the lecture halls and engineering facilities, according to Ameera Allee, and engineering student who assisted on the day. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
“These open days are significant for the university because it is a celebration of having visitors on campus again, even if it is controlled,” said Pretorius.
The open day provided newcomers with the opportunity to explore and attend presentations of the faculties of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, stated Pretorius.
Although prospective students may have a different SU experience due to the incorporation of a hybrid learning system, the university hopes that “people are going home extremely satisfied with the physical engagement that they have had”, said Pretorius.
Each Stellenbosch University (SU) faculty had students from the given departments assist during the university’s recent open day. The students helped to guide the open day guests, answer questions and help with tickets. Kaitlyn Shepard, Ameera Allee and Rebekah Oosthuizen, all first-year engineering students at SU, assisted at the engineering faculty. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Prospective students could attend multiple sessions through an online booking system, explained Pretorius.
Having multiple presentations made available to the public throughout the three open days should give people more of an opportunity to attend presentations at different faculties, according to Viwe Kobokana, chairperson of the SU Student Representative Council.
“We want everyone to feel comfortable when coming to an open day at the university and to feel like they can participate effectively,” stated Kobokana.
Newcomers are able to attend more than one open day, stated Pretorius.
Guests of Stellenbosch University’s recent open day were required to queue outside the departments, where their tickets were scanned before each session. This was to ensure that Covid-19 measures such as social distancing were in place throughout the day, according to Magdel Pretorius, acting deputy director of the student recruitment centre. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Covid safety on the day
The university worked with Stellenbosch Municipality to ensure that Covid-19 regulations were complied with, according to Pretorius. The campus was divided into zones with a maximum of 1 000 people allowed to be in each faculty, said Pretorius. This helped to control numbers within SU’s capacity.
Prospective students for Stellenbosch University recently had the opportunity to explore campus grounds and to engage with the students, lecturers and professors of faculties they may be interested in. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
To ensure that guests felt safe, the university took all the necessary precautions with regards to Covid-19, according to first-year engineering student Ameera Allee, who assisted at the open day for SU’s engineering faculty.
“An online ticketing system was used and only limited tickets were available for presentations,” stated Allee. This was to limit the amount of people in any one of the facilities, she explained.
The following open days will be held on 7 May for the faculty of arts and social sciences, and on 14 May for the business and law faculties. This is according to SU’s website.