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09 September 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
2024 - 2025 CSRC elections
The UFS’s recent pioneering of live election results during the 2024/2025 CSRC elections drove unprecedented student engagement.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has proven its commitment to innovation and student engagement with the recent 2024/2025 Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC) elections, which were held online and featured real-time results projection across all three campuses. The elections, held from 20 to 22 August 2024, marked a significant milestone for the institution, setting a precedent in the national higher education landscape.

Dr Grey Magaiza, Chairperson of the UFS Elections Logistics Committee (ELC), provided insight into the planning process that went into making the elections a success: “Planning for an institutional CSRC election is a very demanding process,” he explained. “Multiple stakeholders have to be appraised of the project, as it has multiple implications for the institution. The voting is the last phase in a long list of actions that a capable team must support.”

One of the most notable aspects of this year’s elections was the introduction of real-time results, a first for any institution in South Africa. Despite the challenges that came with being pioneers in this area, the ELC managed to overcome them through rigorous scenario planning and extensive negotiations. “This is a huge milestone, but it did not come without its own challenges,” Dr Magaiza said. “We had to engage in multiple negotiations with numerous process owners. The debates that ensued only sharpened our ability to observe potential blind spots.”

Students embrace live voting

The transition from traditional online voting to a system with live results was met with enthusiasm by the student body. “Students have always been for online elections. The majority of students we talked to loved the live results format,” Dr Magaiza said. The decision to share the live results link with the entire student body, despite initial requests for it to be limited to party agents, was particularly well-received, further enhancing transparency and engagement.

Security and accuracy were also top priorities for the ELC, with advanced IT processes in place to ensure a seamless voting experience. Each student was provided with a unique one-time PIN (OTP) sent to both their UFS email and cellphone, and the system was designed to cater to the specific needs of each campus.

The live results projection, which updated every five minutes, not only drove massive voter turnout across all campuses but also fostered a more dynamic and engaging election atmosphere. “The turnout was massive across all three campuses, surpassing the previous year’s figures,” Dr Magaiza said.

Reflecting on the success of the elections, Dr Magaiza emphasised the importance of collaboration and preparation. He also expressed confidence that the UFS model could serve as an example for other institutions in South Africa. “Live results enhance transparency and acceptance of the election results. As UFS, we have not had a single objection with regards to the first-past-the-post election results,” he concluded.

The 2024/2025 CSRC Elections at the UFS have not only set a new standard within the university, but have also highlighted the potential for innovation in student governance across the country.

News Archive

US professor makes the case for public scholarship
2011-08-17

 

The Eatman family from the left: Jasmin Eatman, Prof. Timothy Eatman and Mrs. Lorraine Eatman

The university of the 21st century should not be an ivory tower; rather it should work with communities to co-create things of public value. This was one of the observations made by visiting US Prof. Timothy Eatman. He delivered a public lecture on the topic Public Scholarship and the democratisation of knowledge in the engaged university at the University of the Free State (UFS) on Monday, 15 August 2011. Prof. Eatman challenged people at the lecture to think about richer ways of thinking about engaged public scholarship and said they need to prepare for a new citizenry of academia.

Prof. Eatman, an assistant professor of Higher Education at Syracuse University in the United States, said that knowledge was revealed in diverse ways and advised institutions of higher education to demonstrate an increasing sensitivity to issues of relevance to public good. Prof. Eatman said the present era calls for the development of a more sophisticated understanding of knowledge creation.

Prof. Eatman, who is visiting our country for the first time, brought along his mother, Lorraine, and daughter, Jasmin, who performed a contemporary dance during the event. The family had been in Bloemfontein for the past week or so and Eatman expressed his gratitude to staff and people of Bloemfontein, saying he can deliver personal testimony to the beauty of the Free State.
 

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