VIRTUAL-REALITY: Biggest SU Leads ever hits Stellenbosch

Over the past two days more than 1 300 students critically engaged with what it means to be a leader in Stellenbosch today.

Watch our SU Leads Virtual Reality video of the course (best viewed with a Cardboard viewer)

When viewing the video, orientate the small white dot in the center of the screen with one of the place-markers. This will take you to a different venue.

In Kruiskerk, on the corner of Ryneveld and Victoria Street, SU Leads 2018 commenced with the theme Leadership Journey in 100: Leaderly Agency: Affecting Change.

What makes this year different from previous sessions, is that this year not only newly chosen Prims, House Committee (HK) members, Mentors, and members of the Student Representative Council were invited, but also the general public. Also, unlike in the past, all students had to attend the same sessions, and could not choose specific lectures they would like to attend.

German author Otto Scharmer’s theory of change that “calls for a new consciousness and a new collective leadership capacity to meet challenges in a more conscious, intentional, and strategic way” was the theoretical base of the leadership course.

Speakers included Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector (Learning & Teaching), Tonia Overmeyer (Dean of Students) and Spurgeon-Haddon Wilson, Programme manager of the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute of Student Leadership Development who organised the event.

In his opening address, Wilson highlighted that all the units, including the Transformation Office, the Alumni office, Student Affairs and many others came together to determine what their contribution could be.

“We are really in this together… We as staff are leaderly agents with you, and we are excited to embark on a leaderly journey with you,” he said.

All participants gather in Kruiskerk for the first leadership session of SU Leads 2018. PHOTO: Ané van Zyl

Students voice their dissatisfaction

After day one of the course, organisers came under fire from students who said that the course did not provide them with any practical skills, like how to rent out a stage for Vensters, or how to work out a budget for their PSO.

Another student mentioned that four-hour sessions spent listening to speakers felt like a waste of time, when the people around them will be their partners in their leadership journey.

Althea Banda-Hansmann, a facilitator and one of the speakers, responded to the students by reminding them of the importance of listening to the stories of others.

“Yes, you are a hundred percent correct, we need to address all the concerns, but I am a facilitator here on a timeline. We can’t do that. This challenge now lies with you. If you feel we need to be having conversations with different groups of people, go and do it,” Banda-Hansmann said.

Tariq Khan, newly elected SRC member 2018/2019, said he found the first session (Sunday) boring. “I felt that the long speeches took me back to moments in high school. Closer to the end I enjoyed the activities that allowed for introspection,” he said.

Ashleigh Ellis, newly elected Harmonie HK member, said the tone of the speeches given by the speakers seemed unfitting. “Everyone in that room had made themselves available to become leaders, and were chosen in the positions. The speakers attempted to motivate us to become leaders. That didn’t really make sense.”

This is the fourth year she has attended SU Leads, and she describes it as the worst one of all. “People wanted a platform where they can interact and network with each other. They hoped it would be a space where different opinions on campus can be heard.”

Ellis said many students found the engagement sessions in pods more useful. “That was a fantastic space where we could actively engage with each other. That is what we wanted SU Leads to be like.”

Overall, Khan feels positive towards SU Leads 2018. “I think SU leads is changing into a tool for genuine leadership development. I think it has become more ideologically neutral and I definitely support that.”