The Oppidan PressEdition 9, 26 August 2015

Red berets target EC

Should we boom off campus?

Campus upgrades bring more space 2 3 4

Photo: BRONWYN PRETORIUS

3Last goodbye for SRC 2015

Tswelopele Maputla

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), it is estimated that one in every ten girls in Africa miss school during their period because they do not have sanitary towels. Many who still attend classes have to use alternatives such as socks as they do not have any other means of attending to the situation.

Several countries, such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, have noted the issue and implemented policies to combat it. For example, the Kenyan finance ministry cancelled the 16% VAT on sanitary towels and later provided them for free to those who cannot afford them. In 2011, the South African government promised to do the same.

This followed the launch of the Free Sanitary Towels campaign after comments made by former African National Congress Youth

News Features2 The Oppidan Press 26 August 2015

Phelokazi Mbude

With complaints about over-crowded lecture theatres and limited space at Rhodes

University becoming more frequent, the construction of two new buildings is currently underway. The new School of Languages and Life Science Build-ings will look to remedy this situation.

According to a 2013 proposal, the new School of Languages building is expected to have 35 offices for aca-demics and administrators from the Department of African Languages. The building will also boast eight seminar rooms able to accommodate 50 students each. These rooms will be shared by various departments.

It is expected to cost R55.32 million in total. This figure includes the cost of construction, furniture and equipment. The Department of Higher Educa-tion and Training has committed to providing a substantial R49.788 million, while the remaining balance will need to be raised through foundation grants, private sector sponsorship or alumni donations, according to the Rhodes

Alumni website.In addition to the new School of

Languages building, the proposal also stated that “the new Life Sciences Build-ing (LSB) is a cutting-edge institutional research laboratory designed for social and environmental scientific research in

South Africa, Africa and globally.” The Life Sciences Building will house

teaching and research spaces as well as the administrative hub of the building, including a 50-seater Zoology labora-tory, a 50-seater Entomology laboratory and a 100-seater Zoology lecture room.

The idea behind the building is to make it a Life Sciences hub. There are new facilities, better equipment and more space to upgrade where it is not possible in the current building because of limited space, said Manager of the Zoology and Entomology department

Candice Marshall. “At the moment we’re having to send our undergraduate students for practicals in [various build-ings] and during exam time we have to run exams over 3 days to fit all our students into the labs,” she added.

Former student Ettione Ferreira added when she was a student they faced the problem of seating in lectures, saying that the first few weeks of lectures were always the worst as all students attended lectures regularly. “Ideally you want every student to have a seat and be present in lectures so everyone will be up-to-date with content and know what’s going on,” she said.

Ferreira shared her opinion of the new buildings saying, “[D]epartments will be bigger and more modern in those new buildings; which is, of course, al-ways good for the learning atmosphere. More space means more students which could help strengthen the University’s financial situation. Either way, it’s a good thing there’s more space.”

It seems that, with the construction of these two buildings, steps are finally be-ing taken to deal with the long standing issue of overcrowded lecture theatres.

In order to combat the limited lecture venue space, construction of the new School of Languages and Life Sciences buildings are in full swing. Photo: ROBYN BARNES

Community members hope that the plans to transform Grahamstown’s train station into an education centre will truly be followed through. Photo: DAVID MANN

New facilities for Rhodes students

Phelokazi Mbude

In a previous article, The Oppidan Press reported that Grahamstown’s citizens were becoming increasingly concerned with the state of the city’s train station. This resulted in the creation of a petition to conserve the station. Now, more than 3000 signatures later, it is finally being revamped by Transnet, with plans to convert it into a new education centre.

The train station is over 140 years old and was declared a historical site in 1999. “The Grahamstown railway station dates back to the 1870s and marks the important rail link with Alicedale on the western branch line to Johannesburg, and with Port Alfred on the south-eastern branch line,” explained curator at the Albany History Museum Fleur Way-Jones.

Philip Machanick, a committee member of the Grahamstown Residents’ Association (which organised the petition) said, “I see [the train station] as a wasted public resource, a valuable site on the border of town and township that can and should be put to productive use, not left to decay and be dismantled systematically by looters.”

Identifying the progress since the petition,

Rhodes University Data Services Coordinator Cindy Deutschmann said, “We put together a concept note for then-CEO of Transnet, Brian Molefe, which involved turning the station into an education/community learning hub.”

The development of the station will be carried out under the supervision of David Davies from Izenzo Pty. However, Deutschmann added that decisions around the revamping of the train station have not been finalised.

Should it be decided to turn the station into an education centre, the Grahamstown community would benefit greatly. Machanick explained that the main impact of the proposed centre would be to bring an educational resource nearer to the township areas. He added that, should Rhodes decide to become involved in the project, it would bring the campus closer to these underprivileged areas.

Machanick further stated, “We need to build a sense of community pride where the average person feels ownership of these things and does not tolerate this kind of systematic destruction.”

While this is certainly true, it remains to be seen whether any of the grand plans around the revamping of the station will actually be carried out.

A train station Cinderella story

Thandi Bombi

On Saturday 8 August, Rhodes University’s Namibia Society (Namsoc) joined grade four pupils of Fikizolo Primary School for a celebratory picnic after a week of fundraising through an initiative called Togetherness Week.

Togetherness Week is Namsoc’s latest attempt at raising funds to buy sports equipment for the children of Fikizolo Primary. “A healthy child is a wealthy child,” said Namsoc Community Engagement Officer Reginald Runyoro.

“Physical education is important for human growth and health. We thought that making the children participate in physical activity would be fun and adventurous. Our aim was to keep the children and the community fit and more active when tackling issues within our society.”

