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15

M U T

S P I R I T

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J A N U A R Y - M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Dr Paulette Naidoo, Director

of Student Counselling in the

Department of Student Affairs,

pointed out that this year’s

Orientation Programme “aimed

to promote a cohort of civic-

minded,

socially-responsible

first-year students who take

responsibility for themselves

and their communities”. Formal,

theoretical and practical aspects

of civic and social responsibility

were incorporated into the First-

Year Orientation programme,

and contextualised in terms of

student volunteerism. Professor

Busisiwe

Nkonki-Mandleni,

Director of the Institute for Rural

Development and Community

Engagement (IRDCE), unpacked

the concepts of community engagement and student

volunteerism for students, highlighted the range of

projects which different units at MUT are involved in,

and gave examples of student volunteerism in action.

The programme also encouraged students to use their

initiative and implement their own student volunteer

projects and activities. Dr Naidoo introduced the

volunteer Peer Helpers initiative to first-year students,

pointing out that the senior students in this Student

Counselling initiative served as positive examples of

student volunteerism.

The platform was also an important opportunity to

introduce students to a Commitment Register which

they could complete if they were interested in pursuing

Orientation 2020

First-Year Orientation plants seeds of social responsibility

among students

student volunteerism projects. Many students in the

audience completed the Register, expressing a keen

interest in and commitment to giving back to their

communities and the University in the duration of their

stay.

It would not have been a complete orientation without

a tour of the campus, where students were invited

to participate in the ‘Love Your Campus Clean-Up

Campaign’. This campaign saw students combining

their love for MUT and their passion for volunteering

as they collectively cleaned the campus. Students

responded with enthusiasm and together with the

Peer Helpers went around campus picking up dirt to

keep their University clean.

Happy to join MUT!

Research shows that the first year at university is a crucial period for young people,

posing numerous challenges but also serving as opportunities for growth and

development. The general First-Year Orientation programme at MUT takes cognizance of

first-year student needs by offering them a holistic orientation experience. On 14 and 15

February 2020, the University hosted first-year students at Seme Hall for orientation into

their new ‘home’ over the next three or four years.