BEHIND HUMANITIES EVENTS: PLANNING AND PURPOSE

James Klusener 

@ jamesklusener

 

Throughout the course of the year, the various faculties on campus host a myriad of events for students to attend. At times, it can feel like every week there’s all these activities taking place, all in the name of connecting students. But it turns out there’s a lot of thought and planning that goes into these events.

 

After speaking with Thandolwethu (Khannii) Masina, someone involved with organising the various events held by the Humanities faculty, I feel as if I have a better understanding behind these events. 

 

Meaningful social engagement that builds morale, enhancing student life, and strengthening belonging are all key goals that the organisers hope to achieve with these events. The desire to create a third space for students, outside of being at home and going to lectures. 

 

These events don’t just get planned on the fly either – these events get planned as soon as the new Student Academic Chapter (SAC) leadership begins their term of office, usually around November. That means that almost all the events that take place throughout the year were planned in November of the previous year, that’s no easy feat. It requires immense planning and communication to make all the events planned a reality. 

 

The amount of time spent organising these events is also something that people aren’t fully aware of, the task of making sure everything aligns in terms of the venue, food, who will be available to help that day, or night – are all vital aspects that go into the planning and coordinating all this takes time. 

 

Whilst these events are heavily planned in advance, that does not stop unexpected things from happening. On certain occasions, technology has failed, members that were supposed to be on duty failed to show up, and confusion regarding venues is bound to happen. These challenges  however, are always met with a plan to mitigate these problems that may arise, and requires the joint effort of the team on duty to manage. 

 

Something that is not often recognised is the different types of events that take place, and the various purposes they serve. Such as academic events, Transformation and Diversity events (TAD), and CSE (Community Stakeholder and Engagement) events, and so on. However, the Humanities faculty champions the philosophy of working together, “as one I can go fast, but together we can go far”. That means that even if someone isn’t involved with a specific event, if their help is needed, team work is appreciated, and encouraged. 

 

At the end of the day, the focus at the center of everything is the students, and the goal of creating the best possible experience for them. However, the faculty also requires a certain number of events to be held each year. These events are also a good source of funding for more elaborate events, and donations towards other causes. Moreover, they serve as a way to strengthen the culture of the Humanities faculty, and the sense of community that is built amongst the students, really goes a long way towards helping everyone feel a part of something bigger than themselves. 

 

So if you ever wonder why the Faculty of Humanities has so many events, just know that they’re always for a good cause, the joy of the students, and a commitment to bring people together in an effort to create strong social togetherness. It’s definitely worth your while to check one out!

The Faculty of Humanities at the RAG Farm doing the Cycling Challenge (Source: Humanities SAC – Instagram: @humanities_sac_)

Edited by Mhlengi Khumalo