Participant profiles

The selection process identified 6 non-donors willing to participate in an individual interview. Additional participants were interviewed but were subsequently excluded on donor and other exclusions criteria. This was related to the poor accuracy of the information contained on the databases used.

The table below provides an abbreviated overview of the participants, noting that their names have been changed.

Table 7: Subject demographics – snapshot Number Pseudonym Profile

1 Hendrik Unmarried male. Lives outside Port Elizabeth in a rural town. Graduated from PET in Human Resources Management. Lived in residence. White, Afrikaans. Ex-PET. Identifies as NMMU alumnus.

2 Christo Married male. Lives in Port Elizabeth. Graduated from UPE in Education. Currently a school principal. Residence student. White, Afrikaans, male. Ex-UPE. Identifies professionally as NMMU Alumnus and social as an Uppie.

3 Neil Married male. Lives in Port Elizabeth. Graduated from UPE in Computer Science and later also in Statistics. Also holds a Masters degree in statistics. Day student – did not live in residence at any time. Studies mostly part-time. Currently a professional statistician. White, Afrikaans. Ex-UPE. Identifies as an NMMU Alumnus.

4 Autumn Married female (same sex). Lives in Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Graduated from UPE in architecture. Residence student for all her studies. Currently a director of an international aid organisation. Ex-UPE. Identifies as an NMMU Alumnus.

5 Kobus Married, white Afrikaans male. Graduated with a qualification in Statistics and later also with a Postgraduate qualification in Statistics. Residence student. Works as a product strategy manager, based in Johannesburg. Ex-UPE. Identifies primarily as Uppie.

6 Malcolm Married male. Lives in Port Elizabeth. Graduated from UPE in Education. Currently a senior education professional working in the marketing department of a major Port Elizabeth school. Residence student. White, English/Afrikaans male. Ex-UPE.

Following some highlights from the interview with each of the participants.

3.2.2.1 Hendrik

Hendrik graduated from the former Port Elizabeth Technikon in with a qualification in Human Resources Management. He went to high school in the rural Eastern Cape province and enrolled at the PET to study for an IT qualification. Due to serious health reasons this course of study was interrupted by he did successfully complete a qualification in Human Resource Management.

36 Hendrik stayed in residence (although different residence due to campus development at the time) for the duration of his studies at the PET. He reported that his socially life revolved almost entirely around campus based social activities and he was highly engaged. He participated in subject society, religious society and cultural society activities. He reported that “most of the students that did that course was staying in the student village at that stage”. He also participated in community volunteer activities, such as helping out at running sporting activities.

Hendrik reported that after graduating he was never really contacted by anyone from the university until now. He did report initially receiving some magazines but these stopped after a while. He reports his main reason for not giving as not having been asked.

Hendrik gives to charities because “God told me to give” and he prefers to give to causes where he knows exactly where the money goes to and where it helps people to “better themselves”.

Hendrik indicated an interested in participating in Alumni social events, even those based in Port Elizabeth and even if he had to pay to attend them. He also expressed an interest in a premium alumni membership and was interested in reunion and social networking type activities in the future.

Hendrik now works in administration within the agricultural industry in the rural Eastern Cape. Hendrik enjoyed his time at the PET and expresses eagerness to become more involved, particularly in consuming NMMU Alumni goods and services.

3.2.2.2 Christo

Christo graduated in education. He is a white, male and married and is currently a school principal in Port Elizabeth. Christo was a residence student at the former UPE for all of his study period. He identifies strongly with his experience as a residence student at Xanadu and recounts vividly his participation in the traditional residence activities of the time including the Melodi “panty raid”. Christo engaged in sport, and in particular, rugby while he was at university and remembers his good times with many of the important rugby players of the time fondly. He relates that the shared experiences in residence life is what he most remembers and cherishes most.

Christo was very engaged firstly in residence activities but also in subject and cultural activities. He also participated in RAG. RAG is a South African university activity that is directed at raising funds for charitable causes but from the experiential point of most students, including Christo, it was just a “great party” (Christo, 2010).

Christo distinguishes clearly between university and technikons then. From his perspective, the standards for entry were very different. He recalls that if one person in an extended family was attending university this was a major status achievement and source of pride for a whole family (Christo, 2010).

Christo has not been very engaged with the university after graduation. In the first years after graduation he moved out of Port Elizabeth which made contact more difficult. Even so, it was in this period that he managed to attend two Xanadu reunions. He was a donor to the original UPE, from fairly early on in his working life but this giving did not carry on to NMMU. Christo says he is now a

37 non-donor mostly because non-one contacted him to update his contact detail. He felt that Alumni had “almost died” at one stage (Christo, 2010).

