Briefs

HIV/AIDS testing at Cambria House

The next Direct AIDS Intervention (DAI) information and voluntary counselling and testing day will be held on June 25 in the basement of Cambria House on middle campus. (Please check the UCT site map if you do not know where this is. Go to http://www.uct.ac.za/contacts/middlepop.php.) Organisational health manager Ottoline Clapham said there had been some interesting feedback from these sessions. "Even people in stable, monogamous relationships benefited from the information sessions as they explored concepts they had not thought of." Appropriate first-aid measures in the home are also discussed at these sessions. The testing entails pre-test counselling, a finger is pricked for a blood sample and this is dropped onto a Rapid test strip. The results are available in 15 minutes, followed by counselling. If the test is HIV-positive, an Independent Counselling and Advisory Service psychologist will provide further counselling onsite. The information sessions are from 09h30 until 10h30 and from 12h00 until 13h00. The finger prick tests are done from 09h30 until 15h30.

Calling all macebearers

The university urgently needs macebearers (staff or student volunteers) for this week's June graduation ceremonies.

The macebearers will:

• lead the platform party (procession) in and out of Jameson Hall at the start and end of ceremonies; and
• assist with providing academic dress to staff members joining the platform party.

Macebearing is voluntary and there is no payment for providing this service.

If you would like to be a macebearer, please send your name and contact details to Olivia Goodhind at or telephone 650 2187. Please state whether you would like to assist at the morning or the afternoon ceremony.

The Centre for Extra-Mural Studies will run its fourth Winter School from June 21 to July 9. Aimed at developing the capacity of people working in non-profit organisations, the Winter School offers 15 courses lasting between one and three days each. These cover various administrative, language, communication, financial and human resource skills of particular relevance to the non-profit sector. Topics include managing the legal issues in contracts, drafting a funding proposal, project management, designing educational programmes and programme evaluation. There are no entrance qualifications required and the course fees range from R280 to R600. Pre-registration is essential. For further information please contact the centre on tel 650 2888 or visit the website http://www.ems.uct.ac.za

Muse launches debut album

Muse, the all-girl string quartet who have been wowing audiences all over South Africa, will be launching their much-anticipated debut album at Rhodes House on June 19. Although all the members have studied Bachelor of Music degrees, they believe there is no reason why a traditionally Eurocentric genre should not be spiced up with a little local flavour. Tickets for the launch are R50. For more information please visit their website http://www.musestringquartet.com or contact Carol Schutz on tel 674 1168 or cell 082 480 3964.