CSC Meeting-6 March 2006

Minutes of a Meeting with the CSC to clarify how UP handles bursaries offered to postgraduate students:

6 March 2006

11:00

CSC Representatives:

Mrs Elna van der Walt

Mr George Chauke

PSANA Representatives:

Mr James Mehl

Mr Werner Barnard

Introduction:

• Notices or advertisements of bursaries available to UP students that Mrs van der Walt receives first have to be approved by Tinus Venter. These are then referred to Mr Chauke and then Ms Jeanne Goosen.

• Where necessary, these may also be marketed through the Perdeby.

• It was suggested that since most postgraduate students have access to email, that these are distributed to students via email. Currently there is uncertainty over how this is distributed to students. It was therefore suggested that these be distributed to students by making use of the departmental listservers e.g. an advert advertising specifically a bursary for an analytical chemist is posted by the CSC directly to the person in charge of the Department of Chemistry listserver (the listserver administrator), effectively letting students know of an opportunity sooner than would otherwise be the case.

Applying for Bursaries available from the NRF:

• Students can apply for both prestigious and scarce skills bursaries available from the NRF. The application form must contain the details of at least two referees as well as marks for consideration by the NRF.

• These forms are received by Mrs van der Walt who verifies that everything is in order i.e. two referees are noted with details, as opposed to just one, as well as the marks. Should something not be correct, these are sent back to the student with details as to what is needed as well as a date as to when this needs to be completed and returned to Mrs van der Walt. Once everything is in order, these are sent to the NRF.

• In the case of a reapplication for a bursary, the NRF requires a report of progress from the supervisor of the student.

• This can pose numerous problems. The supervisor might be overseas or unapproachable. It was suggested that at all times the student concerned be kept in the loop by keeping all emails (except for those that are confidential) carbon copied (CCed) to the student. This will ensure that the student knows what the progress of their (re-)application is, thereby allowing them an opportunity to take responsibility for their own bursary i.e. a supervisor on an overseas conference might receive a request for a progress report via email but might be unaware of it because they do not have email access where they are. If this request is carbon copied to the student then the student has an opportunity to contact their supervisor and explain the situation, thereby avoiding the potential situation wherein a supervisor having just returned from a conference has to write up a progress report on a student in a matter of a few hours, or might have already missed the deadline, an unlikely, but nevertheless, possible situation.

• Students whose applications are successful are notified about two months after application. A list of these candidates is sent to the student as well as Mrs van der Walt. The amount for the bursary is paid directly into the student's account.

Awarding of Bursaries:

• The new financial year for the NRF ends on 28 February.

• This poses a problem for students reliant on their supervisors for grant-holder linked funding from the NRF, especially first-year MSc and first-year PhD students who are expected to survive off nothing for the first six months of their study career. These students accumulate a number of debts up until April when they receive their first payout. They use this payout to settle their debts and just manage to make it until August, when they receive their next payout. This amount is not enough to see the student through to April of the next year, frequently lasting only until February thereby forcing the student to repeat the cycle as outlined above.

• It was suggested that a slush fund be established at UP. This fund will be accessible to students that have registered and signed an agreement form, stating that they will complete their studies within the alloted time period. PSANA, in collaboration with the CSC, will approach the NRF to discuss this, inter alia.

• Another possibility is that the supervisor of a student release a certain amount of their research funding toward sustaining the student. This amount is then reimbursed once UP has received the NRF funding for the student in question.

• It was also suggested that students receive a portion of their bursary on a monthly basis e.g. R4000. This will force the students that receive these bursaries to budget on a monthly basis, instead of receiving a lump sum in April. It will also prevent students squandering this amount e.g. going on an overseas holiday.

• Money that remains in a student's account does not receive interest. This goes against a common misbelief that UP earns interest by keeping money in a student's account. A student has the option to keep the money in their account or to claim it. The CSC is aware of students that prefer monthly payments of their money. Other students do not claim their money although they continue to receive accounts.

UP Bursaries:

• These bursaries are available to all students but are not guaranteed. A student therefore has to pay the initial registration fee. Should there be sufficient funds in the student's account, they can then re-register in subsequent study years.

• The bursaries are based in the respective Faculties and their associated research committees. There are two to three rounds of awards until this money is exhausted.

• Enquiries with regards to these should be addressed to the central office at the Faculty.