“Through Togetherness Week, we are trying to encourage people to challenge themselves and get involved in the current efforts we are making,” he added. “Besides selling healthy snacks and treats, we are appealing to the University’s students on an academic level by providing games of general knowledge about politics, biology, geography where the winners get prizes.”

Togetherness Week, which was held at Rhodes University, consisted of a fun-filled programme that involved snacks and games. Runyoro explained that Namsoc held events for Rhodes students as well, including treasure hunts that were meant to make students aware of their fitness levels and test how long they could search for prizes before giving up.

The week ended with a fun run for the students of Fikizolo Primary. The event saw grade four pupils run from the Botanical Gardens to Prospect Soccer Field to create awareness around their physical health. The weather also played along, allowing

for participants to celebrate Togetherness Week with a picnic.

Namsoc was very pleased with the success of Togetherness Week. “It was great to see how a handful of students can make so many children smile. To make a difference takes a small step,” said Namsoc President Jason Hutchins.

Runyoro added, “When I saw more than 80 participants, I was happy because the call for Namsoc’s togetherness event was accomplished.” He added that the week’s activities put all participants on an equal footing, allowing people from different backgrounds to come together and learn about fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

Coming together through Namsoc Togetherness Week

Rhodes Namibia Society (Namsoc) visited Fikizolo Primary School for Togetherness Week in order to engage in activities that promote physical health. Photo: SOURCED Movement for free pads and tampons in public bathrooms

Tswelopele Maputla

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), it is estimated that one in every ten girls in Africa miss school during their period because they do not have sanitary towels. Many who still attend classes have to use alternatives such as socks as they do not have any other means of attending to the situation.

Several countries, such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, have noted the issue and implemented policies to combat it. For example, the Kenyan finance ministry cancelled the 16% VAT on sanitary towels and later provided them for free to those who cannot afford them. In 2011, the South African government promised to do the same.

This followed the launch of the Free Sanitary Towels campaign after comments made by former African National Congress Youth

League secretary Vuyelwa Tulelo. At the campaign’s official launch in 2011, Tulelo said: “If the government can hand out free condoms and free prevention methods on HIV and AIDS and unwanted pregnancy, then why can’t it make the provision for free towels?”

Nearly four years after the government promised to provide free sanitary towels, news organisation GroundUp reported that the government remained silent when they inquired about the feasibility of the campaign. Instead, the Department of Health recently pumped in R3.5 billion into the rebranding of free condoms. PhD fellow Kim Barker believes that this was not the most effective way of spending money because “being in possession of a free condom and negotiating its usage with a sexual partner are two different things”.

Issues surrounding the accessibility and affordability of sanitary products are not unique to Africa. Access to tampons and pads for low-income women is a problem in the United States as well as in

the United Kingdom, where a 17.5% tax was placed on tampons in 1973 because they were considered a luxury. This tax rate was only reduced to 5% in 2000. The “End Restroom Inequality” movement in the US, meanwhile, calls for the provision of free sanitary towels in public toilets.

When asked about the workability of such a movement in South Africa, Barker said that she is sceptical about whether the sanitary towels will reach those who need them most since there are few public toilets in informal settlements, rural villages or under-resourced schools.

In South Africa, the main concern surrounding sanitary products is the overall affordability of these necessities for women in lower income brackets. Although there are issues that need to be discussed before free or lower-taxed sanitary products can be offered in South Africa, the problem is one that continues to affect many people.

Politics26 August 2015 The Oppidan Press 3

for participants to celebrate Togetherness Week with a picnic.

Namsoc was very pleased with the success of Togetherness Week. “It was great to see how a handful of students can make so many children smile. To make a difference takes a small step,” said Namsoc President Jason Hutchins.

Runyoro added, “When I saw more than 80 participants, I was happy because the call for Namsoc’s togetherness event was accomplished.” He added that the week’s activities put all participants on an equal footing, allowing people from different backgrounds to come together and learn about fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

Coming together through Namsoc Togetherness Week

Rhodes Namibia Society (Namsoc) visited Fikizolo Primary School for Togetherness Week in order to engage in activities that promote physical health. Photo: SOURCED

Kimberley Nyajeka

This year proved to be a very tough one for the Rhodes University Student

Representative Council (SRC). From the multiple resignations within the executive (the latest of which came from 2015 Vice-President Tessa Ware) to the advent of the Rhodes Must Fall movement, which heavily politicised the traditionally apolitical campus, the SRC’s actions were under constant scrutiny by the student body.

SRC President Zikisa Maqubela said that he would not define the difficulties the Council faced this year as a bad thing. He noted that the constant change in leadership coupled with the politicisation of the campus “allowed for the creation and facilitation of spaces in which very important albeit uncomfortable conversations could be had”.

The constant shifts in leadership, although confusing to the student

body, did not seem to hinder the SRC and the goals they had set at the beginning of the year under the slogan ‘Students Remain Central’. Despite the disruptions, the SRC was able to create the Ubuntu Fund which aims to assist students in financial need as well as clear the financial debt that had plagued their predecessors since 2011.

Secretary General Lindokuhle Zungu credited this to the “bond that [they] have as a Council”. This allowed for each councillor to adapt to the new styles of leadership that came with the numerous changes in the executive. Zungu added that the team dynamics did not change drastically which allowed the SRC as a whole to adjust to the leadership changes quite quickly.

A pivotal moment was the release of the ‘Name Change Report’ early in the third term in which the SRC officially announced its support of the University’s name change after months of silence on the subject. Maqubela said, “This allowed the SRC to be part of critical history making moments…

which added further meaning to the work we do as an institution”.

Zungu also explained that the extensive research the SRC undertook to come to the decision to support the name change hindered many of the Council’s short-term goals, particularly in the second term, but that they were ultimately able to get back on track. Treasurer Godfrey Kadzere, meanwhile, stated “that solid foundations for the path towards transformation have been made for the incoming 2016 SRC”.