The new NMMU identity is very positive for Christo and he is proud to be associated with the name. He maintains that in an academic or qualification related context, he will refer to himself or identify as an NMMU Alumnus but in a social context, with his university friends, they identify as Uppies8. Christo reports a willingness to be socially engaged with the university and sees his most effective potential role as an alumnus in being a social change agent on behalf of NMMU. Christo believes he can best contribute by mobilising his community to contribute and to come to NMMU.

In terms of giving, Christo prefers to give to specific causes and wants to know where his money goes. He is interested in alumni functions, even if he had to pay to participate and is particularly interested in reunion type activities. He is also interested in premium alumni membership products. He feels he wants to support success but it is also difficult to support something when the need for support is not communicated. He maintains that for a relative outsider, the university does not look like a place “in need” (Christo, 2010).

3.2.2.3 Neil

Neil is a professional computer scientist and statistician. He is a white, Afrikaans male. He graduated from the former UPE with a degree in computer science and latterly also with a post graduate degree in statistics. During his student years Neil was a part-time student and did not stay in any of the residences.

Neil reports a very positive academic experience during his studies and particularly liked the degree of personal interaction that was available.

Although Neil was and remains socially engaged he was never socially engaged in student type activities. He ascribes this to his status as a part-time student.

Neil is comfortable in identifying with the NMMU identify.

Neil reports that his charity giving is well thought through. He gives to certain selected charities where he perceives assisting direct and very real financial need. He does this out of a sense of obligation to give to other in real need. He admits it is important to him to be asked well. This would include some form of personal approach. Neil will not consider giving toward supporting causes that are not based on real personal need but would consider spending money on those causes buying an item or a service that benefits such a cause, even at a premium (something he already does). Interestingly, Neil put forward his willingness to donate some of his time and skill and that could be resold to benefit the NMMU Alumni in some way. Neil prefers only gives to clearly identifiable projects.

Neil would be prepared to attend alumni social events, as he does, but not to pay for them, if they are only a party. If they offer some service or a very clear value proposition he would then be willing to pay to attend such functions.

8

38 Neil supports the idea of tiered and premium alumni membership and admits it would make him “feel good” to be a member of such. He suggests that such premium membership levels should include access to preferred professional networking, including employment networks.

3.2.2.4 Autumn

Autumn is a female, white student, who graduated from the former UPE. She now lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and is married to her same sex partner. She graduated with a degree in architecture from the UPE.

Autumn reports that she stayed in residence for the duration of her studies but that it was a very unpleasant experience. She found the culture to be divided and divisive with rigid separation between men and women, Afrikaans and English and to the exclusion of black people. Autumn reports that the first week initiation was similarly unpleasant and in a sense cast her in the role of someone who stood outside the group – at least as far as the residence was concerned.

Autumn reports a pleasant experience academically and enjoyed her connectedness within her class group (Autumn, 2010).

Campus at the time was by rule “non-political” with all student political activity banned. This made it difficult for Autumn to become engaged as politics was her favourite area of interest. She did however become a member of the Architecture society and the Wine Tasting society.

Autumn went home often and due to her lack of satisfaction with residence life she spent most of her student social life off-campus. She did participate in the first year in RAG but from her perspective it was just a party (Autumn, 2010).

Autumn does not identify as an Uppie. She feels this has a very negative connotation. She is much more prepared to identify as an NMMU Alumnus. She does not maintain contact with the institution as it was an in-and-out type experience for her that lies in her past. Autumn maintains contact with a small group of people who studied with her at the same time on a personal level.

Autumn reports no contact initiated from the NMMU in the past 5 to 6 years but from her side, she obtained a copy of her degree certificate in 2008 and found the service to be “painless” and “good” (Autumn, 2010).

Autumn would only be prepared to support the NMMU financially if the purpose was made very clear and if such support was directed toward needy people rather than the institution. She reports that most of her current charitable giving is prompted by communications, including newsletters. Autumn would not be very interested in NMMU alumni activities because of her perceived distance. Even if such activities would be geographically accessible to she would prefer to attend activities involving current students and academics rather than past students.

Autumn enjoys her engagement via social networking sites as a positive new development in her relationship with the NMMU.

Autumn expressed that she would be inclined to consider a premium alumni membership although she was sceptical if the institution would be able to develop a package that would be a positive value proposition to her.

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3.2.2.5 Kobus

Kobus studied at the former UPE and obtained a graduate and post graduate qualification in statistics. He is a married, white, Afrikaans male. He was a residence student for all of his academic time spent at NMMU and reports the time spent as positive. Kobus remembers with particular fondness having played lawn cricket with some of South Africa’s most famous cricketers socially (Kobus, 2010).

Kobus engaged principally in residence driven social activities including sport of a variety of sorts. Kobus is very proud of his work and fondly recalls the experience of being a student assistant helping to teach in disadvantaged black schools in the then Bantustan Ciskei over weekends. RAG was more a social event to Kobus than a serious social engagement.

