Oppidan/Staff Dining Hall
FAQ's:
Which meals are available?
Lunches are served on weekdays (including Public Holidays) from 12:00 - 14:00
Please note that suppers are not available in the Oppidan dining hall. Suppers during the week, will be served in the Residence dining halls, after written permission has been obtained from the relevant Hall Wardens. Space is limited. Regretably the Jan Smuts, Kimberley and Nelson Mandela dining halls are NOT available to Oppidan meal takers.
What if I require meals on weekends?
These are available in some of the residence dining halls. Space is limited, and applications to have these meals must be approved by the relevant Hall Warden, prior to the meal being booked. This is so that the student can meet the Hall Warden, as well as familiarise themselves with the rules of the specific dining hall. DO SEEK WRITTEN AUTHORISATION FROM THE HALL WARDEN CONCERNED PRIOR TO APPLYING FOR OPPIDAN MEALS.
This is essential as a further 48 hour waiting period will apply after permission has been obtained from the Hall Warden.
Please note that Jan Smuts, Kimberley and the Nelson Mandela dining halls are not available.
Which diets are offered?
All of the diets that are offered in the residence dining halls, are available in the Oppidan dining hall.
What is the cost of a meal?
The 2013 rate is R24.65 per person, per lunch or per supper.
Who may use the facility?
Registered Oppidan students and University staff members may make use of this facility.
How do I make use of the facility?
NB: Meal bookings MUST be made 48 hours prior to receiving your first meal. (The meals application form is available on this page.)
Oppidan students are able to book their own meals online. However, this can only happen after having completed administrative registration at Eden Grove, and upon completion and the handing in of the Oppidan Dining Hall Meals Application form (found at the bottom of this page, or available from the Residential Operations Division office on the 1st floor of the Bantu Stephen Biko Building). The completed form needs to be handed in at the Residential Operations Division office for processing.
Forms are also available from the Oppidan secretary (the office is located in Eden Grove). Your fingerprints can now be taken on here as well.
Students may indicate on the form the amount of money that they would like loaded onto their meals account, after which they can go to any personal computer on the Rhodes Network and book their own meals. Do remember that the 48 hour rule for booking meals online will apply.
Once the available balance on the student's meals account has been depleted and a student wishes to book further meals, another form needs to be completed and the funds will be placed on the students' meals account, provided sufficient funds are available on the student fees account.
Please note that you will not be able to book weekend meals or breakfasts online untill you have submitted the booking form, with a hall warden authorisation, to the Residence Systems Coordinator.
PAYMENT METHODS
A. Oppidan Students
OPTION 1:CASH
Take your cash payment for the amount of money that you want placed on your meals account, to the cashier in Eden Grove. (You need your student number as reference number, please ensure that you have your current student card with you while making meal booking arrangements). Bring your receipt to the office of the Director of Residential Operations on the 1st floor of the Bantu Stephen Biko Building and present it to the Residence Systems Coordinator. Your meals account will be updated with the amount of money you specified and you can proceed to book your own meals online.
OPTION 2: STUDENT FEES ACCOUNT
You may request that your meals be charged to your student fees account, provided that there are sufficient funds available on your student fees account. Should you wish to make use of this option, you may go directly to the Residence Systems Coordinator and have your meals booked.
B. Staff Members
Please note that a biometric recognition system is used from 2010.
This means that you need to apply for meals in person, as your fingerprint will be required.
Advance payment is required for booking meals. Regrettably payment for meals cannot be deducted from a staff member's salary.
The following options for payment are available:
1. Cash: this needs to be paid in at the cashier at Eden Grove (inside the Student Bureau). Please give your staff number as reference, stating that the payment is for meals in the Oppidan dining hall. Retain the receipt as it will have to be attached to the application form as proof of payment for our records.
2. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
You can now make an EFT. The Banking details are as follows:
Bank Name: First National Bank
Branch Number: 210-717
Account number: 6214 5507 490
Reference to be used: your staff number & meals, e.g. admnxxx meals / 05xxxxx meals
If you use an EFT as payment method for your first booking, you need to provide a copy of the proof of payment - this should be attached to the booking form.
If you have already completed a booking form and want to do an EFT to top up your meals account, you need only send the proof of payment to us via email: meals(at)ru.ac.za Do ensure that your staff number is quoted in all correspondence.
Booking procedure for staff members:
The form at the bottom of this page can be downloaded and printed. Please complete all relevant sections and bring it, in person, to the Residential Operations Division office on the first floor of the Bantu Stephen Biko building (at the swimming pool) in Prince Alfred street.
Your valid Staff Card is required as proof of identity.
We will create your user profile for meals on Protea. Please ensure that the staff number you provide, is the one that you use to log on to the Rhodes internet system. You will be booking and managing your own meals online.
Staff members only need to visit the Residential Operations Division office at the initial booking. Thereafter all transactions can be done remotely if preferred.
What happens if I have an unused credit balance after unbooking some meals?
Student refunds are done once a year - at the end of the second semester. Regretfully meal refunds cannot be done at other times, unless you are withdrawing from the University.
Staff: Credit balances will be carried forward from semester to semester. Requests for refunds must be made in writing to the Residence Systems Coordinator, Renette Kleinhans.
Are there any other regulations concerning the use of the Dining Hall?
1. Always have your student /staff card with you to positively identify yourself in the case of a power failure.
2. Meals may not be removed from the Dining Hall.
3. The Oppidan/Staff Dining Hall will operate during term only.
4. You may book up to four additional meals per day to allow you to bring up to four guests to a meal, provided that you either have sufficient funds available in your meals account, or made a payment towards these extra meals.
2013 Oppidan Dining hall meal application form (To be handed in at Residential Operations. Valid student card must be presented)
