A total of 14 students involved in the housing and residence committee of DUT jetted off to the USA on Friday (May 24, 2013) for the annual National Association of College and University Residence Halls Conference (NACURH).

The conference aims to provide opportunities for student leaders and student communities in colleges and universities to connect internationally with other institutions in pursuit of a common agenda towards transforming their universities.

Before embarking on the two-week long trip, the students along with Malusi Nxumalo, Manager of Student Governance and Development who is accompanying the students on the trip, met with the DUT Dean of Students, Amar Singh.

Singh was pleased that the students will be part of such a profound experience. “I am glad that you will be exposed to international travel and my first expectation of you is that going overseas will empower you to understand global leadership and come back with a broader vision of what university, residence, housing and student bodies should be. My second expectation of you is to have fun. You are very fortunate to be going on this trip so use this opportunity to build contacts and make friends,” said Singh.

He also urged students to display improved leadership qualities and motivate the university to improve in certain aspects based on their perspective of the international universities.

The students could not contain their excitement. For second-year Child and Youth Development student, Sizwe Ndlovu, not only will he be travelling overseas for the first time, he will also be on an aeroplane for the first time. “I am so excited about the trip. I want to represent DUT in a good manner and also grab all the information I learn there and apply it here at our campuses,” said Ndlovu.

For second-year Civil Engineer student, Qaqamba Mavovana, the feeling is a bit different. “I am so nervous to travel and I hope that the weather is good there. I have been listening to the news about the natural disasters in the US,” he said. Mavovana hopes to gain broader perspective about how the university bodies operate abroad and to implement those strategies here at DUT.

Other universities involved in the conference include the University of Western Cape, Tswane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria which bring the total of South African students to 25.

The students will be based in Oaklahoma at the University of Pittsburgh. They will also enjoy tours of Washington DC and New York.

– Nikita Smith-Morgan

Pictured: The students who were selected for the conference in the USA with Malusi Nxumalo, Manager of Student Governance and Development (third from the left on the front row) and DUT Dean of Students, Amar Singh (middle).