SU’s Equality Unit educates students on reporting cyberbullying

The ongoing campaign against cyberbullying on Stellenbosch University’s (SU) campus is important, as it allows students to know what they can do at the university if they are being cyberbullied.

This was according to Kaylon Weppelman, the HIV and sexualities programme coordinator at the SU Equality Unit.

“Cyberbullying can have a detrimental effect on your mental health, how you see yourself, how you engage and your whole university experience,” said Weppelman.

Hands

Incidents of cyberbullying have increased among Stellenbosch University students, especially on apps such as WhatsApp, according to Khairoonisa Foflonker, manager of student affairs at the Stellenbosch University faculty of medicine and health sciences. PHOTO: Wessel Krige

Weppelman spoke on these issues at an Instagram live session on 1 September. The session, which was hosted by the Equality Unit, was intended to educate SU students on how to report incidents of cyberbullying on campus. This was according to Nadine Christians, communications and marketing coordinator for the Equality Unit at SU. The aim of the discussion was to make students aware of the services that the Equality Unit offers, she said.

Weppelman was joined by another guest speaker, Larona Matee, an Equality Unit caseworker, who described to students how to lodge a complaint against cyberbullying.

“You can email the Equality Unit at unfair@sun.ac.za and I will then contact you personally, so that we can meet on Microsoft Teams to discuss your case further. In the process I might also need to contact other allied professionals within this space, so that we can refer your case to the hospital or the police if need be,” said Matee during the discussion.

The campaign was implemented in response to a rise in cyberbullying incidents at SU, according to Khairoonisa Foflonker, manager of student affairs at the SU faculty of medicine and health sciences, and co-planner of the campaign.

“In 2020, there was an evident increase in cyberbullying via social media platforms amongst students. This was not a new problem, but I observed a marked increase in conflict between students that was playing out via online platforms such as WhatsApp,” said Foflonker.

Campaign against cyberbullying

The Instagram live session formed part of a series of weekly discussions, which started on 10 August and will end on 8 September, according to Christains. Previous discussions have tackled topics such as the effects of cyberbullying on mental health, and cyberbullying and queerphobia, she said.

“I do think the campaign opens up conversations around cyberbullying, and hopefully students will know about our services, and we as a unit will assist where we can,” said Weppelman in email correspondence with MatieMedia.

Equality Unit

The Equality Unit buildings at Simon Nkoli House on 39 Victoria Street. Here, Stellenbosch University students can submit complaints against all forms of  harassment on campus, including cyberbullying. PHOTO: Wessel Krige

Foflonker told MatieMedia that she noted that the cyberbullying incidents were commonly spurred on by disagreements between students. 

“I noticed that individuals were quick to ‘cancel’ each other in the face of disagreement. Instead of trying to educate their peers, they bullied them when they did not overtly support social justice causes,” said Foflonker. 

Social Media

The Equality Unit aimed to use the Instagram live session on 1 September to inform students on why it is important to report cyberbullying, according to Nadine Christians, communications and marketing coordinator for the Equality Unit at Stellenbosch University. PHOTO: Sourced/Christian Weidiger

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