Getting involved

Joining a society, the radio station and more.

Joining a Society

Rhodes University societies are student-run organisations. Rhodes offers 80+ societies which you can join. Some societies are leisure or art orientated, such as the Anime Society, GameSoc and Ink, the creative writing society. Others, such as Inkwenkwezi, are orientated towards community engagement. There are societies centered on appreciation of certain counties’ culture like Swazi Alive, Zambian Soc, and ZimSoc. These societies cater specifically to international students coming from these countries, but are open to any international or South African student joining. Joining Societies is a great way to make friends, both alike and different from you. At the beginning of the academic year sometime in Feb/March, societies and sports will hold an Extravaganza, where you can literally shop for societies. They will give you free candy and cupcakes and convince you to join their society.

At Sign-ups (usually held a week later) you can officially sign up with a society and the fee will come off your student account. Some joining fees are only R150 whilst some are R1500, and that covers the whole year, including events that might be held over and above general meetings. You’ll be excited to join every society possible, but remember that these are time commitments you sign up for and although are not compulsory, you want to make the best of it.

Rhodes University also offers a wide range of sports clubs and excellent sporting and fitness facilities. The clubs are student-run, but backed up by the RU Sports Administration. Although you are recommended to continue whatever sport you played back home, in the spirit of integration and maybe getting out of your comfort zone a little, you could try out a new sport. Joining sports is a fantastic way to make you feel part of a team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFz_sN1_mS8

What else can i do?

Getting involved

Join the local radio station

Rhodes Music Radio (RMR) is a campus based community radio station founded in 1981. The station was the first campus based station to be licensed to broadcast legally. RMR is a Youth Lifestyle Radio Station and provides programming that is fun, experimental, challenges the status quo and is informative. RMR continues to provide an educational and practical training ground for some of South Africa’s finest broadcasters.

Frequency: 89.7fm

RMR3D_Matt

Getting involved

attend src-organized events

The SRC is founded by the students, for the students, with a developmental consideration of the functional needs of the University student population. We, as the active voice of the Student Body, acknowledge our duty to maintain a key responsibility in the workings of the Institution. They run entertainment programmes that enhance the social development of students at all levels. They have an international students counsillor that you can approach for guidance.

Getting involved

Community engagement

You’re strongly encouraged to participate in community engagement while you’re studying. It benefits the people you are helping and it’s something you can add on to your CV. Volunteer to be a part of something by visiting the community engagement office in Prince Alfred Street on your left hand side after you pass Barrett. You can get involved in anything and everything. The community engagement works with the bunch of NGOs as well as other institutions like the government hospitals and public schools. Volunteering provides you with opportunities to learn outside the classroom environment by acquiring essential critical thinking skills as well as leadership project management and interpersonal skills. You’ll find that you’ll be working with the team as well made up of other volunteers as well as a team leader that guides you through your responsibilities.