Botched appointment leaves Maties red-faced

09 October 2015 - 02:08 By Shanaaz Eggington

Stellenbosch University management ended up with egg on its face after it was forced to reverse the appointment of Pieter Kloppers as the new dean of students - barely a week after it was made. This comes after the Students' Representative Council rejected the appointment, saying it was made without students' representation or consultation.It threatened to boycott a function to welcome the new SRC yesterday unless management publicly revoked the decision by noon.Late yesterday afternoon rector and vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers acknowledged the "valid concerns of staff and students" about the process."We would like to emphasise that none of the concerns raised are related to the person of Mr Pieter Kloppers."We would like to acknowledge his role in creating innovative student communities and transformative initiatives. We regret any negative impact of the process that we have followed on him and the broader university community."The team has, therefore, decided to restart the process and to create a new position at senior management level for a dean of students in a consultative process that will include students and staff. We want to ensure an outcome that is in the best interest of our campus community," he said.The university has come under increased fire recently from students regarding the lack of transformation. The issue was highlighted with the release of a controversial YouTube video in September called Luister, which exposed racism on campus.SRC vice-chairman James de Villiers said the students were grateful that management had listened to their concerns."We were concerned with the way management approached this appointment. It is a key role that facilitates the relationship between management and students," he said.He welcomed news of the development of a new job description for the position, the evaluation of the post level, advertisement of the post and the fact that appointment will be an "inclusive, empathetic and transparent process" in which the students will play a full part...

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