Transformation Think Tank session and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

The University of Cape Town (UCT) will host the second session in the “Transformation: A Humanising Praxis Think Tank Series” on Thursday, 31 August 2023. Read more on this and other upcoming developments on campus.

1. Reminder: Second session in the Transformation: A Humanising Praxis Think Tank Series

The second session in the “Transformation: A Humanising Praxis Think Tank Series”, hosted by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, will be held on Thursday, 31 August 2023 from 08:30 to 12:00 at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika (Studio 2) on middle campus.

This session will focus on student access and support, with Dr Zamambo Mkhize as the keynote speaker. Dr Mkhize is a lecturer in Gender Studies at the African Gender Institute at UCT. Her address will focus on “Understanding Black African student attrition in the context of transformation in South African Higher Education institutions”.

• Register for the session.

The session will take place in a hybrid format. Please specify when registering whether you would like to attend in-person or online.

• View the event poster.
• Read the speaker’s short bio.

This session will also include a special musical performance by musician JitsVinger!

• Watch the video for more about the Think Tank series.
• Read an article about the first session in the series.

2. Reminder: Final session in the UCT SGBV indaba

The final session in the 2023 UCT Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Indaba will take place on Thursday, 31 August 2023, from 14:00 to 17:00 at Oliver Tambo Moot Court on middle campus. The session is titled “Administrative Justice for Who?”

The session will be presented by Professor Jameelah Omar, Undere Deglon, Anne Isaacs, Seehaam Samaai, Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, Hannah Brandt and Samukelo Mazibuko.

The UCT SGBV Indaba was curated with multivocality and interdisciplinarity in mind. This is so that UCT hears from various voices that seldom find expression in one space.

• RSVP to attend the session.
• View the full programme and speakers.
• Read more in the Campus Announcement: UCT SGBV Indaba and other updates.

3. Reminder: University of the Future and the SRC to host challenge event

The University of the Future (UoF) Steering Committee and the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) will host the UoF Challenge SRC event on Friday, 8 September 2023. The event will be held at Sarah Baartman Hall from 17:00 to 20:00.

The event is an opportunity for all students at UCT to engage in the strategic road mapping of the university, and to co-create the university of the future, one that will be fit for students and fit for the future. Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at Wits University, a UCT alumnus and former SRC president at UCT, will deliver the keynote address.

• Read the speaker’s brief bio.

During this session, the UoF steering committee will provide an exciting opportunity to rethink, redesign and realign UCT’s current infrastructure and services in response to the recent Call for Ideas.

• Please RSVP by Friday, 1 September 2023.
• Read the full Campus Announcement: University of the Future and the SRC to host challenge event.

4. Request for staff to confirm their demographic data

In line with the Employment Equity Act and the reporting requirements of the Department of Employment and Labour, UCT is required to conduct an analysis of its workforce profile according to race, disability, gender and nationality.

To ensure that the information provided to the department is accurate, staff are required to verify the demographic data submitted to Human Resources at the time of their appointment to UCT.

• Confirm your information through the Employment Equity Self Declaration (EEA1).

Staff members are encouraged to complete the form by Friday, 8 September 2023. This process should take no more than five minutes.

• Read the full DVC Desk: Request for staff to confirm their demographic data.

5. Call for proposals: naming of university spaces

The University Naming Committee (UNC) invites all members of the UCT community, including esteemed alumni, to submit proposals for new names or suggestions and motivations for a revision of existing names of the university’s physical and virtual spaces.

All members of the university community are strongly encouraged to contribute their perspectives and ideas to help shape the future identity of the institution.

• View the UNC’s terms of reference.

Submissions should be sent via email by Wednesday, 4 October 2023. Late submissions will not be considered.

• Read the full Chair’s Desk: Call for proposals: naming of university spaces.

6. UCT course on sexual misconduct for students

The Office for Inclusivity and Change (OIC) has introduced a course on sexual misconduct for students on the Amathuba platform. The UCT Sexual Misconduct Policy Education self-paced course seeks to increase understanding of what SGBV is. Included in this course is a view of university disciplinary processes and support services. The course is available in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.

• Enrol for the course.

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements