If you only recently finished your final year in school, you’ll be familiar with your school’s leadership structure – we often refer to prefects or the pupils’ council. The North-West University also has a leadership corps, amongst which is the overhead NWU Student Representative Council (SRC), as well as separate Student Campus Councils (SCC) for each campus.
The SRC is made up of 15 members who were appointed from the student population of each NWU campus. Eight members represent the Potchefstroom campus, four members are from the Mafikeng campus, and three members represent the Vaal Triangle Campus. The role of the overhead student council or SRC is to coordinate organized student life activities across all three campuses. Each campus also has a Student Campus Council (SCC) that reports back to NWU SRC.
These separate student councils have very important roles to fulfil on campus, as they represent the student community. The SCC’s task is to teach students about democracy and leadership, among other things. Each member of the SCC is responsible for their own specific portfolio.
Why the institution of an SCC?
Student Campus Councils are managerial structures mandated by the Higher Education Act [No. 101 of 1997 and the Statute of the NWU. According to this law, the institution and composition, election process, the term of service, functions, and privileges of student councils at public institutions for higher educational are to be determined by the institutional statute.
The objective of an SCC includes:
Representing the total student population on campus;
accepting the vision, mission, and strategic plan of the NWU;
preserving the values of the NWU and its students, that is integrity, accountability, dedication, and respect;
serving the interests of students in such a way that aligns with the vision and mission of the university and without harming anyone – be that a student or a member of management;
acting as a mediator between management and students;
acting as a mouthpiece for students of the relevant campuses;
protecting the good name of the university; and
protecting the image of the university.
If you would like to know more about these leadership structures, kindly contact the applicable office:
Vaal Triangle Campus 016 910 3232
Potchefstroom Campus 018 299 2862
Mafikeng Campus 018 3892003