A shared sentiment of the SRC executive is that there is also a need for transformation in the mandate of the Rhodes SRC itself. Zungu noted that he hopes for the SRC to one day be taken more seriously, allocated more resources by the University and to have more flexibility. He added that as it stands there is still a lot of bureaucracy in the University system which slows down the pace of the SRC’s decisions.

The 2015 SRC have set a precedence which one can hope the 2016 SRC will follow and hopefully surpass.

Turbulent 2015 for Rhodes SRC

Kathryn Cleary

On 25 July 2015, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) celebrated their second birthday as an official political party. Party leader Julius Malema addressed a large crowd of supporters at Olympia Stadium in Rustenburg about details regarding further plans and points of action for the party. As the EFF has become a presence on the Rhodes University campus, a closer look at the party’s popularity, legitimacy and effectiveness in the Eastern Cape province is a major point of interest.

During the birthday celebrations, Malema expressed the need for the ANC to lose power. With the 2016 local elections rapidly approaching, the EFF aims to work with other parties, like the Democratic Alliance (DA), to wrest power from the ANC by occupying more councils, including Nelson Mandela Bay. Since the end of apartheid, the Eastern Cape, and more so Nelson Mandela Bay, has been strongly supportive of the ANC.

However, local Nelson Mandela Bay residents are finding themselves more and more frustrated with the ruling party’s lack of action and failed promises. A recent article from The Herald quoted one resident as saying, “We are tired of the ANC and its promises. How long must we stay like this? We are in pain here.” The quote continued: “You want us to vote for you and then you leave and forget about us again. I am a DA supporter and I am not going to change.”

According to the National Development Agency, the Eastern Cape remains South Africa’s poorest province and with the ANC’s actions, or lack thereof, towards improving the status of the province, the party is likely to continue losing popularity in the region.

However, the EFF’s main function as an opposition party to the ANC was brought into question on the anniversary of its second birthday. News website News24 spoke to political analyst Theo Venter, of the University of North West, regarding the EFF’s legitimacy. In the subsequent article, Venter said that the EFF’s

impact had been positive as it had been able to “expose the leadership stagnation in the ANC”.

Venter also believed that the EFF had brought a new type of radical energy to parliament, making South Africans interested in the opposition party’s activities. The closing point addressed by Venter was that of rural areas, an issue that hits close to home in the poverty-stricken Eastern Cape. The News24 article quoted Venter as saying that he believed “the EFF would do well in some of the rural areas and small towns”.

In terms of the rurality of the Eastern Cape (including Grahamstown), some of the values expressed by the EFF’s Founding Manifesto resonate strongly in the area. The 2013 manifesto noted: “Rural development should not be confined to maintaining the rurality of rural areas. It should, instead, aim to abolish rural and town distinctions.”

The EFF’s popularity within the Eastern Cape stems from this founding principle which seeks to blur the lines of distinction between rural and urban areas. With faith in the ANC growing weaker, the EFF’s strength as an oppositional party is growing in South Africa, the Eastern Cape and at Rhodes University.

As the Economic Freedom Fighters celebrate their second birthday, support for this political party seems to be on the rise in the Eastern Cape. Photo: BRONWYN PRETORIUS

EFF sets its sights on Eastern Cape

Movement for free pads and tampons in public bathrooms

The 2015 SRC body hope that the newly-elected SRC will not face as much criticism from students as they did this year. Photo: BRONWYN PRETORIUS

Opinion4 The Oppidan Press 26 August 2015

Phiwokuhle Mandisa Dhlamini

In honour of Women’s Day, I have decided to celebrate in a less popular, more unconventional way. Instead of succumbing to the pressure of flooding my Facebook and Instagram timelines with clichéd inspirational quotes and pictures of influential women, I have chosen to celebrate this day by exercising a power that women from previous generations did not have immediate access to: freedom of expression.

My first encounter with Women’s Day in university is one that haunts me almost every day. In commemorating the historic essence of this day, somebody saw it fit, and prob-ably flattering, to invite all women of South Africa to wear doeks (headscarves). Because this is what real women do, right? So it was that lecturers, library and hall kitchen staff members, and even most of the girls in residences, wrapped their womanhood around their heads and carried it like a crown. As beautiful as they looked, the concept failed in its intentions.

This is because it exemplifies society perpetuating standards of what it means to be a woman. Politeness, posture, a sophisticated sense of style, sitting with legs crossed and back straight, never cursing, always being beyond reproach... Now we can add another item to the list: wearing doeks.

The whole doek spirit helped to aggravate a toxic “Pull Her Down syndrome” that women battle within professional and social circles around the world. This involves forcing women to prescribe to certain norms in order to be recognised as powerful or successful. This was evidenced by the way in which women who relinquished this form of celebration were frowned upon and accused of not owning their worth. In some cultures wearing a doek is seen as a sign of respect as a woman is not encouraged to walk around with a “naked” head, especially when going to visit

her in-laws.In other cases, the doek was seen as a form of artistic

expression where women could style and shape it in what-ever way they desired. This still applies today. However, the danger arises when we use something that is considered as being sacred and empowering in different contexts, to build superiority complexes and propel stereotypical ideals.

Perhaps the persistent question is: What happens on every other day when we flaunt our Brazilian weaves, box braids, straightened or curly hair, hair tied in a messy bun or just a bald head? Are we considered less of a woman then? Is it safe to say that we become less in tune with our femininity?

In the unfortunate case that your answers to the above questions are in the negative, allow me to refer you to a 2006 hit single entitled I Am Not My Hair in which India Arie puts it seamlessly when she says “it’s not what’s on your head – it’s what’s underneath it” that truly matters. With that said, I wish all the diverse women of Africa who are bold enough to define their own versions of womanhood a Happy Women’s month. Your uniqueness is your strength.

