Online staff assembly and other updates

30 September 2020 | Campus Announcement

Dear colleagues

This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent developments on campus.

1. Online staff assembly

Staff are invited to another online assembly to be held from 11:30 to 13:00 on Tuesday, 13 October 2020, during which there will be an update on UCT’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the university’s thinking on the phased return to work on campus in the future. The executive will provide updates from their various portfolios and there will be an opportunity for questions and to address concerns from staff.

2. COVID-19 cases update

The university has not had any new reported COVID-19 cases since the last weekly update. As at 29 September, the number of reported cases among non-health sciences staff remains at 101, while recoveries increased to 90. The number of reported students’ cases is still 36, including 10 health sciences students on clinical platforms. The number of staff and students sadly lost to the pandemic remains nine and one respectively.

3. Webinar on understanding mental illness in the workplace

THE MIND@WORK is a six-session training programme, consisting of 90 minutes per session, to equip line managers and supervisors with the knowledge and skills to better understand the key issues associated with mental illness in the workplace, identify decreased work performance, know how to discuss issues with the employee and how to refer cases, and to deal with accommodating employees with mental illness.

The programme begins on Friday, 16 October 2020 from 09:00 to 10:30, via Microsoft Teams. For more information and to book, email Blanche Claasen-Hoskins or phone 021 650 5685.

4. Reminder: AFC virtual dialogue and debate

A reminder that the Chair of the Academic Freedom Committee, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, invites staff and students to a virtual dialogue and debate titled “Can research be harmful and if so, what does this mean for academic freedom?”. The event will be held on Wednesday, 30 September from 17:00 to18:30 via Microsoft Teams.

The dialogue and debate will be moderated by Professor Pierre de Vos and panellists will include Professor Ambroise Wonkam (Division of Human Genetics), Associate Professor Kelley Moult (Department of Public Law), Dr George Hull (Department of Philosophy) and Professor Marc Blockman (Division of Clinical Pharmacology).

The event will include an interactive question and answer session. Join this important dialogue and debate, it is open to all.

Join the live event (at 17:00 on 30 September).

5. Reminder: Inaugural Lecture by Professor Hussein Suleman

Professor Hussein Suleman will present the next virtual Vice-Chancellor’s Inaugural Lecture titled “Computer Science at times of crisis: reflecting on societal drivers for software and algorithm design”. It will take place on Wednesday, 30 September 2020 at 18:00 via Microsoft Teams.