AFASites, their Welfare, and their Challenges: The Need for the Intervention of AFAS Executives
Jolaade Ifeoluwayimika
Every student association has the duty to support and represent the interests of its members, and also to ensure the fulfilment of its promises. The Association of Faculty of Arts Students (AFAS) is no exception in this regard. Within AFAS, the onus falls upon the Ayanfe-led Team Illumination to proactively undertake measures that secure the well-being of the students within the faculty.
At the moment, certain infrastructural-posed academic challenges are threatening AFASites’ access to a conducive and stress-free academic environment and learning process. To curb this, the intervention of the association’s executives is becoming a necessity. Among 100-level students, certain second-semester courses such as ENG 117 and ENG 118 in the English Department have a large population of students offering them. These students, due to their number encounter a lot of problems. One of these problems is overcrowded classes, as either the lecture rooms available are not large enough to take them or there are not enough seats available in the rooms or halls that are large enough to take them.
The PA systems in the Large Lecture Theatre (LLT) are not being put into use at the moment. Given the size of the lecture hall, students barely hear and understand what lecturers are saying without a system that amplifies their voices. After much effort which involves straining their ears, they give up and resort to the last choice of borrowing notes from students whose seats must have been closer to the lecturer’s location and thus were able to hear them better than others. This inconvenient way of learning, therefore places a need for the faculty’s PA system to always be in good condition, be readily available and accessible for lectures with a large population of students taking their courses.
There is also the persisting issue of the LLT and other lecture rooms being locked in the mornings, hence unavailable for early morning classes like 7 am and sometimes, 8 am. Most times, students who strive to be punctual for these classes have to stand around waiting for the faculty porters and cleaners to arrive and open these classes, sometimes the lecturers are also caught up in this waiting.
While speaking with AFAS Press, Olayemi, a student of the Department of English, voiced her dissatisfaction with the late opening of the LLT. She recounted her experience, stating, “I had a class scheduled for 7 am on a Friday, and this is a course that Law students amongst other departments also attend. The LLT was locked when I arrived at 7:02 am and remained closed until 7:38 am when we relocated to room 32, which unfortunately did not accommodate all the students, resulting in some having to stand for the remainder of the class. Thankfully, we still had 30 minutes left for the class. It was a frustrating situation because I had woken up early to prepare for the class and even hurried to the venue with my friends to ensure we arrived early. Something needs to be done about this.”
Also, taking a look at the LLT, it is clear that the cleaning of the room has been neglected. “The chairs in the LLT are always dirty and full of dust. Plus, there are cobwebs all over the place in the lecture room,” quipped Yemisi, a freshman.
Furthermore, the current state of the whiteboards in the faculty is less than satisfactory, marred by persistent stains from permanent markers. Regrettably, no proactive measures have been taken to rectify this issue. It is crucial for the executives to leverage their influence on the management to address this concern, ensuring the provision of clean and functional whiteboards before the commencement of each semester.
Additionally, the state of the projectors, intended to enhance learning, is disheartening. An account from Honour (real name withheld) from the Department of English highlights the suboptimal condition of projectors and whiteboards in the faculty. A pressing need arises for the executives to advocate that the projectors be made operational as it is principal for enhanced and advanced learning.
Moreover, the executives must urgently tackle the recurrent issue of the secretariat being frequently locked. This predicament persisted throughout the previous semester and into the current one. Students often found themselves waiting for an extended period, ranging from 3 to 4 hours, just to complete essential tasks such as paying dues or obtaining their AFAS receipts, as well as the original copies of their affidavit and matriculation forms. This situation is far from ideal, given that the office serves as the primary representation of the AFAS administration. While acknowledging that the executives are students themselves, the main hindrance appears to be a lack of sufficient collaboration among them. A compelling example is the contrast observed in the Faculty Library, which consistently adheres to a set opening and closing time, ensuring accessibility. Establishing a similar routine for the secretariat would undoubtedly enhance its functionality and serve the interests of the student body effectively.
Understandably, the executives might not have total control over these situations, but they do possess the authority to intervene and appeal to the decisions and policies of the management. The executives should actively connect with students to understand their needs and concerns, presenting these issues to the management. The essence of all these efforts is to emphasize the significance of collaborative actions in building a supportive and nurturing environment for students, ultimately improving their educational experience and overall well-being.
