Most residences appoint a Student Networking house representative to represent their house's interests to the I&TS Division. Experience has shown that the I&TS Division cannot properly support those residences that choose not to make such an appointment (or whose representative proves dysfunctional), and so they reserve the right to refuse or limit the services provided to residences that do timeously appoint functional house reps.

Whilst the I&TS Division isn't (and doesn't want to be) involved in the appointment of these reps, it does have certain expectations of them. Student Networking house reps are expected to:

• Be a registered student living in the residence concerned;
• Make their appointment, and any changes therein, known to the I&TS Division (your hall administrator can do this via the residence administration system);
• Be available to act as house rep during all offical University term times, starting from the beginning of orientation week of each year;
• Act as the primary point of contact between their residence and the I&TS Division for any non-support related issues;
• Assist students in their residence in signing up to the network;
• Know where, how and when students can get support, and direct students in their residence appropriately;
• Handle the reporting of faulty and/or missing network points in their residence;
• Take responsibility for managing the supplies and consumables for any printers installed in their residence;
• Manage any common computers supplied to or installed in their residence; and
• In the case of off-campus locations, understand the relationship between and act as a liason with the body corporate for Student Network-related issues.

The IT Division holds an induction workshop just prior to orientation week each year in which these responsibilities and the various procedures for reporting faults, obtaining consumables, etc are explained.  These change from year to year, and so this meeting is important to ensure that residences have up-to-date information. All house reps are required to attend as a condition of their residence being connected to the Student Network.

Computer and information literacy is expected — house representatives are expected to be comfortable using a computer. However, whilst it does help if they can debug basic network faults in their residence, we do not require house representatives to be able to do so. For this reason, the I&TS Division provides some basic training in this regard at the induction workshop each year.

In order to perform their function efficiently, house representatives need to have a good understanding of both the Student Network and of the functioning of their residence. For this reason it is preferable that house reps have lived in their residence during the year preceeding their appointment. This is particularly important in off-campus locations, where understanding of the organisational structure of the particular complex (landlord, body corporate, estate agents) is necessary.

As a form of small stipend for being rep, starting in 2014 house reps for off-campus locations will receive a refund of the off-campus Student Network access fee.

To assist students finding the rep for their residence, House reps' names & student number will be published on this web site.

 The words "residence" and "house" in this document should be interpreted in their widest context to include all off-campus locations connected to the Student Network.  Off-campus locations are also expected to appoint a representative in accordance with the above.

Last Modified: Wed, 31 May 2017 12:40:33 SAST