THE UCT
INTERNAL RECONCILIATION AND TRANSFORMATION COMMISSION STEERING COMMITTEE –
SOLUTION OR SET-UP
December
28, 2016 
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UCT – drawing the battle
lines on who shapes its future
If the
tortuous ongoing battle for the soul of the University of Cape
Town – as in
the about-to-be-constituted powerful Steering Committee overseeing
‘reconciliation and transformation’ on the embattled campus – is any indicator
of our academic political future, then this is a must read. Emeritus Professor
Tim Crowe is by now well-known to most protagonists for his solid and unashamed
pro-establishment views (decide for yourself how accurate a moniker that is
upon reading his submission). Whatever your stance is in this by-now highly
polarised debate, the hyperlinks in the article are informative (if selective)
and should further thinking for input to the January 9 deadline for constitution
of these crucial landscape-altering bodies. At first blush the article screams
resistance to the kind of change that is envisaged by the ‘Fallists’. However, what’s crucial here is
to apply our minds to the practical implications for quality education of
whatever the end result is of these high-level, all (too, in Crowe’s
mind)-inclusive bodies that will craft the university’s future. Crowe seeks to
draw the battle lines on how they are constituted now – before it’s too late.
His detractors will say that he’s a narrow-minded, inflexible
traditionalist/exclusivist. His supporters will say too little account is being
taken of those representing the proud historical academic tradition of UCT.
Either way, let’s pray the protagonists can agree on a common goal – or the
outcome is likely to be a highly-compromised future for all students, the
alumni, and our country. – Chris Bateman
By Tim
Crowe*
Fortunately,
I have obtained apparently narrowly distributed information concerning the
tasks/composition of the powerful Steering Committee (SC) that will oversee the
creation of the even more powerful Institutional Reconciliation and
Transformation Commission (IRTC) – a key product of the Agreement of 6
November. The decisions and recommendations of these assemblages, which
the UCT Executive maintains should be “multi-stakeholder”, “restorative” and
“maximally participative” in nature, WILL (not may) have profound effects on
the future of UCT.
First the
information; then my questions/comments on it.
Tasks of
the SC (approved by Council on 10 December)
- develop a framework for selecting commissioners such as criteria, expertise, availability with respect to expected time lines required, etc.
- identify the commissioners, and having done so to refer to Council for appointment
- develop provisional terms of reference (ToRs) for the IRTC (be submitted to Council for approval) by having its members engage individually with their stakeholder groups
- receive recommendations from the IRTC (which, once constituted, will determine its own procedures and modes of operation) and then refer them to Council for consideration
- oversee implementation of recommendations.
Composition
of the SC (deadline for nominations – 9 January 2017 – to be submitted via judy.favish@uct.ac.za)
One
Council member who will be chair
- 5 students
- 2 from Students Representative Council (SRC) plus one alternate
- 2 from Shackville TRC plus one alternate*
- 1 decided upon jointly by the SRC and Shackville TRC plus one alternate
- 5 academics elected by:
- Deans 1 + 1 alternate
- Senate 1 + 1 alternate
- The Academic Union 1 + 1 alternate
- The Heads of Department 1 + 1 alternate
- The Black Academic Caucus 1 + 1 alternate
- 3 from management comprising:
- VC (DVC as alternate for VC or for DVC Transformation)
- DVC Transformation (Prof. Loretta Feris – Vice-Chair of the Black Academic Caucus)
- A Representative of the Executive Directors 1 + 1 alternate
- 1 representative of the Alumni Association (nominated by the Alumni Advisory Board) 1 + 1 alternate
- 1 from the PASS (support staff) Forum + 1 alternate
One
representative from:
- Employees Union 1 + 1 alternate
- NEHAWU 1 + 1 alternate
- Non-recognized unions (to be elected by the Forum of representatives of PASS staff who are affiliated to these unions)
* In the
case of the two Shackville TRC representatives, the alternate will not be a
single identified individual. Shackville TRC will be allowed to
substitute for one of their two representatives in order to bring in specific
experience or interest group, e.g. Trans-collective as required.
Questions/Comments
Why has
this important information about the SC not been circulated widely for comment
and not reviewed by Senate before being considered by Council?
Does this
not indicate that the UCT Executive/Council consider the Senate irrelevant in
matters relating to UCT’s future?
Why was a
summarized version of this information not included in the VC’s address at the
recent UCT Convocation AGM?
How can
the SRC nominate anyone to serve on the SC when its elections were suspended
because one candidate was an interdicted lawbreaker member of the Shackville
TRC?
What has
the genocide-chanting
hostage-taking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBvJMsmI92M
arson-employing Shackville
TRC done to be entitled to select (or help to select) four members of the SC?