The Oppidan Press staff and contact details

The Oppidan Press

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Despite concerns about student safety, creating physical barriers around the University may give the impression of exclusivity. Photo: VICTORIA PATRICK

Jordan Stier

In light of the recent break-in at Ruth First House, the question of campus security has been

raised with great urgency. A popular solution that has been suggested and hotly debated is the construction of physical borders – fences, gates and controlled entrance points – to separate campus from the rest of Grahamstown.

The common rebuttal to this sug-gestion from the University has been lack of funding as well as the fact that differences between public and private ownership of certain roads on campus mean that, legally, the decision is not up to Rhodes. Concerns have also been voiced about the negative impression fencing Rhodes off will make on other members of the Grahamstown com-munity. I would argue that there is a

far more important issue at hand: our moral obligations.

We spend our days at Rhodes studying socio-political theories about everything from the dissemination of wealth and addressing patriarchal norms, to exploring ideas about over-coming the inequalities of the past and dispersing healthcare to those in our country that struggle to access it for various reasons.

This is all for nought if we are not using our privileged position in society to affect our community positively. Since we are privileged to study at a tertiary institution, we are responsi-ble for ensuring we use our acquired knowledge for the betterment of those around us. The Trading Live events held earlier this month are a testament to our responsibility in this regard.

Establishing barriers between Rhodes and the wider community is

a direct hindrance to our ability to execute this responsibility. The idea of Rhodes being an “ivory tower” is already commonly discussed and problematised because of the attitude of seclusion from the Grahamstown community that it perpetuates.

Enforcing this idea with actual exclusion would suggest that the rest of our community has nothing to offer us. This is not only genuinely exclusionary, offensive, and elitist, but is also delusional, as anyone involved with Trading Live, Cycle of Knowl-edge, Rhodes University Community Engagement and many more univer-sity events will attest to.

While it is clear that Rhodes does need to tighten on-campus security, booms and other physical barriers are not the answer if we want to create an inclusive environment for all members of the Grahamstown community.

A closed campus closes minds

Wearing a doek may traditionally be seen as express-ing one’s femininity, but it also reinforces ideas of how women should look and behave. Photo: ASHLIEGH MEY

Doeks should not be feminist symbols

One of our rules about content at The Oppidan Press is that we try to produce as many different, interesting and relevant stories as possible for every edition. This means that we’re constantly on the lookout for stories that we haven’t covered before and that we’re naturally averse to ones that we have.

However, there are certain stories that we have to cover every year. These include things like the Silent Protest, Intervarsity and other annual events that are relevant to our audience’s daily lives. So when the annual Student Representative Council (SRC) elections roll around we of course have to devote a significant portion of our coverage to them.

This year’s election has been hotly contested, particularly the presidential race which saw five very different candidates duking it out for the top spot in the SRC with only 22 votes separating first place from second.

We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new President Elect Sisesakhe Ntlabezo and his Vice-President Ligwa Dlomo. We’d also like to point out that we really don’t envy them the massive job they have ahead of them.

Ntlabezo and Dlomo must lead at a time when the student body is rife with tension and barely suppressed anger, a lot of which has been directed towards the SRC, first for its slow reaction time around the name change issue and then for its progressive and controversial stance supporting the change.

After a year like this, it will be very difficult to claim again that our student body is as apathetic as it is often accused of being. We have seen the rise of two fundamentally opposed student movements – the Black Students Movement and the recently-renamed Rhodes University Progressive Movement – and we’ve had a record voter turnout of nearly 50% in these latest elections.

This is the political hotbed that the new SRC will have to navigate. It won’t be easy and a politically reawakened student body will be keeping them on their toes at the very least. Expect at least one of the nigh on traditional early resignations. Expect there to be at least one serious controversy over at least one new member.

But maybe also expect some seriously good work to be done this coming year. This SRC, like all SRCs, is too hamstrung by its own institutional ties and will be beset by too many political forces to make any significantly radical change. What they really need to do is consolidate the gains they made this year and work seriously on building all-round confidence in them as an organisation.

This may be too hard to achieve or perhaps even impossible but we, at least, will be watching them very closely.

Scitech26 August 2015 The Oppidan Press 5

Wearing a doek may traditionally be seen as express-ing one’s femininity, but it also reinforces ideas of how women should look and behave. Photo: ASHLIEGH MEY

Bradley Prior

The 21st century has witnessed some incredible advances in the field of technology with one of the most

significant advances being the development of the smartphone.

As a result of the smartphone’s success, urban society has become incredibly dependent on cell phones. Rhodes students are no exception, rely-ing on their phones to provide a reliable connec-tion between the various aspects of university life.

It is therefore incredibly important for students to be fully educated when registering for a SIM card or buying a cellphone - especially where South Africa’s largest mobile service providers are concerned. Knowing what you want from your package or contract can be vital in ensuring you spend only as much as you need to and are not bogged down by exorbitant data or call costs.

A network’s call tariffs determine how much you pay to make a phone call. For this compari-son we used the per-second billing rate which is the default plan for each network.

Cell C’s per second rate is the cheapest, total-ling 66c per minute on their prepaid package. MTN’s prepaid package lands at a slightly steeper price, charging 79c per minute, which is matched by Vodacom’s prepaid offering. Vodacom, how-ever, lags significantly behind on other offerings with their call tariff going up to R2.60 on the Vodacom 4 Less package.

Secondly, there is the question of high South African data costs. While we do have eduroam on campus, it does not reach every part of campus and many students do not have access to edu-roam or WiFi in their homes or residence rooms. Therefore, buying data is often a must, even as a contingency measure.

