The Department of African American Studies, Ohio University and the Learning Resource Centre of The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill will host the conference Soundscapes: Reflections on Caribbean Oral and Aural Traditions, July 25 to July 29, 2005, at the UWI, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. The conference will explore the various sound texts that are unique to the Caribbean.

The Office of Placement and Career Services UWI, Mona re-launched its Job Link Website at a ceremony held on November 17. The ceremony was intended to share with UWI students and graduates, as well as representatives of the business community and government organisations improvements and additional features that have made the site even more user friendly. The site has been functional for just over one year.

The Commonwealth Institute, in conjunction with the Centre for Commonwealth Education which it is establishing with the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, is launching an annual award of GBP 3,000 for outstanding scholarship in educational research. The subject of the 2005 award is Aspects of Fiscal Decentralisation Impacting Primary and Secondary Education in Commonwealth Countries. The award is being offered by the Commonwealth Institute in order to achieve its goals of recognising and promoting excellence and innovation in education in the Commonwealth.

Students who are currently indebted to the UWI for the 2003/2004 academic year are advised that they can now access a “special” loan facility at the UWI (Mona) and Community Cooperative Credit Union Limited to secure funds to settle outstanding fees. Students who wish to apply for these loans must submit a loan application to the Credit Union no later than December 5, 2004. Simultaneously, students should also apply to the Credit Union for membership.