In 2018 Tevarus Naicker will be a fifth year medical student at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). He will also be settled into his role as chairperson of the Tygerberg Student Council (TSC), a title that comes with great responsibility and commitment to serve.

“It's a great honour to be in this position, but the role means nothing if I'm unable to make meaningful changes," says Naicker.

According to him the main function of the TSC is to speak on behalf of students. “Communication is fundamental in active representation. The TSC will use every possible opportunity to communicate with students on campus via social opportunities, residence leadership structures and through ex-officio members in order to represent as accurately as possible."

Tevarus says the vision and mission of the TSC is aligned with that of the SU's Student Representative Council (SRC), to ensure their leadership direction is on the same page in order to “truly lead in unity".

“While there is a time and season for transactional leadership, our aim is to be transformative in nature. We may never see our outcomes come to life as students, but we believe we will play a pivotal role in building a strong foundation for future leaders. Continuity has been a consistent issue among leadership, and we plan to change this," he says.

Tevarus answered a few questions about his hopes for his leadership term, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead:

What changes would you like to see on campus?

I would like to see more services being made available to students. Examples would be having shuttles that take students to destinations other than only shopping centres. Students from all over the country live on campus and not everyone has a car. Imagine studying in this beautiful city, but not being able to explore it?

I would like to see the university make provision for non-academic activities. The isolation of the campus is not conducive to a healthy mental state, and we also believe having more psychologists on our campus is of the utmost importance.

Additionally, we would like to see free internet – no explanation needed!

What do you regard as the main challenges on campus?

The gap between residence management and Faculty management. They run on completely different systems and clashes often result. This is frustrating because students bear the consequences of inadequate communication between the two structures. Communication between students and the TSC is also still a challenge. Often students are unaware of opportunities we make available to them.

What opportunities are lurking?

There is still much room for the formation of social spaces. There are also many opportunities for students to lead their own initiatives. This is ideal, as the TSC really believes that non-positional leadership has a significant part to play on our campus.

Your message to students?

Simply reach out to us when we reach out to you. We cannot amplify your voices if we don't hear them. We want students to give us constructive criticism moving forward. Only then can we lead in a value-driven manner.

And to staff?

There are many opportunities for collaboration. I would like to encourage the staff to be proactive in working and communicating with us. I would also like to thank those who have already involved us in projects that will shape this Faculty for the better.

And how does the rest of the Tygerberg campus student leadership team for 2017/'18 see their functions and challenges?

Sinethemba Toyo (MB,ChB IV)  – TSC Vice-chairperson

Main functions: Ensuring that the council works efficiently and to tirelessly serve the Tygerberg Student Union.

Challenge: Striking the balance between being stern and friendly with fellow council members.

Kevin Oira (MB,ChB V) – Media and Marketing

Main functions: Ensuring the image of the TSC is maintained in a manner appropriate for our campus, being professional but also approachable to all students. This is done mainly by means of social media or simple posters on walls.

Challenge: Reaching out to enough people is difficult. This is where innovation comes into play. By being creative, I hope I can get more students to participate.

Taryn Simeon (MB,ChB IV) – Social Impact & Critical Engagement

Main functions: Facilitating projects, events and outreaches pertaining to social impact and critical engagement to create a culture of student engagement and enrichment of the community. The social impact portfolio also entails having a close relationship with MGD (the primary health care community outreach committee) and thus broadening the influence we as students can achieve. Regarding critical engagement, we want to provide safe platforms for expression on a variety of student issues.

Challenge: Being innovative and remaining current with regard to projects and events to combat apathy.

Nokuthula Makhoba (MB,ChB IV) – Student Wellness and Development

Main functions: To improve mental wellness, residence pantries, student support relating to academic and emotional aspects, and to encourage students to pursue projects of interest.

Challenge: Overcoming the stigma attached to mental illness and reaching every student in need, regardless of their financial means.

Lebo Mohlala (BSc Dietetics IV) – Treasurer and Culture

Main functions: As Treasurer, to act as the financial manager of the team and allocate funds for events, as well as ensuring that all our money is spent well and within the budget. The aim of the culture portfolio is to provide the campus with optimal opportunities to direct the creative energy and to create platforms that explore all forms of culture and provide students with the opportunity to expand their personal interests.

