AMY-MAE CAMPBELL
The Faculty of Health Sciences officially opened the Prinshof campus parking area, walkway and recreational facilities last week Wednesday at the HW Snyman parking lot. According to Professor Gerhard Lindeque, chairperson at the UP School of Medicine, the Prinshof walkway was developed to guide students on Prinshof campus safely from the HW Snyman lecture building on campus to the parking area next to it. Lindeque explained that in the past these two areas were separate and closed off from one another and students had to walk outside of campus to get to their vehicles. The footpath now links the Prinshof campus directly to the parking facilities so that students can walk to and from campus safely at any given time.
The parking facility originally formed part of the Tshwane District Hospital’s property and according to Prof. Lindeque, staff from the faculty realised how useful it would be as a student parking area as many students had to park on the side of the road.
The Department of Higher Education gave the faculty a grant to develop the property. Prof. Lindeque said that they decided to use the remainder of the budget for recreational facilities such as tennis courts and a soccer field and upgraded an old building on the property into a medical workshop to accommodate the Prinshof campus students.
Various SRC members were present at the launch. Head of UP External Campuses Claudette Veldhuizen said that the SRC started an “I love external campuses” initiative recently, aimed at making students on UP’s external campuses feel included. This initiative includes annual SRC Days on each campus. The Prinshof SRC Day formed part of the launch.
Veldhuizen said that the initiative wants “to enhance SRC presence on external campuses.” She added that the initiative aims to let students know that the SRC is available to help them when needed and that they want to make external campuses feel part of Tuks.
Madine Joubert, a second-year nursing student at Prinshof campus, told Perdeby that the SRC Day “makes us feel equal to the standards of the other campuses. We feel like we have a student life as well and don’t just study.”
Dean of Health Sciences, Prof. Eric Buch, said that the opening of these facilities is one of many more Prinshof campus developments, including additional lecture halls, parking bays and cafeterias, which are in place for next year.
“I hope this facility adds to that sense of togetherness that we (the faculty) are committed to displaying,” Prof. Buch said.
Photo: Marius Veldhuyzen van Zanten & Gideon van Tonder
