Youth Day exam fiasco

By Luke Reid

A furore erupted when Rhodes scheduled exams for Youth Day, June 16. After a month of negotiations and failed agreements, all exams have been moved off Youth Day to other dates.

A rape-free zone?

By Andrew Wassung and David Scott

Rape Awareness Week at Rhodes was aimed at making students more aware of sexual violence. It started on Monday, May 14 and ran until Friday, May 19. The theme of the week was “men as partners, not perpetrators”.

             

Death of Dr Amichand Dairam

By Bianca Silva and Michelle Solomon

Late on Saturday night May 19, Dr Amichand Dairam, 27, was reported dead from brain haemorrhaging,
according to Grahamstown mortuary officials. Dairam allegedly died as a result of a fall from the third floor of his apartment building, African Lodge on African Street.

Three weeks, three rapes

By Bianca Silva, Jess Levy and Reyhama Mohamed

Three alleged rapes of Rhodes students have been reported over the last three weeks. Two of the  incidents allegedly occurred in men’s residences on campus and a third reportedly in the bathrooms of Equilibrium on New Street.

Fire on the N2

A fire started on the road to Port Elizabeth and spread along the stretch of the N2 in the direction of East London on Sunday, May 2. Mervyn Sauls, chief fire officer, said his vehicles were trying to suppress the fire before it could jump the road, which would have put Grahamstown in danger.

 

More than just a game

By Kate Douglas and Duncan Fleming

It is always an experience to watch your favourite sports team lose at the Rat. Firstly, you will probably end up buying a round of tequilas for your friends who support the opposing team and secondly, you will probably have to put up with the drunken guy at the next table who thinks that by his team winning he has somehow earned the right to remove his shirt and reveal his hairy nipples to the world while loudly expressing his thoughts about the other team.

To the point with Gqocheli

Lisa Hartman, Phumzile Manana and Kate Douglas speak to a traditional healer.

    

Ciro De Siena on leaving Grahamstown

On Saturday night, I attended a farewell party for what some might call a Grahamstown legend. A few of the attendees were reduced to tears, but not I. Nope, the only tears I would have cried were tears of happiness, because, after seven and a half years, this person was finally leaving Grahamstown.

CeilingSoc: the most arb society on campus?

There is a secret society at Rhodes. They assemble in rooms all over campus, united by their one unifying attribute; the unspoken adage: “The ground above you”. A society so secret that there aren’t even any members. The Secret CeilingSoc.

McDonald’s and KFC head to head

By Babongile Zulu and Sandhira Chetty

It is the battle of the fast food chains. What tickles your fancy? What floats your boat? Will it be, ladies and gentlemen, the great McDonalds or the trusted Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Murphy and his sodding law

By Robyn McCormick

Who is this Murphy guy? Because I’d like to meet him. Or more accurately, I’d like to do him some serious damage. I hate that man, whoever he is or was, and generally, I’m the type of person who gets along with everyone. But for him, I’d like to make an exception and possibly a large hole in the back of his head. This, unfortunately, proves to be impossible, as there is some doubt as to exactly who Murphy was.

Egazini – arts outreach

By Adwoa Ankoma

There’s a little known initiative, called the Egazini Outreach Project, which has made a major impact in the local Grahamstown community. In terms of bringing visual art to the not-so-privileged, and giving the community a platform from which they can grow in different art forms, they are using art to uplift the community.

    

Life in a different mirror

By Dominique Little and Deva Lee 

Andrew Buckland has taken theatre and used it in the way that he thinks it ought to be used – to motivate change. He is known for using theatre to challenge his audiences’ sense of security to promote social responsibility.

      

It’s presidential chic

By Grethe Koen

Politics is a risky business. People say things, other people get annoyed. Dictators rule third world countries, people get annoyed. Fashion designers charge the price of a third world country for a pair of shoes, people get annoyed. Annoying dictators dress themselves in interesting regalia and fashion critics wish they could beat them over the head with a pair of shoes the size of a third world country.

Extended Studies: the little big black box?

By Stacy Moreland 

Rhodes students are quick to run for the nearest politically-correct fence at the mere mention of race. But if you mention the words “blacks only”, some feel it is safe to become righteously indignant and close in for the kill.

Politics of politics

By Azwihangwisi Mufamadi

When the Extension of University Education Act of 1959 was passed by the apartheid government in South Africa, higher education institutions were divided along race, ethnic groups and the language used when classes were taught. Due to this act, Rhodes University was open to students who, according to the apartheid government, were classified as white.

The non-refundables

By Kathrin Koebke

Rhodes students drop off five to eight dogs at the SPCA each month. It is not the most appealing of places, but it will have to do for the next couple of months or at least until someone else adopts them. Students either decide they can no longer afford their pets, or realise that the dog does not serve the purpose of protecting its owner’s property.

That digs column

By Stephen Galanis

So you’re wondering why no one ate the last 12 cheese curls last night? I don’t know either. They go all soggy overnight – and it’s scarcely for nutritional concerns that the average student refrains from eating a cheese curl now, is it? And a half-empty glass of wine is no fun to clean the next morning, especially with two drowned cockroaches floating on top. Yuck.

Fresh new workout

By Robbie White

So many people think of New Street as a place of drinking, partying and occasional regrets, but now it has something new to offer: Power Plate.

 

Goju ryu: art of war

By Joy Niemack 

Goju Ryu karate is a blend of Japanese and Chinese influences and is the most holistic form of martial arts. Goju Ryu is similar to Kung Fu and Aikido, but is distinct from Taekwon-do.