Portfolios

PORTFOLIO ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

OBJECTIVES

Chairperson

To listen to the needs of the postgraduate community.
To revisit the role of the TPSC to ensure that we are still acting in the best interest of postgraduate students.
To ensure that our constituents know that we exist and understand our role as a council which is ultimately to create an inclusive postgraduate community that strives towards holistic success.
To represent all postgraduate students in the different faculty structures where student representation is required:
- Ex-officio on the TSR
- Faculty board member
- Various Dean’s advisory committees (e.g., Transformation)
- Various Strategic committees
- Various Faculty task teams
To ensure student empowerment through various workshops, hosted by the council.
To keep constituents fully informed on activities and related matters (monthly newsletter and impromptu mass emails to postgraduate community on Tygerberg)
To partake in institutional policy change discussions and feedback to other structures that serve postgraduate students (e.g., Working with the Postgraduate and international office)
Guiding and evaluating the work of other executive leaders
To keep good communication with the Dean’s management team, Vice-rector of Research, and Student governance
To evaluate the success of the organization in reaching its goals

Vice-Chairperson

To support fellow TPSC member’s events via the encouragement of attendance of all TPSC events through the employment of the code of conduct and constitution
To successfully register and attain academic transcript recognition of the TPSC as a co-curricular activity at Stellenbosch University
To establish a space for meaningful postgraduate engagement, student development, and organizational participation
To transform the Tygerberg campus into a campus representative of all postgraduate students
To enrich the experience of Tygerberg postgraduate students through transparent and accountable leadership
To cultivate a transformative and inclusive postgraduate community that promotes meaningful engagements
To serve as the voice of our peers in the university forum
To promote academic, social, and personal growth and development of our postgraduate peers
To find common ground amongst our peers to relate to their needs
To be helpful/accommodative in service of our peers
To strive towards serving our fellow peers to the best of our abilities by embodying the characteristics of great leaders
Enable postgraduates to thrive intellectually and to achieve academic success
To inspire and create a better everyday life for the postgraduate community
Ensuring accountability, transparency, and equality among the postgraduate students
To contribute towards the wellness, development, and engagement of the postgraduate community
Provide a vital channel of communication between international students and the internal office and advocate for international students’ issues.

Secretary

To ensure transparency and accountability between the council and postgraduate students, and to ensure the effective running of the council.
To ensure that files are uploaded onto google drive e.g.:
- Meeting minutes and agendas
- Year Calendar
- Portfolio reports
- Code of Conduct
- Event reports
To compile agenda for TPSC general meetings and DMT meetings.
To send reminders to council members to submit their agenda points for the meetings.
To draft the meeting minutes.
To set up and record TPSC general and executive meetings.
To assist council members with keeping track of events and tasks through point-of-action reminders.
To assist and collaborate with other council members on events where needed.
To attend TPSC general and executive meetings, meetings with the DMT, and meetings with potential collaborators.
To order TPSC merchandise such as blazers, name badges, and hoodies.

Financial Officer

To ensure that the financial resources of TPSC are used in a transparent and responsible manner.
To liaise with the treasurers of Tygerberg ex officio bodies in line with their respective constitutions.
To update financial policies and procedures in accordance with council and university guidelines.
To monitor and track portfolio expenditures and ensure that proper budgeting and expense guidelines are followed.

Policy Officer

To draft a code of conduct
To review the constitution regularly
To council advisor on policy matters.

International Representative

To rally the international student community
To bring awareness of the existence of the TPSC to the new international students
To assist the new students with the logistics to settle in the new environment
Provide a support system by interacting with the international students to represent their concerns and interests to the TPSC, International Office, and relevant stakeholders
Plan events and outings where students can interact, get informed and learn more about the University and Cape Town

Student Development Representative

To give students a space for self-reflection and open discussions about race, gender, and sexual orientation.
To challenge student beliefs and encourage students to reflect and reconsider their views
To foster a sense of community among students and help students transition to university life academically and socially.
To counsel and advise students.
To Identify the needs of each student that need to be developed.

Mmed Representative

To engage with the MMed students for the purpose of them communicating their needs and wants.
To create a platform for MMed students to come and voice their concerns, compliments and complaints.
To create a safe space for MMed students to come and be themselves outside of the academic space. It must be inclusive and diverse.
To include MMed students and make them feel a part of a micro-community (with the other MMeds) and part of a larger macro-community (all the other types of postgraduates)

Ph.D. Representative

To organize events that will encourage interactions amongst Ph.D. candidates and facilitate social/ academic development.
To collaborate with the Research development and support (RDS) team to help in the capacity-building process of Ph.D. candidates.
To create a platform/support group to help Ph.D. candidates share their struggles with their colleagues.

MSc Representative

To identify the needs of MSc students; to bridge the gap between Honours and Doctoral research.
Introduce students to various workshops hosted by Stellenbosch University.
Keep students up to date with funding opportunities.
Identify academic needs of MSc students and report to TAAC.
Develop long-standing relationships with internal and external stakeholders/companies which assist the transition from student life to professional/working field.
Where possible, represent the TPSC at Stellenbosch Main campus events, such as charter launches and social justice events.

Honors Student Representative

To provide Honors students with workshops throughout the year depending on their academic needs.
To provide Honors students with sufficient support which may be mental, emotional, and academically related support.
To Represent Honors students at university events and meetings.
Introduce Honors students to the TPSC and provide them with upcoming events.

Media and marketing

To communicate and promote the vision and mission of the TPSC with Tygerberg postgraduate students.
To promote and maintain a calendar of events informed by the resolution of the TPSC.
To regularly distribute information about all TPSC planned events to Tygerberg postgraduate students using online media and print platforms.
To boast TPSC visibility across all media platforms by collaboration with various student collectives.
To liaise with other portfolios on establishing student forums that facilitate postgraduate students’ engagement, communication, and ultimately wellbeing awareness.
To upgrade the TPSC website to a more visual, interactive, and modern website.
To promote events by adopting merchandise prices (cups, SU hoodies, and t-shirts) at TPSC planned events.

Community interaction

To be of service to fellow students on campus as well as the greater community.
Generate awareness surrounding various causes affecting our campus and our communities at large.
Organizing various outreach programs/ events and getting more postgraduate students involved in these programs.
To establish and maintain a good relationship with other outreach organizations (i.e., Santa Shoebox, Golden Key International Honours Society, Campus green community, etc.) as well as those present within our university (i.e., TSR, TBG Critical engagement, and MGD). Collaboration with these organizations is also very important to ensure that events are successful and that the maximum possible number of people is reached.

Student Health and Wellness Representative

To use the social platform to deliver health and wellness-related educational interviews and, share upcoming events, seminars, and webinars.
To investigate and identification of the health-related needs of the postgraduate students at the Tygerberg campus through online surveying-person events.
To conduct social activities that will promote physical, psychological development and social interaction.
To inform and educated post graduate community on services the CSCD offers.