Kobus used to be a financial contributor until he stopped receiving the Alumni magazine – still during the UPE years. Kobus is reports being unaware of alumni activities in his area.

Kobus identifies as a UPE graduate. He feels that the UPE was a top class or “premier division” university in terms of quality whereas the NMMU is at best a “first division” institution (Kobus, 2010).

Kobus reports that he is willing to participate in NMMU activities and even support the institution if he was contacted. He points out that he has since graduated from to other universities who are very apt at contacting him and this draws his support elsewhere. He feels targeted communication related to when, what and where he studied and that speaks to building brand loyalty would appeal to him.

Kobus would be prepared to give to socially responsible causes at the University. He reports openness to a tiered Alumni membership provided that the benefits to him were clear and real. He was particularly interested in accessing online resources (Kobus, 2010).

Kobus feels that Uppies were neglected and that ties with UPE Alumni have to be rebuilt and then these alumni could be successfully re-oriented toward the new NMMU brand (Kobus, 2010). Once there is brand loyalty one may then expect that alumni such as he would be willing to contribute to specific worthy causes.

3.2.2.6 Malcolm

Malcolm studied at the former UPE where he obtained a four year teaching degree. He chose the UPE as it was “highly esteemed” and because it offered bilingual tuition. He was a residence student for the duration of his studies (Malcolm, 2010). He reports that even though his family lived in Port Elizabeth he still chose to live in residence because he views that as an inherent aspect of a real and complete university experience.

Malcolm reports his academic experience as very positive and thought, even in retrospect, that the academic staff were “exceptional Profs”, “very harsh but very strong”.

Malcolm was also very engaged in almost every aspect of student life, with his principal social construct being his residence experience and his residence friends. He served as an elected member on his House Committee (residence student government committee) and on the Student

40 Representative Council (SRC). His experience on the SRC he recalls as being “very time consuming... but excellent experience” that he recommends to anyone. He has a positive a vivid recollection of the regular meetings with the Vice Chancellor and thought this was a constructive approach to dealing with student government.

Malcolm spent most of his social life on campus an in residence. He reports that in his time it was the done thing to stay in residence over weekends, only going home over holidays when not attending some form of university activity. He fondly recalls the rivalry between the residences and thought that it helped build team spirit.

Although not a representative player, Malcolm participated socially in most of the sporting activities on campus. He participated in RAG but even though he was on the RAG committee, he experienced this more as a social activity than a social responsibility action.

After his studies, Malcolm left Port Elizabeth and completed further studies at other universities. He attended a few university functions in this period, including sport matches and cultural activities like choirs and drama. He remains someone who frequently attends NMMU functions but views his engagement now principally related to his position as a marketing manager for a high school than as an alumnus.

Malcolm feels that the seen as a whole, the relationship between the NMMU and its alumni has gone backwards and even broken down completely and perhaps irretrievably with some of its alumni. For him, the negative experience started when he attended his first residence reunion and found the university residences to be “atrocious”. He reports that it was less the state of the buildings than the complete breakdown of the residence as a living and learning place that shocked him. Malcolm shares that his problem is not with the integration (cultural and racial) that took place in the residences but rather the fact that in stead of accommodating cultural diversity in a constructive way the place was just let go. He reports that his “emotional relationship” with the residence has never recovered nor does he really believe that it can be repaired.

Malcolm still holds a positive regard towards the NMMU as an academic institution but feels that the “hostels are terrible” and a university without at least a decent residence life can never be an institution of excellence.

Malcolm identifies as an Uppie. He reports that this is because it is with the people of his era that he formed a social connection and that he relates to the NMMU as it is now as an institution of “aspiration” whereas the UPE was an accomplished institution. He expresses grave and detailed concern about a very negative experience when at a public meeting he reports that those in attendance were told that there is no real place at the NMMU for Afrikaans students. He reports having gone to great lengths to engage the institution over this issue but perceives only negative responses. He asserts that though he can identify with multiculturalism he cannot and will not identify with a university that public asserts that it has no real place for Afrikaans students because that excludes him and his community.

Malcolm continued to report that this was one of a few unprofessional incidents that occurred in the preceding five to seven years. Positively, he reports that over the last two to three years, there has

41 been something of a recovery in the service levels at the university and that his relationship with the NMMU has improved. Nevertheless, he has never been made to feel like he belongs again.

Malcolm reports that he has together with some alumni organised their own reunion events which were well attended but which were held without reference or involvement of the NMMU. Nothing was held physically at the university.

In terms of giving to the NMMU – Malcolm is not inclined to give any financial support on an institutional level but would consider supporting specific projects. He gives where he perceives there is the greatest need and where he can help people and knows the money will be spent well. He is not convinced giving to the NMMU as an institution will assist the most needy or that the