Stellenbosch University
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Transformation at SU – three days at a time
Author: Frieda le Roux
Published: 15/11/2017
​Spending three days with a group of colleagues representative of various SU environments, discussing racism, sexism, gender and disability would sound daunting to many of us. But most of the participants a the course on Embracing a new normal at SU: Skills for staff presented by the Transformation Office, will tell you that it was three days that opened their minds and helped them to cope better with changes and challenges on campus and in our country.
 

“I have worked for SU for 17 years and this workshop was without a doubt the most worthwhile training that I have attended during this time and is long overdue. It has opened my mind to considering new ways of doing things,” reads one participant’s feedback. “I did not know what to expect when I went. In fact, I thought it was going to be boring, but my mind set was transformed completely,” another comments.

But why are SU staff in need of a ‘new normal’? Monica du Toit, Head of the Transformation Office, says the idea of only one ‘normal’ is probably the biggest stumbling block at a university, where there is a continuum of possibilities and potentials to manage. “The course aims to investigate these continuums of worldviews, abilities and experiences.” Embracing a new normal at SU, with changes based on the feedback, has been presented since 2015. “We also have two-hour sessions on themes included in the three-day course that can be presented at faculties and departments.”

Working with Monica is prof. Julian Sonn, lecturer in Transformational Leadership at the Business School. With his credentials and experience, participants have noted that the “diverse knowledge and background of facilitators were very useful and complementary”.

Also looked at during the three days are the experiences of people on campus living with disabilities. When a visually impaired person explains the challenges regarding getting around; or a braille officer describes the process of making text books or tests available in braille, one tends to revisit the assumption that the world operates in the way you do.

Since the participants come from all kinds of backgrounds, what they take from the workshop will depend on their own experience. One person commented on her “better understanding of the students’ plight and their reasoning behind the decolonisation, structural violence that exists on the campus.” Another said the “discussion on ‘rape culture’ lead me to understand some things”. And: “The training opened my eyes to issues I didn't realise existed”.

Monica says at one feedback session a participant said the interaction with colleagues gave him so much hope for the future that he decided against selling his property with the goal to emigrate.

“For me the value lies in seeing staff from different age groups, environments and disciplines engaging on the kind of university we want to be for each other and the youth. The University isn’t a soulless mass of institutions. Staff also struggle with identities and our past, and they want students to have access and the best possible chance to grow.”

Individuals or faculties interested in attending a workshop can send an e-mail to mdt2@sun.ac.za.

More points to ponder:

  • Discussion held inside and outside the workshop venue enlightened me on some of the prejudices I have held about white South Africans.
  • Better understanding of the effect of internalised racism.
  • An eye opener - I think I was living in my own dream world - I now know that people do go the extra mile to make life for others better.
  • Hearing stories first hand from people who live with challenges every day creates more awareness and sensitivity to their plight.
  • A wholesome way of learning how much I still need to learn and change in not only 'accepting' but embracing the diversities (some of which I didn't even know about!).