The easiest way to go about buying data is to buy bundles. Cell C’s data is mostly cheaper than its competition, with their 100MB, 500MB and

1GB once-off bundles sitting at R19/R85/R149 respectively. Vodacom comes at next, sitting with bundles of R29/R99/149, while MTN is margin-ally more expensive at R35/R105/R160.

Alternatively, you can set up a data plan with your service provider. You pay a set fee every month and in return you are given a fixed amount of data. Cell C is the cheapest provider of mobile data, offering 1GB of data for R69 per month. MTN is in second place with a monthly

price of R83. Vodacom sits just behind MTN, charging R85 per month.

A last but incredibly important point to factor into your decision is how strong each network’s coverage is in Grahamstown. We reached out to the Independent Communications Association of South Africa for this information, but they had not replied at the time of print.

That said, it may be prudent to ask fellow stu-dents, especially if they are in the same residence or area as you, what type of coverage they receive from their mobile networks. While this is not a flawless solution, it may give you a rough idea if nothing more. It is also worth mentioning that MTN is the only mobile network which has direct representation locally, with their shop at Peppergrove Mall.

There is no clear conclusion as to which service provider is best as different service providers cater towards different people depending on what they are looking at. For contract, your choice may be swayed by what carrier has your preferred phone at the lowest price, while prepaid consum-ers may benefit from different networks call and data rates.

In this case, it is worth noting that, fiscally, Cell C is the cheapest of the South African service providers in both call and data rates which is something to consider if you choose to register for a prepaid contract. Vodacom and MTN both have their appealing factors, but in terms of value-for-money Cell C is definitely best locally.

Making the right call on mobile networks

Despite all three major cellphone networks being accessible in Grahamstown, data costs are still far higher than the average student budget. Photo: BRONWYN PRETORIUS

Rhodes closes doors on new WindowsBracken Lee-Rudolph

Last edition, we told you about the slew of new features Microsoft have brought into their newest iteration of Windows, and some of the downfalls that come with the technology behemoth’s latest operating system (OS).

Rhodes University, however, is not immediately adopting the new OS, as shown by two emails sent to the Student Networking Representatives mailing list.

The first email came from Dianne Amos of the Information and Technology Services department, explaining that iPrint does not currently support Windows 10, with support only expected to release in October and be deployed locally in December, and that early adopters would not be able to use the iPrint services from their personal devices.

iPrint is the system which the printers in residences and various departments use to record who prints what on the printers in those venues and to bill them accordingly.

This does not stop students from printing, which they can do by using the computers in the

library or their specific departments. It simply means that access on their personal computers is unavailable which is more of a nuisance than debilitating.

The second email came from Manager of IT Operations, Guy Halse, who explained that the university does not officially support Windows 10 yet, as Windows 7 is currently still the most functional OS when the university’s constraints – which range from knowledge at the Student Help Desk to accounting – are considered.

“More generically than [iPrint services], Windows 10 is not widely tested at Rhodes,” explained Halse. “It is likely that there are other things that won’t work properly too. From past experience, it generally takes vendors around a year to catch up after a new version of Windows is released,” he added.

If Rhodes students wish to make use of any Rhodes services they may have to hold off on updating to Windows 10 for a little while longer.

You may be impatient and it may be slightly frustrating, but the university will be better equipped to handle the OS when it does officially update to it.

The cracks are starting to show in Windows 10 as Rhodes does not yet fully support Microsoft’s new operating system. Photo: BRONWYN PRETORIUS

Windows

Bracken Lee-Rudolph

In what could be a coup for neurological science, scientists at Ohio State University (OSU) have grown an almost fully-formed human brain in a laboratory for the first time.

A professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology at OSU, Professor Rene Anand, reported on the lab-grown brain at the 2015 Military Health System research Symposium at Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

“It not only looks like the developing brain, its diverse cell types express nearly all genes like a brain,” Anand said.

“We’ve struggled for a long time trying to solve complex brain disease problems that cause tremendous pain and suffering,” he explained, emphasising the huge boost to research lab-grown brains could provide. “The power of this brain model bodes very well for human health because it gives us better and more relevant options to test and develop therapeutics other than rodents.”

Anand and Susan McKay, a research associate at OSU, reverse-engineered adult skin cells into pluripotent stem cells (cells that can be used to develop any other

type of cell). From there they used various techniques in Anand’s method – which is currently confidential due to a pending patent – to create a brain equivalent to that of a five-week-old foetus. This process takes around 12 weeks according to Anand, but would require the creation of an artificial heart and blood vessel system to be advanced further, something which the team is currently unable to create.

The hope is that the unconscious artificial brain and others like it will allow scientists to make strides against neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Aside from neurological diseases,

it will also allow researchers to better understand the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, which is the team’s current focus.

Dr Zameel Cader, a consultant neurologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, noted that it is difficult to gauge how useful the research truly is until the data is revealed, something which is only likely to happen once Anand’s patent is properly filed.

Whatever the outcome, this discovery signals significant strides into understanding neurological conditions and the research will certainly be built upon in the coming years once it is revealed.

Since Last Edition: Lab-grown brains to be used for drug testing

Scientists at Ohio State University have managed to grow a new brain to be used for research and understanding of diseases and disorders. Photo: SOURCED

Arts & Entertainment6 The Oppidan Press 26 August 2015

Getting to know TsukuduNkosazana Hlalethwa

Music engineering is an intricate process that involves the record-

ing and manipulation of sound with the motive of producing an ingenious product. This music is used in a variety of ways, includ-ing in movie soundtracks, back-tracks in songs and as elevator music. The Oppidan Press spoke to rising music engineering star Tsukudu Moroeng about his experiences after releasing his debut EP, Grow.

Moroeng began the process of producing his EP approximately six months ago. During the creative process, he had numer-ous previews, listening sessions and conversations to ensure an innovative sound. “I’m exposed to so many different types of music because there is so much music [out] there,” he said.

