I know what I meant to blog on when I opened the admin page...but I got sidetracked by the dread word "brand", and there we were, off on a tangent again.
I received an interesting missive today, from the Exec Director: HR. There it was, "Private and Confidential" written all over it - and it was "Re: RFJ Review and Increase on Cost of Employment 2008".
Wow! I thought, great! Increase above RFJ!! I ripped it open in the stairwell, too eager to wait till I got to my office.
Breathless, I skip-read down: "...current performance criteria...assessed against these criteria...recommendations considered and approved...", and my pulse quickened as we got to "After careful consideration, the Committee fully agreed...Dean and HoD were very supportive of your being recognized...", here it comes, I thought, here it comes..."...that you should therefore be remunerated at the "rate for job"".
I laughed aloud in the stairwell. It echoed. It had a hollow sound.
"Should you wish to receive more detailed feedback on this exercise...".
I folded it up and stuck it in my pocket. All that, simply for status quo ante! Ah, well, I thought as I went off to make my coffee, at least they're not paying me less - and they didn't use the word "brand" anywhere.
How we all love UCT!
To my dismay, I am seeing more and more references to "the UCT brand" coming up in official comuniques from Down The Hill - and even heard it in a committee meeting the other day. Now while certain more fringe elements of our cosy community may think this is a new and daring concept - because it involves scarification with a hot iron with a cool design to add to their multitudinous piercings - others of us feel some unease at the increasing use of such ad-speak.
As in: "people come here because of the UCT brand"; "the UCT brand has enormous value, which could be used to the financial advantage of the institution through the mechanism of endorsement"...and so on.
This worries me a little because, in a very real sense, UCT is us - and are we taken into account in this branding? Does Bremner-Down-The-Hill factor in to their branding discussions the fact that it is we academics and PASS staff who make this place - and not the advertising / branding consultants? Will we suddenly have to dress more fittingly for UCTTM, buy better-looking cars...and more seriously, suck it in around salary negotiation time, because "it is such a privilege to work here"?
When I hear the word "brand", I reach for my KalashnikovTM....
"Ngobeni throws in the towel
Cape Times December 3 2007
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Ngobeni, UCT's deputy registrar (legal services and secretariat), said in an email he had given up his fight with a disciplinary council when he "voluntarily resigned" last week.
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He handed his resignation to Judge Joseph Shortall of the Hartford Superior Court in Connecticut on Thursday, but it is unknown whether he will still face criminal charges related to his disbarment.
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Of his resignation, Ngobeni said he "was simply disgusted with the disciplinary counsel's repeated egregious failure to handle the case responsibly and with dispatch for more than two years".
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Ngobeni said his resignation did not constitute "an admission of any liability, guilt, wrongdoing or misconduct".
UCT said in a statement on November 12 that it would make a decision regarding Ngobeni once there was finality on the charges against him.
On leave from UCT to defend himself in Connecticut, Ngobeni was arrested on November 20 for outstanding child support at the Hartford Supreme Court where he had gone to defend himself against the fraud and theft allegations.
He was freed later and has to appear again on February 5."
So UCT will wait until then at least? After which time, possibly, his resignation will again not constitute an admission of liability, guilt, wrongdoing or misconduct? Even better than our GroupWise disclaimer. |
