by Enos Phosa | Mar 4, 2011 | News
Enos Phosa is "One of the Two"
“FRIENDLY advice” from lecturers often evokes humour because it is given with a smile or giggle, but it is essential for students to carefully analyse the lesson which needs to be learnt from these wise words.
At my very first lecture at Wits in 2008 my Sociology lecturer said, “I would like to welcome all 350 of you to Sociology 1015. Before we begin I would like you to do a simple task for me. You are an individual, and where you are seated, you are surrounded by four other individuals, one to your right, left, in front and behind you. Among the total of five individuals (you and four surrounding you) only two will stand on that graduation stage in 2011. Choose to be one of the two. Just friendly advice.”
For me the suggestion that 210 students from 350 would not graduate in record time was ludicrous. After three years, I now regard these words as the most eye-opening I ever heard at Wits.
Now, with less than a month to graduation, I realise that the lesson to be learnt from those words was, “Graduating is a choice made on day one as every student is solely responsible for his studies and the quality of choices he makes influence his academic progress.”
Choices such as submitting assignments on time, attending tutorials, thoroughly reading course material and consulting regularly are often seen by students as minor. For me these were the choices I constantly had to make in order to ensure that I become “one of the two”. Truthfully, how difficult is it really to make these choices?
It becomes harder to prioritise on academic work when students are unable to turn down a good time out with friends. Many of my “beer garden friends” from first year are not “one of the two” and it is not because I am smarter than they are, but rather that I put my academic work before many other things, even friendship.
by Enos Phosa | Mar 4, 2011 | Sport
The recently launched ‘Proteas Friday’ has not rallied the massive support for the South African cricket team that was expected from students.
In comparison to “Football Friday” during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, where there was overwhelming support, there was hardly a green Proteas Shirt in sight on Wits campus and the surrounding student areas of Braamfontein.
The chairperson of the Wits Cricket team, Zain Fredericks, has attributed the lack of support for ‘Proteas Friday’ to the unpopularity of cricket among the majority of students and the youth, in comparison to football.
He said, “We had hoped for more support for the national cricket team, but you can’t really control people’s sport preferences. Also, I think because the Cricket World Cup is not in South Africa, as the Soccer World Cup was, so we don’t see that much interest in it. Also, there are not too many opportunities to make money from it.”
Third Team captain Michael Halley said, “Wits administration is doing its best because it provides quality facilities such as well-prepared pitches and enough resources for players and other students to engage cricket and learn more about it.”
Holland, Ireland, Kenya and Canada played their qualifying matches at Wits and students had the opportunity to watch and later play with some of teams. Hosting the qualifiers at Wits served cricket-loving students with entertainment and a platform to meet their cricket heroes.
Fredericks and Halley would like to see support for cricket improve, especially the focus on ‘Proteas Friday’, which boosts the chances of The Proteas coming out as World Cup victors if the whole nation is behind them.
The 1st and 2nd cricket teams train on Walter Milton Oval A and B (bottom of East Campus) on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm, while the 3rd and 4th teams practise at the same time on Mondays and Wednesdays at Sturrock Park (West Campus.) All Witsies are welcome to watch and learn more.
