Engagement with SRC and University Management Responses

05 March 2023

As part of its ongoing engagement with the SRC, the Senior Executive Team (SET) met on
Sunday, 05 March 2023 to consider the demands made by the Students’ Representative
Council (SRC). This follows an extensive engagement between Management and the SRC on
Saturday, 04 March 2023.

The SET noted the commitment from both parties to resolve the impasse but is concerned
that new demands were added to the list originally submitted by the SRC, and following the
further concessions made on Thursday, 02 March 2023.
In response to the demands, the SET resolved as follows:
1. All students, who were registered in 2022 and are academically eligible to return to
Wits, should be allowed to register (including part-time and occasional students).

The University notes that this demand has been amended from the original demand
that all students owing up to R150 000 be allowed to register.

Given resource constraints, the University is not able to allow all students across all
programmes, whether full-time, part-time or occasional, to register without them
meeting the re-registration requirements. . The University will however on a case-by-
case basis, for 2023 only and based on resource availability, consider the requests for
registration assistance from unregistered students with a PCD (PROCEED with no
conditions attached) outcome only. This will further only be applicable to students
seeking to register for the programme that they were registered in for the 2022
academic year, and not for registration towards new programmes, part-time and/or
occasional studies. The University will endeavour to seek external donor funds for this
once-off concession, to assist academically excellent students. The University will
accordingly allow the late registration of students who fall into this cohort of students
only.

2. Wits University must absorb the approximate R86 million accommodation budget
shortfall created as a result of NSFAS capping on-campus accommodation at R45 000
per annum.
The University agrees to establish a working group with the SRC for the purpose of
working on a response to the accommodation funding crisis created as a result of the
NSFAS cap. This working group will also jointly engage NSFAS and all other relevant
parties on seeking solutions to this crisis, as Wits University is not able to absorb this
shortfall because it would compromise the financial sustainability of the institution.
3. NSFAS funded students in off-campus accommodation should not be required to pay
a deposit, should not pay top-ups, and all accredited buildings must make provision
for NSFAS funded students at the NSFAS rates.

The Wits private accommodation accreditation policy requires private providers to

provide NSFAS students with accommodation at the NSFAS rate of R45 000 per
annum. Therefore, no deposits are required to access this accommodation. The
University agrees to work with the SRC on reviewing the Accreditation Policy.

4. (Amended demand) An additional 1 000 beds must be added to the current 500
hardship accommodation beds provision.

The University notes that this is an amended demand. The SRC agreed in its meeting
with the Dean of Student Affairs held on Wednesday, 01 March 2023, that an
additional 150 beds (thus taking the overall allocation to 500 beds) would be sufficient
in meeting the current demand. The University is currently in the process of fast-
tracking the procurement of these additional 150 beds. The University cannot commit
to securing an additional 1 000 beds given the financial resource constraints.
HOWEVER, the University undertakes to continue its efforts, as it has done before, to
secure private sector or donor funding to enable it to assist as many students as
possible. The outcome of such efforts will be communicated in due course.

5. (New demand) All students who have met the academic requirements of their
programmes, but are blocked from graduating due to outstanding fees, must be
allowed to graduate, irrespective of the outstanding debt amount.

The University notes that this is a new demand. The University agrees to a joint
working group with the SRC to review the legislative and policy framework applicable
to graduations, and to make such proposals and/or recommendations to the
University (and other bodies or governance structures) as may be appropriate.

6. The R10 000 deposit required to access a Wits residence, must be waived. This
waiver should be available to all students.

The University agrees that qualifying students, with active residence offers, may apply
for this waiver through the WCCO. The Wits Hardship Fund’s rules for accommodation
as well as prevailing rules will be applicable. The student will be liable for this fee as
part of their overall residence costs for the year. This agreement includes students
who have been waitlisted. Additional capacity will be deployed to the WCCO to ensure
that this is done as speedily as possible, including setting up an electronic or online
platform to enable the application process.
7. (New demand) All students must be provided with data to help mitigate against the
impact of load-shedding and taking the socio-economic circumstances of students
into account.
The University notes that this is a new demand. The University is concerned that this
demand seeks to provide all students with data support, irrespective of need. The
university notes that Wi-Fi is freely available on campus and in the student residences,
however agrees to make data available to students, on a needs only basis. An online
platform will be developed for this purpose and with the aim to activate this support
effective from 01 April 2023.

8. Academic recovery or catch-up plans must be put in place for all students who
registered late.

All faculties, schools and departments will be requested to ensure that academic
recovery/ catch-up programmes and processes are in place for students who have
registered late and where classes were disrupted.

9. All suspensions must be withdrawn, the legal action through ENS must be
withdrawn, and campus must be “demilitarized” through the presence of private
security and the police, immediately.
Those who were suspended were given an opportunity to make representations to
the Senior DVC prior to Suspension Orders having been issued. They did not however
take up this opportunity. Having said this and without prejudice to any of the
University’s rights, the Legal Office has indicated that students can be provided with a
second opportunity, (which we hope they will now take up) to make representations
to the Senior DVC in the first instance and if need be thereafter, to the VC in line with
University’s processes to hear their representations, keeping in mind the nature,
seriousness, and severity of the conduct in question, the apprehension of harm and
any other relevant factor. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The ENS letter is not legal action against SRC, but a demand to the SRC to de-escalate
and call on all students to desist from any disruption of classes or access to campus,
intimidation of members of the University community, and damage of property, failing
which the University reserved its rights to address such conduct through the relevant
legal processes. The next step in this regard is dependent on SRC action going forward.

The university agrees to immediately de-escalate in acknowledgement of the progress

made. This includes the university management reducing the number of private
security guards, on the proviso that there are no further disruptions to the academic
 project or the activities of the university, no intimidation of students or staff, and
damage to property.

Concessions granted in early February 2023 include (Full prior response attached):
10. International students should pay 40% of their fees upfront, as opposed to the 75%
current requirement.

The University agreed to lower the upfront fee payable by international students to
50% for returning international students, provided that they have cleared all their
historic debt.

11. Hardship applications for students previously assisted by the Wits Hardship Fund.

The University agreed that students previously assisted by the Wits Hardship Fund
(which is meant to be a once-off form of assistance) may apply for further assistance
through the special considerations provision. The students’ academic record and
historic payment record will be taken into account.

12. Earlier release of hardship accommodation beds in support of medical students

Fifty hardship accommodation beds were procured to ensure appropriate support to
qualifying medical students.

13. Hardship Criteria should be broader for postgraduate students

The Wits Hardship Fund criteria were carefully crafted and allowed for inputs from the
SRC during the process. Whilst emphasis is placed on assisting students seeking a first
qualification, postgraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged
to apply for assistance which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The University
requests that the SRC makes specific proposals in respect of broadening the criteria
for postgraduate students. (No proposals have been received from the SRC to date).

Subject to available resources and keeping mind the long term sustainability of the University,
the University remains committed to working with the SRC on resolving these matters, and
to exploring ways of finding permanent solutions to these issues. The University however
notes that many of these are sectoral issues which will require sectoral-level interventions.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM

05 MARCH 2023