Student Services Council (SSC)
The Student Services Council (SSC) is a body that has been set up to hear the student's voice on campus. In accordance with South African legislation, half the council is made up of students, and the other half of university staff who, by virtue of their position or suitability, are elected to the council. The SSC at Rhodes consists of 11 students and 11 staff members.
At the first meeting the Vice Chancellor said that the SSC and Broad Transformation Forum (BTF, now known as the Institutional Forum) would run parallel to each other. He said issues could be addressed not only through the BTF, but also through the SSC, which could be a quicker and easier route to follow. The Vice Chancellor urged the SSC to examine all aspects of student life and student support and to assist in making Rhodes a welcoming academic institution where the learning experience is enhanced.
The SSC is the only body with direct access to the Rhodes University Senate that has such a high proportion of students on it. Because of this, many issues raised with the SSC are taken very seriously and requests made by the SSC are only denied when very good reasons, which are made public, exist.
The official purpose of the SSC is to integrate students into the routine of Rhodes University life. To do this, three task groups have been created to deal with any problems that students may have. Problems are first looked at by the task groups before recommendations are made to the Senate. Note that any problems can be brought to the SSC as complete confidentiality will be maintained if desired or requested by any student.
Academic task group
The academic task group has been set up to deal with problems concerning the teaching methods at Rhodes. For example, a complaint about the effectiveness of the Rhodes tutor system would be handled by this task group; however, complaints about specific tutors would by addressed to the tutors or their superiors. By handling these matters from a student's perspective, the academic task group has made it possible for more effective learning programs to be put into place quickly and efficiently.
Living task group
The living task group looks into student social life, living conditions, residence rules and the like. All students, those in residence as well as oppidans, are represented equally. Since recommendations brought to Senate by the SSC are not taken lightly, the living task group is able to bring about changes in the university rules and regulations that would otherwise take a long time to be adjusted.
Financial task group
The financial relationship between students and the university is examined by the financial task group. Any matters pertaining to finances (or a lack thereof) can be brought before this task group for prompt attention. Since the staff on the SSC are, on the whole, closely involved with the financial dealings of the university, problems are worked out in a minimum of time.
Representation on the SSC
- Dean of Students
- Student adviser
- Head, Sports Administration
- Hall warden (male)
- Hall warden (female)
- 2 Senate representatives
- East London representative
- 2 Vice-chancellor's nominee
- Housewarden's representative
- NEHAWU representative
Students are elected to the SSC by the Student Representative Council. This means that the students on the council will change from year to year, although their political positions will stay much the same. The groups represented on the SSC are the
- 3 SRC representatives
- 2 Hall senior students
- DEMSOCrepresentative
- AZASCO representative
- SASCO representative
- PASMA representative
- Oppidan representative
How the SSC operates
The SSC first polls student opinion to find issues that concern the student body. These issues and other matters brought to their attention by individual students are then considered and quarterly meetings are held to discuss the findings of each task group fully. As a result of these meetings, recommendations are then made to Senate, which considers the proposals and either accepts them or denies them, giving reasons for the denial.
