#WitsPoll to take place on Thursday
- Wits University
Students and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in a poll regarding the resumption of the academic programme.
UPDATE FROM THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM
Students and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in a poll that takes place tomorrow. This is an opportunity for you to have your voice heard regarding the resumption of the academic programme.
The #WitsPoll will take place as follows:
Date: Thursday, 29 September 2016
Time: 07:00 – 16:00
1. How will the poll take place?
For students
Wits will send an SMS at 07:00 tomorrow to all students. Students should reply to the SMS replying YES or NO.
For staff
A link to a website will be circulated via email to staff members (excluding sessional, honorary, retired and visiting staff, external examiners and Emeritus Professors) with instructions of how to log in and respond. Line managers can share this link via WhatsApp or SMS with their staff. Staff should log in and respond.
2. Is it anonymous?
The poll is anonymous.
3. Will the poll be audited?
The results will be verified by SizweNtsalubaGobodo, one of the top five auditing companies in the country as the IEC cannot assist with this process.
4. Can I vote more than once?
The systems will filter the results to ensure that only one vote per person is counted.
5. Do students have to pay for the SMS?
Students will not have to pay for the SMSs. However, students will be required to have at least 30 cents worth of airtime loaded on their cell phones for the SMS system to work.
6. What if I have an international cell phone number on the system?
Students with international cell phone numbers will also be accommodated.
7. What happens if the systems go down?
We have tested the IT systems and they are fully operational. If systems go down at any time, we have a team of technicians on standby to fix it.
8. Is it a poll, a vote or a referendum?
It is a poll to gauge the views of students and staff that will enable the University to make better decisions concerning the resumption of academic activities.
9. Can alumni and parents participate in the poll?
No. Alumni and parents can share their views via vco.news@wits.ac.za or on any of Wits’ social media channels.
10. What about other questions that students would like to be polled?
Only one question will be asked in the poll. There are multiple other platforms for engagement, and the sooner the University gets back to normal, the better we can engage.
Thank you
SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM
28 SEPTEMBER 2016