Campus announcements
Addressing recent UCT challenges and other updates
09 November 2022Dear colleagues and students
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) executive has given assurance that operations at the institution remain a priority amidst the ongoing challenges that are being addressed by Council. Read more about this and other recent UCT developments.
1. Addressing recent challenges at UCT
The UCT executive has assured the university community that operations and the core business of teaching and learning, and research remain on track following recent challenges. The executive acknowledges staff and students who have continued contributing to UCT’s success in this period.
Furthermore, the executive supports the pending independent investigation process that is being put in place by Council. The executive remains committed to continue leading and working together as a collective in the best interest of the university.
2. Distinguished Teacher Award recipient for 2021
The Distinguished Teacher Award (DTA) is an institutional accolade that recognises outstanding teaching at UCT and acknowledges the recipient’s contribution to the promotion of teaching and learning excellence at the institution.
The DTA recipient for 2021 is Associate Professor Elena Moore, who is the head of the Department of Sociology. The DTA Committee noted that she successfully integrates the theory and practice of decoloniality, illustrated by the detailed description of the work she has done in the different domains of knowledge and her efforts to build a departmental perspective on this. She has also improved on research enrichment at undergraduate level and has used creative ways of structuring themes for decolonial approaches.
3. Launch of the UCT Conversation Series
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, hosted the first session in the recently launched UCT Conversation Series on 24 October. As part of the online session, focusing on anti-racism, members of the university community gathered for an engagement on issues around racism at the institution.
This comes as the university rolls out an updated anti-racism, racial discrimination and racial harassment policy, approved by Council in June 2022. The purpose of this policy is “to prevent the violation of human dignity and freedom through the imposition of disadvantage, stereotyping, or political or social prejudice ...” This policy seeks to eliminate racial harassment and racial discrimination through education and engagement programmes or through disciplinary measures.
4. Personalising the experience for users of the P&S workplace services
The Properties & Services (P&S) department launched its workplace services portal in August 2022, providing a central web portal for the UCT community to access and submit requests for its vast array of services across its maintenance, estates and building services portfolio. The latest feature to be added, “My Work Address”, takes P&S a step closer to personalising the experience for users.
Users will be able to add their building and room location information on the system, thus simplifying the service request process without having to capture this piece of vital information whenever a service request is submitted.
To update your work address, simply visit the P&S workplace services portal and select the building and room number assigned to your work location.
The new feature will go live on Friday, 11 November 2022.
Should you experience any problems in accessing the portal, please contact the P&S technical support team.
5. P&S workplace services portal maintenance
The P&S Workplace Services Portal will be suspended on Thursday, 10 November 2022 between 17:00 and 20:00.
P&S will perform essential maintenance services on the site and staff will have no access to it during this time.
The P&S department thanks staff for their patience while this important maintenance update is being undertaken.
For any queries, please email the P&S technical support team.
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