That is, other than promising no further intimidation/disruption and then
reneging on that promise at the UCT Convocation
AGM.
Are
amnestied lawbreakers (e.g. Mr Chumani Maxwele) potential SC/IRTC members?
Regardless
of their potential linkages to lawbreaking, will ‘student’ members of the SC be
required to reveal their credentials and ideology, e.g. their academic and
criminal, records and the stakeholders with whom they self-identify and what
they actually represent? For example, a student who has failed most of
his/her courses and (like most of the Shackville TRC) is a card-carrying member
of PASMA, a revolutionary student movement guided by the philosophies of Pan
Africanism and Marxism –Leninism whose goal is total liberation of all humanity
through the working class revolution and establishment and construction of
classless society, may not be someone that UCT’s “silenced majority” feels
represents its “stakeholder” interests.
What has
the Black Academic Caucus (BAC), an organization with no formal
affiliation to UCT, done to qualify for the same level of membership on the SC
as the combined Deans, the Senate, the Academic
Union and Heads of Departments? It was founded only in 2012 with the purpose
of reducing the power of the existing hegemony that clings to colonial
relations of power, and is closely aligned with Fallist movements.
Lastly, Prof. Loretta Feris, BAC Vice-Chairperson, is an SC member ex
officio in her capacity as DVC in responsible for transformation.
Why do
the 100000+ alumni have only one representative on the SC? Furthermore,
note that Alumni Advisory Board, the entity that will appoint that person is
chaired by UCT Council member and ardent Price supporter Ms Dianna
Yach. Here
are my thoughts on the Price-Yach relationship.
Despite
all of the above, why is the role of the Senate, UCT’s statutory body constituted to “control” all
major university academic matters reduced to nominating one SC member?
Furthermore, why is it not allowed to comment (as the US Senate will do
on Trump’s cabinet nominees) on the SC members’ ability to satisfy the
“multi-stakeholder”, “restorative” and “maximally participative” goals of the
SC/IRTC from an academic perspective before their appointments go before
Council?
How
should a rational member of UCT’s “silenced majority” interpret all this?
Let’s put
it into context.
At this
gathering of the UCT research elite, VC Price enumerated this year’s many
recent achievements. What he did not do is call upon us to descend from
our Ivory Towers and take a meaningful role in mentoring edu-socio-economically
oppressed undergraduate students.
8
December: Ms Yach’s Right of reply: UCT slams
‘ignorant, derogatory rhetoric’ [from me] about Dr Max Price.
13
December 2016: Statement of the University of
Cape Town Council unconditionally
supporting the Price-led UCT Executive.
UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price
15
December: the Fallist-invaded UCT Convocation AGM during which skilled Advocate
(and former Council chairperson) Geoffrey Budlender miss-represented my motion
for consultation of the alumni vis-à-vis focusing negotiations with and actions
relating to lawbreaking Fallists; and called for unambiguous support for
Price/Fallist initiative; and invaders (who promised to protest in silence)
harassed all speakers (including Budlender) and subjected me and a female UCT
lecturer to hate speech. I will be requesting UCT to investigate this
illegal activity, but expect – as usual – no action.
22
December: publication of UCT’s intimidation-hate-speech-free ‘minutes’ on the
UCT Convocation AGM that once again miss-represents my ‘no confidence’ vote to avoid a survey of alumni and depict the ‘protest’ in a
positive light; plus CHED Dean Shay’s letter circulate to 100000+ alumni
encouraging them to unconditionally support Price’s policy of “Engaging [as oppose to dealing with] the Chaos”
23
December: publication of VC Price’s Panglossian Year-end greeting
Now I and
a few others hear that the deadline for nominating candidates to serve on the
SC is 9 January 2017.
Pardon me
if I characterize this “context” as pro-Fallist/‘decolonist’ (whatever that is)
propaganda.
I
encourage those of you who care to contact Ms Favish (copying to me –
timothy.crowe@uct.ac.za with your views on who should serve on the SC and IRTC.
Have a
peaceful and happy holidays and, if you believe in God, pray for UCT.
- Professor Tim Crowe is a descendant of oppressed Irish freedom-fighters from the United States working class. He is a first generation university graduate, non-settler immigrant alumnus, elected Fellow and Emeritus (40 years’ service) professor at the University of Cape Town. He is a Ph.D.-educated expert on evolutionary biology (covering everything from ‘race’ to deeply rooted evolutionary trees) and conservation biology (especially regarding sustainable and economically viable use of wildlife). He has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers/books and is regarded as the world’s leading authority on game birds (chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls, etc.). About 70 of his graduated students have published their research and established themselves in their own right, including four professors.
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