The planning sessions were followed by back-to-back studio time during which the young art-ist had to turn his thoughts into music. Moroeng explained that creating the songs was only 20% of the work. The other 80% went into mixing and mastering, and ensuring the levels were right.

The second track on the EP, titled ‘Poem of Growth’, features Mduduzi Ntshingila and sums up Moroeng’s musical journey.

“Grow, as a project, is a symbol of where I am and where I want to go”, Moroeng explained.

While Moroeng’s initial interest lies in music production, he is also a DJ, writer and vocalist. One of the ways Moroeng showcases his musical edge is through the use of his voice as an instrument. “There are a lot of melodies and tones that can come from a voice. I know I can’t really sing but I like to use my voice as an instrument,” he said.

Moroeng’s interest in music began when he was a member of a chamber choir during his high school years. “There would be eight of us in our rooms in the boarding house. We’d get

together, write rhymes and just rap and make beats and stuff,” he said. It was only when Moroeng visited Scotland in 2013, where he got the opportunity to engineer music that he became interested in music production. Moroeng is thrilled with the release of his first EP, but this is just the beginning for him. “It’s still very early to say. These are the honeymoon stages,” he explained. He added that his ambition will only be reached when people can relate his music to their own experiences. “For me, my gratification for my music is if, say, someone comes up to me and says, ‘[Y]ho dude I listened to this song and I understand’,” said Moroeng.

Tsukudu Moroeng’s skills in music production have allowed him to release his first EP, Grow. Photo: SOURCED

The creative project called Art4Art encourages all individuals to join in the process of creat-ing various forms of creative art. Photo: KYLE PRINSLOO

Sam van Heerden

Art4Art, a new Grahamstown initiative breaks artistic boundaries and empowers local artists in a safe space every Saturday at Tunnels. Conceptualised by pink-haired second year Journalism student, Charles Mackenzie, these open and participatory events are centred around subverting tradi-tional art structures.

The initiative aims simply to showcase and facilitate the creation of art in any form the artist sees fit. Mackenzie is hesitant to define the initiative, admitting that it has no concrete form. Its displays have ranged from podcasts to workshops, and may in the future include activities such as hikes and retreats. Andrew Marais, a contributor to the Art4Art project and first-year Journalism student, added that the art showcased during the events is ex-tremely diverse, including painting, drawing, poetry, performance art and dance.

Art4Art rebels against the commodification of art through the literal sharing and trading of one artwork for another. The events are open to anyone and art materials are available

at the event for those wanting to create their own artistic masterpiece. Mackenzie said that Art4Art is aimed at breaking the boundaries between artists and spectators.

“Our aim is to create a space where people can experience great local art and create their own in an environment where they won’t be criticised heavily and instead encouraged to express themselves. No obligation. No judge-ment,” explained Marais.

Although Art4Art is a weekly event, Mac-kenzie explained that its structure is delib-erately disorganised. This loose structure is meant to break the boundary between art and life, subverting the traditional art exhibition. “Art is life,” said Mackenzie, “and the only way you can eradicate incongruence between art and life is if you don’t actually orchestrate the art.” While art exhibitions usually display only the final art product, Art4Art is live and is aimed at exposing art processes.

Currently the project only has a handful of contributors and facilitators, but it is looking to expand. If you want to find out more about the project or become involved, check out their Facebook page, “Art4Art”.

Creating a safe art space

Janet Buckland’s best readsHolly Allison

This edition our Reading series includes award-winning actress, director, and man-ager of drama company Ubom! Given her involvement in the world of theatre, it is no surprise that Buckland’s list offers a variety of interesting book recommendations.

World War Z (Max Brooks):Buckland’s current read is World War Z

by Max Brooks, a book Buckland described as “way better than the movie”. Not only is it superior, but also very different in content. The story follows the travels of a journalist to different post-zombie-apocalypse colonies, one of which is situated in South Africa. The novel offers an interesting take on surviving a zom-bie-infested world and examines the various methods used by different bands of survivors. Given that Buckland herself generally does not enjoy zombie stories, her enjoyment of Brooks’ novel serves as the best recommendation of the book.

The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt):The Goldfinch follows the story of a mar-

ginalised teenage boy who loses his mother in an explosion at their favourite museum. Not wanting to give the story away Buckland said that the novel is a fantastic read involving the famous Goldfinch painting. The painting by Carel Fabritius showcases a chained goldfinch bird. Buckland adds that she enjoyed another of Tartt’s top novels, The Secret History. The plot of this novel revolves around a group of university students studying Ancient Greek who become so immersed in their studies that it leads to a tragic death.

Light in August (William Faulkner):Faulkner’s Light in August is an American

Gothic-style novel that Buckland considers a weighty read. Buckland says the novel took commitment to get through because of the dark issues addressed throughout the narra-tive. “It’s taken me quite a while to finish it as I can only get stuck in for pieces at a time, but it’s a good read in the end,” said Buckland.

Janet Buckland, a prominent figure in the Rhodes Drama Department, shares her thoughts on must-read books. Photo: KYLE PRINSLOO

Environment26 August 2015 The Oppidan Press 7

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SAA retracts trophy banNita Pallett

It took the discovery of a shipment of elephant tusks labelled “mechanical equipment”

on board a flight to Kuala Lumpur for South African Airways (SAA) to place an embargo on carrying trophy hunting products. It then took only three months for this ban to be retracted and SAA to once again become a transporter of wildlife products such as rhino, elephant, lion and tiger goods.

The embargo, established in April, was to be kept in place until further deliberation and better control measures could be implemented. It was lifted on 23 July 2015. SAA claimed to be satisfied that the additional measures implemented were enough to address the operational concerns it previously had. The airline added that it would continue to work with the Department of Environmental Affairs to curb the illegal transportation of wildlife.

