Rhodes University will formally honour heroes and heroines in March by naming a brand-new Hall and four students’ residences after Desmond Tutu, Ellen Kuzwayo, Amina Cachalia, James and Fort Calata and Rosa Parks for their courageous and outspoken stand against racial discrimination and their determined fight for human rights.
The University will name the new hall which was given Hilltop Hall as a temporary name, Desmond Tutu Hall, Hilltop 1 residence (temporary name) - Ellen Kuzwayo House, Hilltop 2 (temporary name) - Amina Cachalia House, Hilltop 3 (temporary name) - Calata House and New Res 2 (temporary name) - Rosa Parks House. Each house will have its own ethos, values and coat of arms.
In choosing the names, the University makes an effort to select names that will emphasise the University’s African identity and reflect its Eastern Cape location. This includes also making use of names from local and indigenous languages other than English.
All new names must accord with the Vision and Mission of Rhodes University, the University’s commitment to the development of shared values embracing basic human and civil rights, acknowledgement of and sensitivity to the problems created by apartheid, rejection of unfair discrimination and support for appropriate corrective measures to redress past imbalances.
Rhodes Vice-Chancellor, Dr Saleem Badat says the University acknowledge the contribution of these extraordinary lives, which serve as a wonderful symbol and life example for a University whose motto is Vis Virtus Veritas (Truth, Virtue and Strength).
“Naming a residence, you will appreciate, is more than simply attaching a name to a building. It is also a reflection of ethical commitments and a key component of institutional culture. What things are named, for whom, remembering whom, honouring whom, and in what language, really matters for how members of an institution experience a sense of place,” says Dr Badat.
“At Rhodes, almost 50% of our students live in residences. Residences play a very important role in the life of the student while they are at Rhodes, and there is a strong tradition of student governance which provides leadership opportunities, and also of inducting student in the values, ethos and spirit of a residence,” he added.
Students and members of a new residence (or old residence) play a vital role in naming or renaming their residence. Resident members are given an option of naming the residence which should not be named until the students concerned have been living in the residence for at least one semester.
Renaming processes are determined in the first instance by the primary occupants or users of the entities to be renamed, and not centrally prescribed.
The University expects each member of the five families to grace the naming ceremony with their presence, address the audience, and also unveil the plaques during a formal ceremony, which will take place in March 2012.
In the recent past, Rhodes has named and renamed residences and halls such as Courtenay-Latimer Hall, Lillian Ngoyi Hall, Nelson Mandela Hall, Joe Slovo House, Victoria Mxenge House, Ruth First House, Centenary House, Adelaide Thambo House, Helen Joseph House, Guy Butler House, Margaret Smith House and Chris Hani House.