LIVING AND LEARNING AT VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
WELLCOME TO RESIDENCE LIVING AND LEARNING
Tel + 016 950 9328
Fax + 27 16 950 9830
Cell +27 765 677 641
www.vut.ac.za
Find balance in your schedule, get involved in the residence
communities and I hope your time here will be both academically
and personally rewarding
MISSION STATEMENT
To create a safe supportive, inclusive and engaged living learning community that enhances
students 'personal and academic success.
VISION STATEMEN
To have quality program that provides educationally purposeful programming, initiatives
and leadership opportunities that promote student growth, independence, excellence and
persistence at VUT and beyond
OBJECTIVES
To provide best services that are accessible to all our students.
Create a living and learning environment that is convenient to the academic campus
Living in a community of VUT students with similar priorities
Begin quarterly academic awards as a form of motivation and holistic development
of our students
Schedule regular mentor-mentee meetings for feed back
DEPARTMENTS
When you live at VUT residences, you are part of a diverse campus community where the
University encourages discovery, community and learning within and beyond the classroom.
Living and learning department strives to build a community that values the potential of
each individual and encourages students to broaden their perspectives, enhances personal
growth and prepare for life beyond VU
This department is established to provide the basic housing services that are made available
to the resident students and to ensure the orderly, cost effective operation of the campus
residences.
It is there to promote the existence of an environment where students and community
development, academic excellence, respect for individual differences and the constructive
social interaction is valued and advanced.
Our residences have 6 departments: Living and Learning, Placement, Hospitality, Welfare and
Wellness, Maintenance and SRC
They all work as a team to provide a fully integrated support services for VUT students. We
ensure that our services are accessible and inclusive for all students and staff including
those on the basis of sex, pregnancy and maternity, gender, disability, race, ethnic or
national origin, age, socio economic background, religion and belief, political beliefs, family
circumstances etc.
LIVING AND LEARNING DEPARTMENT
The Acting Residence Director, Living and Learning Manager, Residence Life Officer, Student
Programme Officer and the Gym Instructor complement the professionals in the Students
Living and Learning Office. Our office is temporarily located at SSS and is open from 8:00am
– 16:00pm.
The Living and Learning Manager, Res Life Officer as well as Student Programme Officer can
also be found in the warden houses at the residences after hours for any assistance needed.
PROGRAMS
Living and Learning Programmes are structured in such a way that they allow students to
make success and academic excellence at VUT their priority, hence the 2016 first Academic
Awards that was hosted at Emerald.
Our Academic Excellence Awards will be hosted annually with the intention to motivate and
instil the need to strive for excellence in students’ studies.
A close second may be students’ personal life, activities and friends, hence the Mentoring
programme that helps in supporting transition from school to university through a well-
organised orientation programme.
Mentoring programme as well as boot camps assist residence students in making academic
choices which will enhance their future career prospects.
In addition, it also involves providing a pleasant working environment, both for students in
our residential system and for those living in our external residences.
The programs are also encouraging the broader development of students through sporting
and cultural programmes.
We try to emphasize from the outset that our programs must encourage our students to aim to
achieve more than a degree certificate while at VUT.
2016 boot camp Award Ceremony 2016 2016 mentors
2016 Residence league 2016 health and fitness training
2016 HK training 2016 Academia awards 2016 women’s day celebration
As living and Learning we will try to encourage a mature and responsible approach among students
to drinking. The University has a “Responsible Use of Alcohol” policy and all students are advised to
read it. Some of the more relevant University liquor regulations are as follows: • No function
(including residence and inter-residence functions) which involves the consumption of liquor may be
held in both our internal and external residences.
Application for events must be made to the Living and Learning Office. The aim of this regulation is
to avoid exposing new first year students to “liquor pressure” in their introduction to the University.
NB no function involving alcohol may be held in our Residences
We will also encourage students’ sense of ownership to all available resources by avoiding vandalism
SPORT
All students are entitled to make use of the sports facilities and join any sporting code of his choice.
Our sporting codes offer a wide variety of interest areas and students are encouraged to take part
on a social, recreational or competitive level. The availability of a Gym in the residences helps and
encourages health and fitness to our students in the residences. A small annual fee is charged for the
gym which is paid by those interested.
Aerobics and boot camps form part of sport. The instructor is available to assist with training
programmes.
RESIDENCE SUPPORT
VUT residences is more than simply an educational institution – it is a community, and is one of the
best home away from home. Our Residence system makes us the best because each residence is run
by a Welfare officer as well as other Residence Officers who are always available to offer support or
help for any reason.
Students are strongly encouraged to draw on the resources available to them in their residences:
Res Officers and Welfare Officers respect the need for confidentiality, and they are always ready to
help, and offer solutions to students’ problems.
PLACEMENT AND ACCOMMODATION DEPARTMENT
Placement works extra hours to make sure that our students are correctly placed. We have approximately +_
5800 students both internal and externaland residences who decided to be part of our residential community
because:
Our residences are convenient to the academic campus and library which opens 24hrs
Live-in staff that is there 24hrs for assistance
They are placed as communities with similar priorities and mentors always available for both their
academic and social needs
Opportunities to meet other students i.e. social networks
Their rooms are well furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, wardrobe, microwave oven, fridge, stove
and have accessible laundry halls. Each residence has a living area and a tv.
HOSPITALITY DEPARTMENT
Hospitality is always there to ensure a clean, comfortable, and well maintained residences and
apartments.
The cafeteria is well cared for and hygienically proven food are accessible to all the students
WELLFARE AND WELLNESS DEPARTMENT
Our Welfare officers are there to render assistance to the students and refer them for provisional
assistance to the applicable on campus department.
They also render emergency assistances after hours.
MAINTANCE DEPARTMENT
Our dedicated on campus staff is always available for any repair and damage incurred in our
residences. They are just a phone call away and offer their assistance 24hrs
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SRC)
The VUT Student Representative Council (SRC) represents students and negotiates with the
university authorities on their behalf. When necessary, the SRC calls meetings of the student. The
University Council allocates an annual budget to the SRC, which may also raise additional
funds for special projects, with the permission of the Senate and Council. The SRC finances,
controls and co-ordinates the activities of registered societies and clubs on campus and
organises events benefiting all VUT residence communities
The Office of Residential Living and Learning is committed to ensuring that as a member of
a Living-Learning Community, you'll have the chance to really get to know your faculty
member(s) and develop strong friendships with your fellow students in all our internal and
external residences. We are grateful for all of the hard work and energy that our staff, HKs
(House committees) mentors and SRC is giving to the LLC members, and I know that it will
only get better. As we continue to improve and move forward, our goal is to ensure that the
LLCs continue to be a great resource for our first year students.
MEET SOME OF OUR RESIDENCE TEAM
HARD WORK, DEDICATION, TEAM WORK AND TOGETHERNESS RESIDENCES CAN BE HOME
AWAY OF HOME
Acting Director Mr Jerry Molutsi
Manager Living & Learning Phasha R.P Manager Welfare Wellness Faith Tsoku
Acting Manager Placement & Accommodation Manager Hospitality Maureen Ngwenya
Bongani Mbuli
Life Rhihlamfu SRC (housing) Residence Life Officer Tjotjo Pakiso
Mahlaela Ophney Residences Student Programme officer