Ever since lifting the ban, SAA has faced petitions against the move, with more than 600 000 signatories on Change.org putting pressure on the national air carrier to reinstate the ban.

After the global outrage at Cecil the lion’s death in Zimbabwe late last month, many other airlines implemented similar restrictions regarding Big 5 hunting trophies

on their cargo. These include Delta Airlines, British Airways and Emirates.

According to a statement from Emirates in May 2015, the ban is meant to “eliminate illegal trade and transportation of hunting trophies worldwide and save wildlife heritage”. However, many people stand in support of SAA’s latest decision.

In an interview with News24, Professor Peet van der Merwe from North West University stated that banning the transport of hunting trophies is not the way to stop poaching. Van der Merwe said that putting an end to trophy hunting itself would directly affect our tourism industry negatively.

Around 7 500 people visit South Africa every year for hunting purposes. The average amount paid for a hunting trip is R140 000, whereas for non-hunting tourists expenditure does not usually reach R10 000 per trip. This money forms a substantial part of our tourism industry – it goes to game lodges, trophy processing, hunting accessories, firearms, game capture taxidermy, the hiring of guides, revenue for other game reserves visited, and more.

According to van der Merwe, Cecil’s case is a bad one to blame hunters for, because it was illegal. He feels that the message to take home is that the system needs to be cleaned up, not dismantled entirely.

“Rather focus on those people [illegal hunters] than on the whole industry, because there are people that are doing it correctly [other] than the one or two that are doing it illegally,” explained van der Merwe.

However, the impact of trophy hunting on South Africa’s economy is in fact questionable. According to a study conducted by the Humane Society International, the value of hunting tourism only make up a fraction of the income generated by tourism more generally.

In Namibia, tourism contributes to 2.4% of GDP whereas hunting produces a mere 0.09%. In addition, the trophy hunting industry can negatively impact tourism through turning away anti-hunting visitors as well as removing attractive Big 5 animals from their habitats.

But perhaps most importantly, the cases of Cecil and the elephant tusks prove that, despite legislation sur-rounding trophy hunting, there are serious loop-holes in the regulations that need to be addressed urgently.

There are mixed views surrounding South African Airways’ decision to retract their ban on the transportation of wildlife hunting trophies. Photo: KELLAN BOTHA

Can pink dye reduce poaching?Lili Barras-Hargan & Lauren Buckle

As both rhino and elephant populations steadily decline, conservationists are looking for new methods of preserving

both species. Since the beginning of this year over 700 rhinos have fallen victim to poaching. In 2011, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in Kruger Park began experimenting with a concoction of parasiticides and indelible pink dye that is injected into rhino horns and has caused a substantial reduction of poaching in the area.

The pink dye is injected into the centre of the rhino’s horn and spreads outwards from there. The dye is harmless to the rhino, but contains toxins and a cocktail of chemicals that is dangerous if in-gested by humans. Because of its apparent success, the method is now being implemented at other wildlife refuges.

The dye is also able to alert authorities at airports to the transportation of contaminated ivory as it is picked up on airport scanners regardless of whether it is in powder form or not. This makes it more difficult for poachers to smuggle the horns into other countries.

The dye remains inside the rhino’s horn, which is made from keratin, for between three and four years, after which it becomes necessary to inject the horn again. Vice Chairperson of the Rhodes Or-ganisation for Animal Rights Joshua Epstein said, “Using this dye is one of the more positive ways of stopping rhino poaching”.

However, The South African National Park Service remains sceptical of the effectiveness of the dye, as poachers have been attempting to disguise it by mixing it with Viagra in order to pass through airport security. Nevertheless, this does not cancel

out the effectiveness of the poison.Conservationists are working on a dye that can

be used on elephant tusks as well. Rhino horn and elephant tusks are made from very different substances. In the ivory trade, the value of elephant tusks rests on their colour. Because of this, there is ongoing research into an effective way to dye the elephant tusks in order for them to be regarded as worthless to poachers. No effective methods have been determined yet and the cost of tran-quilising and dyeing the tusks in their entirety is still too expensive.

One option involves investigating how changing the elephants’ diets might be able to transform the colour of their tusks thus protecting them from poaching. Researchers are also considering dyeing the tusks pink as elephants struggle to see red. This will make the transition easier for the animals.

Nevertheless, poisoning and dyeing rhino horns

and elephant tusks does not necessarily guarantee that poachers will be deterred. According to Save the Rhino’s website, “The idea relies on two assump-tions: firstly, that the poachers will be deterred from killing rhinos with poisoned horns, and, secondly, that consumers will be deterred from buying rhino horn for fear that they will be poisoned.”

In many cases, poachers will kill the animals and sell the poisoned horn regardless of its appearance. In addition, there are numerous cases of poachers killing rhinos with no horns out of spite when they realise that the creature is worthless to them.

While attempts are still being made to alter the dye in order to help reduce elephant poaching, the effects on rhinoceros poaching have been positive thus far. Although poachers still attempt to take rhi-no horns overseas, the dye has introduced a hurdle in the process which will hopefully assist in reduc-ing the amount of poaching that occurs annually.

For a more in-depth look at the issues surrounding Cecil’s death, see our online article titled “Poaching killed Cecil, not hunting” on our website

oppidanpress.com.

New attempts at reducing rhino and eventually elephant poaching have been made by injecting their tusks with pink dye. Photo: SOURCED

Sports

Marjorie Rugunda

While everyone pulls out a warm blanket and cosy boots in the winter, the Rhodes Snow Sport Club is calling all keen skiers and snowboarders to join them on the slopes of Tiffindell to learn or further their skills.

