Now that the student union polls are over, the University administration has issued guidelines that grant more legitimacy to the posts that the newly elected student leaders have come to assume. The elected members of Student Unions from different colleges across the varsity will now be paid monthly salaries. The University administration has also fixed the minimum salary that each post-bearer will receive. Adhering to this amount or surpassing it depends upon the discretion of individual colleges.
According to university officials, this move has been undertaken after increasing complaints from student union members, about the magnitude of work and excessive burden that they have to bear. Mr. Aman Singh Grover, Secretary of the Student Unions Grievance Committee added, “We made this move consciously, so as to compensate for the class hours that the student leaders have to miss out on while performing their duties. Colleges that do not follow these guidelines will be penalised.”
Moreover, the University also mandates that various colleges have to allocate funds towards a stationery budget for the Student Union. This includes bearing the cost of all stationery material required by the Unions. Moreover, expenses such as phone bills, taxi fares, canteen bills, etc, incurred by the members while carrying out their duties, shall also be covered by this budget. The university has stated a minimum budget of Rs. 2500 to be allocated each month. However, this amount is to be raised during the fest season to Rs 5000.
Although it seems like a win-win prospect for the elected members, there is also a catch to this new guideline. If any complaints about the inefficacy of the student union are filed by the college students and deemed legitimate by the college authorities, they will have to pay a onetime fine of 5% to 40% of their salaries, depending upon the intensity of the complaint.
According to university officials, this move will act as an impetus for more students to volunteer in assuming leadership roles in their colleges. At the same time, it will also ensure that the elected leaders carry out their duties solemnly and do not flout their earlier promises.
However, colleges do not seem to be too pleased with this move. According to a disgruntled Principal whose name has been withheld in accordance to her request, “As of now, our college is running short of funds to even install water taps in some areas of the campus. If the University wants us to start handing out money to students for assuming roles that are essentially voluntary, they might as well allocate the funds themselves. This is a ludicrous proposal on their behalf.”
Now that both parties have spoken, what is your opinion?
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Swareena Gurung
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