Defending Studente Pret
Uno as Stellenbosch Universiteit, studenteraad
Aug|30|2006
Ek het hierdie week se Studenteforum artikel in Die Matie geskryf, iets wat ek nog van my eerstejaar af wou doen maar net nooit by uitgekom het nie.
Ek skryf oor Helderberg, tradisies en die ironie van al dit haat en dit op dieselfde tyd verdedig.
Kliek deur vir die volledige artikel. Read the rest of this entry »
‘n Nuwe SR webwerf
Uno as Online, Stellenbosch Universiteit, studenteraad
Aug|7|2006
Sjoe, wie het gedink dit sou ooit kom?
Uiteindelik is dit up and running. Ek het finaal en al die Studenteraad se webwerf online gekry. Dit was nou al vir so ‘n hele tyd aan die gang, maar dit was die ou ene en was nie baie mooi of gebruikers vriendelik nie.
Hierso is hoe die nuwe ene lyk (Hulle is clickable vir groot prentjies. clickety click!):
en hierso is hoe die ou ene gelyk het:
So nou wat is die verskil?
Wel die nuwe ene gebruik Joomla, wat net baie beter is as die vreeslik oud en gekronktde Portaal sisteem wat die universiteit gebruik as standaard pakket.
Ok, so die nuwe voordele wat ons het is:
Poll hosting
Banner hosting
RSS feeds
Gallerye
Form submission (mens kan nou alle vorms online invul sodra ek uitfigure hoe die goed werk)
Forums (die universiteit gaan moontlik lekker kwaad word hieroor, alles moet mos ge-authenticate word teen 500 miljuisend background checks)
Nog baie meer (daar kom omtrent elke week ‘n nuwe plugin vir Joomla uit, wat nogals lekker is, mens download dit en plug en play)
Die mees belangrikste nuwe feature egter is hoe maklik dit is om nuwe content by te sit. En dit is iets wat bekend is aan my, en hopelik ‘n paar ander SR lede. Die WYSIWYG interface help helse baie met nuwe content byvoeg, en as mens banners wil manage is dit geen probleem nie, mens kan dit baie maklik doen met die Advertising ding. Lekker lekker.
OK, ek weet die site lyk vrek sleg soos dit daar is, maar dis nou maar een van daai dinge as mens glad nie enige HTML kennis het, nog minder PHP en as jy nog wonder hoe om Mysql uittespreek. So vir nou is dit goed genoeg ok. Daar is content. En dis up to date (amper). Nou los my uit.
As daar enigiemand daar buite is wat enige voorstelle sou wou voorstel dan stel ek voor jy stel hulle voor in die comments. In ‘n kort tydjie gaan ek comments op die SR site enable dan kan julle mal gaan. En ek gaan die forums oop maak. En die job board, en as ek regtig lus het sommer die Property listings ook. Lekker lekker.
Nou: Hoekom het dit so lank gevat? Wel, ek kon nie enige van die pakkette wat ons uitgetoets het op die ou PHP laai wat die US gehardloop het nie. Die US het hierdie vakansie wat verby is die nuwe PHP gelaai en nou kan ons mal gaan met nuwe dinge. Daar was sprake van ‘n sandbox implementeer, maar ek weet nie hoe ver daai idee gaan strek nie. Vir nou is dit maar net PHP, Mysql en Apache wat geupgrade is. Hopelik is daar eendag ‘n maklike userinterface wats als makliker gaan maak. Eendag.
Yet another conference
Uno as Stellenbosch Universiteit, studenteraad
Jun|23|2006
Kobus Ehlers and myself are speaking at another conference in August. Our topic is: How electronic communication has changed the academic and social life of a student.
In going with the whole Student Representative thing, I'd like some input from the student community. I was thinking of specifically talking about blogging (how many students have blogs?), Myspace (how many student use Myspace as a medium of communication? What kind of student uses it?), RSS feeds (how do students use RSS feeds?) and if there are any other Web2.0 Apps that students are using, even things like MSN, and how do you use this to communicate. I'd like to make an argument that the university should use more Web2.0 platforms. We need more online interaction. Sure, there are the WebCT bulletin boards, but that that doesn't serve as enough online interaction.
So, I'm asking you, click through and leave a comment on this post with how you use the internet. You can use these few topics:
Take note, I'd specifically like Stellenbosch students to comment, other people are more than welcome to leave comments and suggestions, maybe just say if you are from somewhere else. I'd like some comment on the questions and structure of the paper.
E-mail (How often do you use e-mail? How much of your daily activity results from your inbox? Are you on mailing lists?)
Instant Messaging (stuff like MSN, AOL, even Myspace can fall under this. Do you use IM? How many of your friends IM? Do you use IM to make plans for the day?)
Blogging (Do you have a blog? Do you read blogs? What is your posting frequency?)
Forum activity (How active are you on forums? Do you use forums? Are forum topics a central part of you interest field, or do you use them to keep up to date with periphery activities?
Myspace (Do you have a myspace account? How often do you use it to keep up to date with your friends? Do you pimp your page? How do you interact with other people? If you don't have an account, do you sometimes browse through other peoples pages?… note, my myspace interaction is low, so I can't really say on this one!)
Other Web2.0 (Flickr, Zoomr, Pidjin, Facebook, etc) (Do you use any other Web2.0 platforms? How do you use them?)
Speech at Ethical Leadership Conference
Uno as Stellenbosch Universiteit, studenteraad
Jun|23|2006
Yesterday I had the opportunity to give a speech at the Ethical Youth Leadership Conference held at UWC. My experience with most conferences, and dealing with a few of the other SRC's in the country has always been marred by very strict adherence to party politics. Whenever someone gets up to ask a question, or raise a point, it always starts off with "My dearest Comrade". This is the point where I want to dip my head and think… Fsuck. I'm not a friggin Comrade. I can deal with being a Brother, that's cool with me. But being a Comrade… that doesn't work for me.
This conference was a bit different though, there was only one comrade dude, although I must admit I didn't stay for the whole day. I had to leave early as I had a few other things to finish by the end of the day.
Background to the conference: It is an initiative started by the Moral Regeneration Movement and is aimed at getting the youth more ethical. I spoke on behalf of Stellenbosch SRC, there were representatives of each of the other universities as well, only UCT did the "Speaking through the Chairperson" thing, which I've never come to understand. We had to speak about youth leadership and the ethical problems that we are faced with.
I was amazed at the amount of money that went into the conference, and also the amount of people that attended actually. There were only a few students from Stellenbosch, I think the only reason was because the Women in Leadership program chicka told het daughter to go, otherwise there would have been zero (there were one or two other people). Money wise, the booklets/lucky packet megafters that we got must have cost a small fortune, as the ads that were placed almost everywhere on lampposts.
I was very impressed by the Rector of UWC, Brian O'Connell. He gave a very animated keynote speech that (unfortunately?) set the tone for the rest of the conference and questions after that. He gave an case study of the AIDS epidemic, and how that tied in with ethical leadership. After that, a lot of questions tied around Aids, and also Zuma at the end of the day.
I was impressed by the rest of the delegates/attendees who managed to shut up some of the audience who would get up to ask a question, but then use the space as an opinion piece/mini speech platform. People would start shutting them up, shouting "Get to the Point" "Ask the question" or "Sit down". Quite amusing I must say.
I've included the speech I gave after the jump. Click on the topic. (I think that should work) Read the rest of this entry »