Challenges: Regarding the culture portfolio, the main challenge will be to ensure that every space we create has an element of learning or provides students with the opportunity to acquire a new skill while having fun. Other challenges will include liaison with main campus' Culture Committee to ensure enhanced accessibility and opportunities for the Tygerberg community to partake in all the activities and competitions.

Vukosi Baloyi (MB,ChB IV) – Student Services and Sport

Main functions: I am in charge of engaging with shuttle services, the Tygerberg Student Centre and food services, and parking. This is a broad portfolio and it has to be run on a day to day basis according to the student needs on campus. I also oversee the sporting events on campus. This portfolio is close to my heart as I have represented campus for four years as a soccer player, therefore being a leader in the sport portfolio comes naturally to me.

Challenges: Working with different stakeholders in these portfolios can be time-consuming. But I think I have settled in and am already enjoying a functional relationship with everyone involved.

Raven Hannes (MB,ChB V) – Student Services and Sustainability

Main functions: I also work on the student service portfolio which includes, but is not limited to, food, parking, safety and security, printing and internet, as well as shuttle services. In terms of the sustainability portfolio, the aim is to raise awareness on the importance of conservation and preservation of natural resources.

Challenges: The greatest challenge faced with student services is continuously trying to address the constantly changing needs of the student community. Regarding sustainability, the biggest challenge currently is finding and creating innovative ways in which to conserve water and promote a sustainable usage of this precious resource among the student community in the light of Cape Town's water crisis.

Chiara Africa (MB,ChB V) – Secretary: General and Prestige

Main functions: As Secretary, administration and communication within the TSC are my main functions. The prestige portfolio's aim is to foster and promote a culture of excellence through acknowledging the achievements of students.

Challenges: The campus calendar has posed administrative challenges in the past, due to the lack of communication of important dates between the TSC, residences and the greater student body. We aim to avoid issues of the past by drafting a dynamic calendar, that we plan on releasing early in the new year so that students can remain up to date regarding important happenings on campus. Regarding the prestige portfolio, challenges that have been identified are a lack of involvement of the greater student body and a need to use the achievements of students on our campus to motivate others to achieve excellence in both the academic and non-academic setting.

Ex-officio members:

Ilana Van Niekerk (MB,ChB III) – Chairperson: Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council

Main functions: To function as the link between students and the Faculty in order to address urgent academic concerns, and help facilitate effective resolutions of problems experienced in teaching and learning.

Challenge: To aid in establishing open and transparent communication between the Faculty and students, as well as to facilitate students speaking out about academic related issues.

​Fatima Ouiza Mazari (MB,ChB V) – Chairperson: Tygerberg Societies Council

Main functions: To provide a platform whereby student leaders may represent, further and protect the interests of their societies, and subsequently of all Tygerberg students.

Challenge: We aim to propel the council forward into the digital age, and to revitalise it and its constitutional mandate. The challenges we face lie in the completion of large projects that have the capacity to directly address historic problems within the council, and the resources that they require in order to succeed.

Chitsadi Thulare (MB,ChB V) – Chairperson: Prim Committee

Main functions: The Prim Committee exists to zoom in on the collective Tygerberg student experience inside our residence and PSO (private student organisation) spaces. This includes identifying common challenges and sharing creative solutions.

Challenges: There are quite a few, including identifying vulnerable students in residences and to source support for food and basic necessities; creating positive environments that focus on student mental wellness; establishing open spaces for students to recuperate, study or socialise during the course of the day; incorporating social, sport and cultural experiences in residences and PSO communities to promote balanced student living; and to identify and empower student leaders, including non-positional leaders.

Eduard Roos (PhD Molecular Biology) – Chairperson: Tygerberg Postgraduate (PG) Student Council

Main functions: Being the voice of the entire PG community on campus and representing them at the different institutional structures.

Challenge: Integrating the PG community into the Tygerberg campus life, easing their accessibility and implementing the necessary support structures for them to thrive.