There was no doubt a message sent explaning what to do, but... well, that would be in my mailbox, wouldn't it? The one I can't access. If I could have accessed any web pages, I could perhaps have searched the ICTS site for some clues, but not even my home page (the UCT Library page) would load. Just that cursed ISA box. (Logging a call would be pointless - assuming there were any ICTS staff on Campus at 07h00, none would be so foolish as to betray their presence by answering a phone. Especially not a helpdesk phone.)
I tried the obvious - my staff number; my staff [email protected]; my FQN (yes, that probably doesn't mean much to anyone reading this, either); my uct email address in its various forms going back in time - and by about the fourth format I remembered, bingo! I had an ISA account for teaching in the labs, and logged in with that.
Once I got in, I found the message that was sent. [email protected], plus network password. Oh. How very intuitive. I have no idea what "wf" stands for, but I suspect they left out the 't" (wtf, for those who need it spelled out).
One hour later, and I'm logged in and ready to rock 'n roll. But not to worry, there's bound to be some other snare waiting just around the bend to prevent me doing anything constructive, again. It would be far too easy, just the one.
Which, of course, reminded me of that doggerel that did the rounds all those years back:
O how happy, how happy are we
To work at wonderful UCT
A world class African university
O we love UCT!
Helpdesk calls unanswered while months go by
Unable to work, we sit down and cry,
Productivity's down and they wonder why,
But we love UCT!
We've money to burn and consultants to hire,
But cutbacks to make and staff we must fire,
New posts to create, but conditions are dire,
But we love UCT!
Programs imposed, which the students don't want,
Academics dislike, and administrators can't
Administer, but it helps not to rant,
We still love UCT!
There's banging and drilling, heads constantly ache,
With our IRP5s there's the annual "mistake",
The Receiver's demanding - how much more can we take?
But we love UCT!
The cleaners outsourced, teaching posts under threat,
While the bureaucracy gets larger and fatter, and yet
It takes even longer before what you want, you can get ,
How we love UCT!
Arrive after 7am, there's no parking around,
But student cars in staff bays can be found
- In fact, on every available piece of ground,
They too love UCT!
The Monday Paper arrives every week ,
His Master's Voice we love to hear speak,
A dissenting voice? Or even a squeak?
No, we all love UCT!
Outdated Web pages, despite the award,
1998 fees, and the DIT must have got bored
With updating his page, but so what if it's flawed,
We all love UCT!
Managing funds with the "precision" of SAP
Discrepancies, delays, and all measure of crap
Not to mention the speed - might as well take a nap,
But we love UCT!
DAs are all gone, so secretaries must run,
HODs photocopy, research left undone,
Telephones left unanswered, but it's ever such fun,
How we love UCT!
At the end of the day, when we climb in our cars,
Drown our sorrows on the way home in bars,
Wondering if life isn't better on Mars,
We still love UCT!
O, how lucky, how blessed are we,
Working at this glorious UCT,
We keep telling ourselves, till we believe it, that we
So much love UCT!
Anonymous