OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF STUDENTS

The Office of the Dean of Students and Exchange Programmes (ODSEP) is primarily tasked with ensuring that there is a purposeful focus on the maintenance and promotion of the general welfare of all UNAM students. Its broad mandate covers the provision of the following key student support services: accommodation; academic support, careers and psycho-social counseling; catering services; health services; exchange and foreign students services; sports and culture; and student union leadership guidance and development.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Academic Support
The University's Campus Bookstore is a compact, purpose-built retail store adjacent to the ILRC and Student Cafeteria. Good text book stock availability complemented by excellent management, competitive prices, and a student-friendly, vibrant atmosphere is found in the Campus Bookstore.
In addition, a Kiosk facility for students to access their examination results, examination timetable, academic records and financial statements are available, by using their student cards. These facilities are available at the ILRC, Main Dining Hall, and in the Library at the Northern Campus in Oshakati. All registered UNAM students are eligible for official e-mail addresses. Each faculty has open access to computer labs for students for practical applications. Video conferencing facilities serves the UNAM Northern Campus, Ogongo College, and Neudamm College in distance education teaching and learning processes.

Student Leadership Support
At UNAM great emphasis is placed on providing guidance and assistance to the student leadership. This serves to ensure that all the operations of student leaders, across campuses, are transparent and within the parameters of the University policies and regulations. An additional responsibility of the supervision of student leadership activities is attached to this unit to monitor the activities and operations of the students' union leadership in the areas of elections, and the day-to-day management of student politics. Currently this responsibility is mainly carried out by the student community through the SRC and the Student Parliament.

Psycho-Social Support and Counseling
The overall well-being of the students depends on the support system in the counselling office, whether it be social, psychological, health, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, career, environmental or physical.
The counseling unit offers services and programmes that seek to maintain the equilibrium between the incessant demands of academia and social pressures on students. The international programme counseling unit is tasked with cultivating amongst students, a mindset for: a realistic adaptation to university life and its challenges; rational thinking; employing effective strategies for goal setting and decision making; responsible living as well as a steady psychological balance that leads to self-actualization and academic success. Individual counseling is the main intervention strategy regularly used by the unit. Group counseling and seminars on themes such as life skills and self empowerment; academic and study skills; and career guidance are often employed as and when deemed appropriate.

On-Campus Accommodation
The University of Namibia offers extensive accommodation services. Over a thousand out of six thousand five hundred full-time students at UNAM live on campus. Residential Halls provide a safe heaven that promote the desired atmosphere in state-of-the-art facilities conducive to learning. In addition to available accomodation on campus, the Office of the Dean of Students (Hostel Accommodation Section) is constantly sourcing high-quality and affordable off-campus accommodation for students.

On-Campus Dining
A variety of well resourced and managed facilities are available to students.

Student Cafeteria
The Student Cafeteria is situated in the heart of the campus. It is a counter-service outlet that offers a range of conventional fast foods, its own specialties, and an affordable meal-of-the-day.
Independence Café
This kiosk-style fast foods outlet with a small outside seating area, has prime access to hundreds of students living in the hostel complex at its doorsteps. It is home to the thousands of spectators, users and participants at the many sports events held annually at the adjacent pool, gymnasium, and tennis, basketball and squash courts.

Café Unique
Café Unique is a small dinette-style outlet with a cosy inside seating area. It is situated next to the southern hostel complex and adjoins the student health centre, the pre-school and the Estates Services Division.

UNAM Leisure Centre
UNAM has its own Leisure Centre on the main campus where the university community can enjoy themselves with music, games and fun between classes and after hours.

Primary Health Care Facilities
The on-campus primary health care clinic provides preventative and curative services and gives Family Planning. It also provides health education on sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS; Hypertension; Diabetes, etc.

Chaplaincy
The role of the Chaplain at the University of Namibia is to help students and to encourage the spiritual well-being of the University community both collectively and individually. An important part of this is represented by the spiritual and pastoral care which is offered on a personal and confidential basis to students. The Chaplaincy also forms part of the student counselling services in the Office of the Dean of Students. This service provides support for students and works closely with student organisations and colleagues in related fields.

Pre-School
The Pre-School serves as a safe, comfortable and hygienic day-care centre for children of members of the University Community, mainly UNAM employees. Its facilities include a reception area, two day room/classrooms, a babies' room, a kitchen, toilets, a store room, a sunny playground with lawns and playground equipment.

Protection Services
UNAM provides 24 hours security services to students on campus. Campus Control Officials respond to emergency calls on campus, investigate reports of theft, crime or any form of harassment.

Sport & Leisure
UNAM offers all students an opportunity to realise individual and/or group interests and needs in the sports and cultural areas. Sports facilities on campus include an Olympic standard swimming pool, two squash courts, two tennis courts, two netball fields, a rugby field with stadium, one soccer field - also to accommodate hockey games, gymnasium and a basket ball court.

Student Clubs and Societies
UNAM offers students diverse cultural and artistic societies, academic organisations, and social clubs indicative of an expressive, energetic and creative student body.