On the forum: Prof Crain Soudien and other panellists debated UCT's admissions policy at a BMF discussion. To say that UCT's admissions policy has prompted some debate over recent weeks would be an understatement. There was more polemic on 20 March when the Democratic Alliance Youth launched a poster on the topic - the latest in its In Our Future series - in the afternoon, and the UCT student chapter of the Black Management Forum (BMF) hosted a panel discussion in the evening. At the BMF … [Read more...]

It takes two: Solomon & Marion, featuring Janet Suzman and Khayalethu Anthony, earned Baxter's Lara Foot two Fleur du Cap Awards. Lara Foot's play Solomon & Marion walked away with two awards at this year's prestigious Fleur du Cap Awards. Solomon & Marion was named as the best new South African play, and former Baxter head Mannie Manim won for best lighting design. Foot, CEO and director of the Baxter Theatre Centre, scooped a half dozen nominations for her 2011 production, a … [Read more...]

Of the 160 pregnant women screened in Hanover Park over the past four months, almost 45% were diagnosed with either anxiety or depression. And of those, almost a quarter were found to be suicidal, that is, thought about suicide. Teamwork: The PMHP team with staff at the Hanover Park Midwife Obstetric Unit. Getting on board: Also at the launch of were PMHP director and founder, Dr Simone Honikman; Sharon Kleintjes, director of psychology at Valkenberg Hospital and PMHP board … [Read more...]

Onslaught: Try as they might, UCT was unable to keep UP at bay in the sides' clash on Monday. With FNB UCT already ruled out of a semi-final berth after last week's round of FNB Varsity Cup matches, fans were possibly hoping that the Ikeys would bow out of the 2012 competition in a blaze of glory. But it was not to be, as a late rally from FNB UP Tuks condemned the defending champions to an 18-29 defeat at a sombre Green Mile in their tie on 19 March. Fans were left with their heads in their … [Read more...]

SHAWCO Saturday School has generated a couple of new spinoffs, and grown in size and ambition. The Saturday School was a 'modest little' project when the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) first started it in 2007, running classes for 200 grade-12 learners from disadvantaged schools on Saturday mornings. Five years on and the project has tripled in size, with 32 educators now teaching classes in maths, English, physical science, life science and accounting to 600 … [Read more...]

Honoured: Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price (left) with Prof Kelly Chibale, winner of the 2011 Alan Pifer Award. UCT's Alan Pifer Award comes with some exacting demands. According to the adjudicators, the work of 2011 recipient Professor Kelly Chibale on drug discovery in Africa has surpassed those criteria. In addition to contributing to the advancement and welfare of the disadvantaged, as the award stipulates, Chibale's research - on potential drugs for diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis - … [Read more...]

Don't expect the regular dusty, crusty archival display when popping into the new exhibition, Imperfect Librarian. Rather prepare yourself for a collection of unconventional items - from San animal-skin bags and a menagerie of plastic tat to a pink wall. Plastic fantastic: Curator of Imperfect Librarian Clare Butcher describes the work of Joanne Bloch, which showcases a fragment of Bloch's The People: a thousands-strong personal collection of plastic figurines and objects. In … [Read more...]

Staying on: Dr Max Price has been reappointed as the UCT vice-chancellor, and will be with the university until mid-2018. Chair of UCT Council, Archbishop Emeritus Njongonkulu Ndungane, announced on Monday that UCT has renewed Dr Max Price's appointment as the vice-chancellor for another five years, effectively tying him to office until 30 June 2018. In a statement, Ndungane pointed out that the proposal that Price's term be renewed had received "overwhelming support" from both Council and … [Read more...]

Set the tone: Constitutional Court Judge Zak Yacoob delivered the opening address at this year's Constitution Week on 12 March. At a time when everyone's eyeballing the legislature's every move and every reported threat to the Constitution, the Democratic Governance Rights Unit's (DGRU) third annual Constitution Week, or conweek, running from 12 to 15 March, is well timed. So, too, were the remarks by Constitutional Court Judge and Acting Deputy Chief Justice Zak Yacoob in his opening-event … [Read more...]

Tight spot: The Ikeys couldn't stop the Matie juggernaut, but UCT's Nick Holton was among those who gave grounds for optimism.. And so it ends. The UCT Ikeys were beaten 5-45 by the University of Stellenbosch's Maties at the Danie Craven Stadium on Monday night, mathematically ending the defending champions' chances of stealing a semi-final berth in the 2012 FNB Varsity Cup. It was a matter of same old, same old, as too many unforced errors from UCT let down what was, despite the score, a … [Read more...]

A learning curve: Librarians from Johannesburg have chosen to further their studies at UCT as part of a Carnegie-funded project. A group of 10 librarians from Johannesburg have chosen to polish their skills at UCT. The group is among 30 public librarians from around the country who were identified by the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) to do postgraduate diplomas in library and information studies at UCT, the University of the Western Cape and at the University of … [Read more...]

With UCT undergoing considerable changes in structures, vision and policies in recent times, it's always vital to keep the university's alumni in the loop. In that spirit, the UCT Heritage Society, comprising alumni who've bequeathed money to UCT in their wills, recently hosted dinners in Pretoria and Johannesburg. Emeritus Professor Francis Wilson, president of the society, updated members on various developments on campus, including the vice-chancellor's 2010-2014 vision and the admissions … [Read more...]

Carry on, doctors: Dr David Potter was one of the recipients of an honorary doctorate degree in December. This year, seven more honorary degrees will be awarded. UCT will award no fewer than seven honorary degrees this year, the recipients drawn from the arts, economics, laws, medicine and science. Artist Marlene Dumas will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Widely regarded as one of the most influential painters working today, Dumas has continuously explored the complex range of human … [Read more...]

Law line: Richard Burge has helped launch Law@Work, a new online facility for those in employment relations. UCT Law@work has joined forces with online-education company GetSmarter to launch a web-based service that will provide employment relations news, training and a wealth of other information. Aimed at a community of human resources personnel, managers, business owners or anyone else dealing with employment issues and labour relations in the workplace, the UCT (Law@Work) Labour Law Club … [Read more...]

On the move: A star-turning performance from Dillyn Leyds wasn't enough to secure the Ikeys a desperately-needed win against Pukke. UCT Ikeys snatched a draw from the jaws of victory when a late goal pinned the home team to a frustrating 29-29 draw against North-West University Pukke in the FNB Varsity Cup on Monday, 5 March. A windy Green Mile was treated to some entertaining rugby with both sides racking up four tries (and a bonus point apiece). And as has become the norm for blustery days … [Read more...]

Open for education: The CET team, prepped and ready for Open Education Week, is made up of Michael Paskevicius, Seta Jackson and Veronica Mitchell; and (front, from left) Dr Sam Lee Pan, Assoc Prof Laura Czerniewicz and Glenda Cox. This week UCT takes another step towards an open UCT. Or, more technically, towards OpenUCT, whose aim is to make freely available as many as possible of those UCT-generated scholarly resources that can be shared, including research, teaching and popular scholarly … [Read more...]