Report calls for UCT Law diversity
A REPORT compiled by a panel to investigate ongoing problems within UCT’s Law Faculty has urged the faculty to develop a transformation plan.
The panel was initially set up by the university’s executive to look into the “crisis” within the faculty between March and May this year, after the resignation of the dean, Professor Penelope Andrews, in April.
The panel said it found: “Many people, students included, experienced different forms of anxiety and trauma during this period, which the university, by and large, failed to manage and resolve.”
The panel spent around seven days interviewing numerous staff members and students and examined emails, documentation and reports.
Among the key issues they found were the demographics of the faculty: predominantly white male-dominated. The report also showed that staff reportedly had difficulty retaining black staff members, some of whom spoke of being labelled “affirmative action candidates” and feeling humiliated and isolated. The panellists also said they were concerned that black candidates were not given preference.
The report stated that the “faculty does not seem to have a systemic way of mentoring young people” and recommended it “develop a framework or policy that defines mentoring for junior staff and postgraduate students”.
The panel made a number of recommendations among them that the faculty improves the relationship between academic and other staff.
It also pleaded with the faculty to improve its communication and to
get help from the UCT transformation committee.
The university has been extremely hush with the report. Not even the student representative council is in possession of it.
DA Students Organisation (Daso) spokesperson Neo Mkwane said: “Although Daso has not been furnished with the UCT Law Faculty transformation report, we support calls to transform the faculty in principle.
“We do this guided by our values and principles which are inclusive of diversity. We do, however, caution against a narrow definition of diversity by virtue signallers and the so-called campus radicals. Diversity must be premised on sexuality, gender, religion or faith as well as race… We believe we should move away from using race as the only core determinant of diversity.”
The Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission has continued its engagements with students and leadership structures at the university.