Rhodes Snow Sport, separate to Rhodes University and situated in Rhodes Town, is a privately-owned club a few minutes away from Tiffindell Ski Resort.

“We started the Rhodes Snow Sport Club to share this ex-perience with young sportsmen and hobbyists around South Africa,” said Marlene Reeders, a member of the organising team. Reeders and her team have taken part in the sport from an early age, taking skiing lessons with their parents.

She added that social media has helped a great deal, with their main focus being to get young people involved in the sport. The club works with Tiffindell to ensure that the slopes are perfectly groomed even in the case of a natural snowfall. The peak season for skiing is between May and July.

“Skiers from all over South Africa have been at the resort enjoying pristine conditions,” said Tiffindell owner Lew Campbell. The resort included a package for the Rhodes members consisting of snowboard lessons, ski and snow-board equipment plus breakfast and dinner.

Despite ensuring visitors’ safety by providing equipment, the club faces challenges when it comes to organising tours. For some, the drive down to Rhodes Town is costly. Along with this, the club is forced to take a three-month break every year to prepare the slopes.

The club is looking to involve various universities across South Africa and, with the help of a frequently updated Face-book page, Rhodes Snow Sport has built a strong presence on social media. The team posts occasional pictures and videos giving potential visitors a sense of what to expect.

Reeders encourages students of all skiing abilities to take the opportunity next winter to “warm up to the beautiful but cold mountains” for an action-packed experience.

Gabi Bellairs-Lombard

Rhodes’s annual cyclathon was held on 21 August to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis

(CF). The event was organised by the Rhodes University Health Suite and Indoor Cycling Section Manager Tracy Probert. Participants paid R30 to book a one hour slot in the 12-hour cyclathon.

Explaining her motivation behind the event, Probert said she felt that CF could be linked to cycling in that the exhaustion felt by spinners after a high intensity class is what CF sufferers feel every day.

Darren Moriarty, a CF sufferer and

Grahamstown local, told his story in a moving and informative talk given before Friday’s cyclathon. He began by asking participants to put a straw in their mouths, block their noses and breathe only through the straw. “This is how someone with CF breathes,” Moriarty explained, “except I can’t put down my straw.”

Moriarty is 24 years old and was diagnosed with CF at four months old. He explained that living with CF is like feeling as though his lungs will tear every time he breathes. He is currently on the road to being put on the lung transplant list.

Moriarty was part of Probert’s inspiration for the cyclathon cause.

The funds raised by both Moriarty’s “I lived” talk and the cyclathon will hope-fully help in assisting others suffering from CF.

Ashleigh Walker, a frequent spinner and participant in the cyclathon, said, “Despite the intense workout the 45 minute slot I did was super fun, mostly aided by the awesome music, disco lights and workout routine, and made me feel like I was really part of a team – even more rewarding given the cause we all aimed to promote and make aware.”

Without a doubt, the cyclathon achieved its aim in raising awareness about a serious disease thanks to the efforts of Probert and her team.

Cycling for cystic fibrosis

Leonard Solms

On 8 August, the comparatively small Rhodes Dance Society walked away from this year’s annual South African Ballroom and Latin Dancing Student Nationals in Stellenbosch with four medals, two silver and two bronze.

Rhodes competed against the University of Pretoria, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University. Of the 320 dancers at the tournament, only 38 were from Rhodes. Although this led to them finishing bottom overall, the team still did well.

Chairperson Matthew Roche and his partner Sam Hultum won bronze for their ballroom performance at championship level, the most advanced category. They also achieved a silver medal for Latin dancing at pre-championship level, the second highest level.

Roche hailed his society’s ability to remain competitive despite their size, stating, “We do pretty well considering our lack of funding and numbers. Other universities get about 400 signups and we only got 150.” Rhodes Dance Society is one of two dancing teams at Rhodes. While they are classified as a society, DanceSport is categorised as a sports club.

Rhodes’s other medal-winning couple, Douglas Smith and Maxine Höft, achieved silver for ballroom and

bronze for latin dancing, both at pre-bronze level. “We’re really happy to have placed second in our ballroom section, one better than last year,” said Smith.

Höft was equally happy about the result, saying, “The experience of being at nationals and rushing on and off the floor [after being selected to proceed to the next round from heats] is an incredibly exhilarating experience. Receiving medals for both of our sections was the cherry on the top of an overall thrilling and inspiring occasion.”

Coach Peter Mann said that Rhodes’s dancers had improved greatly to compete at such a high level and praised them for excelling in many events.

Besides Smith and Höft, Roche also praised Brandon Haschick and Kate Karow as well as Craig Robinson and Melanie Fetting. Both couples achieved fourth place finishes. The former did so in pre-bronze Latin and ballroom, and the latter in the advanced category of pre-bronze.

Roche also hailed the very committed Ryan Blandin de Chalain and Bianca du Plessis, who finished eighth in advanced ballroom and seventh in Latin dancing despite having only trained together for a year.

Roche will be hoping for more dedication from his dancers as they prepare to once again fight against the odds at next year’s championships in Port Elizabeth.

Rhodes dancers bag medals at nationals

Matthew Roche and Sam Hultum were two members of Rhodes Dance Society who showed off their moves at this year’s competition in Stellenbosch. Photo: SUPPLIED/BIANCA DU PLESSIS

Rhodes Snow Sport Club encourages enthusiastic individuals to practise their skiing and snowboarding skills at the Tiffindell Ski Resort. Photo: LEILA KIDSON

Snow Sport taking students to Tiffindell’s slopes

The cyclathon is an annual event that is held in order to raise awareness of those suffering from various ailments. This year, the event focused on the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis. Photo: NITA PALLETT

University grows human brain

SAA to allow hunting trophies

Getting to know Tsukudu Moroeng5 76