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The Role of Student-Run Media Houses In Delhi University

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There has been a surge in the number of student-run media houses in universities recently. These outlets have an important role to play in the campus ecosystem when it comes to disseminating news and providing students with infotainment.

In the recent past, a surge in the number of media platforms has been observed in the university hemisphere. The mushrooming of student-run media houses stands as a testimony to this fact. To cater to the ever-increasing demand for information by university students, a lot of student-run media houses have been integrated into the campus ecosystem, and their work of student newspapers is to provide this public service to a university audience.

Many students go through distress about not having the official information at the right time. University offices have not been very effective when it comes to disseminating important information. Moreover, help lines issued by the administration do not cater to the students’ questions satisfactorily. More often than not, they are liable to technical glitches and fail to serve the students in the stipulated time frame. A university houses a huge number of students and it gets practically impossible to reach out to every student in person. This gave way to the proliferation of student-run media outlets in the universities.

The need got coupled with technology in the form of smart phones and easy internet access, which created a fertile field for the burgeoning of media houses in the universities. 

These media houses are fast emerging and students believe that it has a thriving market.  There is a steep competition among student-run media outlets, with each of these outlets delivering innovative content in a weekly cycle to outnumber each other’s subscribers. These media outlets are grooming entrepreneurs, writers, marketers, designers, and artists. Today, every student seeks opportunities to acquire practical knowledge by interning at myriad professional platforms. This compensates for the exposure that our university system fails to provide.

Student-run media outlets provide necessary information and promote democratic participation of the students. These media houses instill a sense of responsibility within students and inculcate leadership qualities in them. Not only do they create narratives and make the students aware of the issues around them, but also strive to be accessible to a larger audience.

Rather than just providing high-quality content, student journalists are also dedicated to connecting students, academic departments, alumni, and the world. Universities should acknowledge and encourage the student journalists with bubbling energy and should create porous gateways for the passing of information from the administration to the student-run media outlets to sustain such an ecosystem. 

 

Feature Image Credits: USA Today

Sandeep Samal
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Sounds

Music for Motivation

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Music has been more than just being about entertainment. The emotional aspect of music is far reaching and unacknowledged. Music has the power of healing pain and motivating someone to heights.

Music has been man’s companion from time immemorial. The closely knitted relationship between man and human underpins the fact that music is not just about entertainment. Music has touched human life in ways beyond description. Music has been a company to man in the days of contentment and gloom. Music can prove to be a very powerful force.

Music is known to invoke a strong emotional response in our body. Putting it straight, scientists have found that listening to particularly happy or sad music impacts the way we perceive our surrounding. This very property of music can be exploited to pave the human mind and emotions.

Motivation can be similarly derived from listening to music. Music and mood have an intrinsic connection. Scientists continue to discover how these influences occur at a neuropsychiclevel. Studies prove that the music we listen, engages a wide range of neurobiological cycles that impact our psychology. One of music’s rejuvenating effects arises from its potential to engage the body’s sympathetic nervous system. Music can also increase heart and respiration rate which causes an emotional arousal. Music can even control muscle tension. Focusing on a favorite song combats de-motivating brain signals associated with failure or pain. Music motivates individuals by making them feel more successful and by stimulating positive emotions that help to rescind some of the negative thoughts in our mind.

The pertinent question now is, how particular kind of music manages to make us motivated or energized?

The subconscious mind can’t really make out the difference between listening to words coming from a person and words coming from a song. If the words that we receive resonates with our positive belief system and thoughts, we would certainly feel motivated.

If you really want to test the credibility of this article, add the following songs in your playlist right away.

1. Hall of Fame – Script:

“Standing in the hall of fame, and the world’s gonna know your name.” The lyrics of the songs beautifully focuses on the beauty of not giving up. The song is about chasing dreams and leaving an impression on the world

2. Superheroes – Script:

“When you’ve been fighting for it all your life, you’ve been struggling to make things right, that’s how a superhero learns to fly” The song highlights the pain about struggle and getting strength from the course of the struggle.

3. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson:

“What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter”.  This song helps you to evaluate your life when something hasn’t gone the way you wanted.

4. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye &Tammi Terrell:

“Don’t you know that there ain’t no mountain high enough.Ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough. To keep me from getting to you, baby”. The song motivates the listener to overcome the obstacles to reach the baby (Goal).

 

Feature Image Credits: Pixabay

Sandeep Samal

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DUB Speak

The Unhealthy Practice of Caffeine Consumption

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The unhealthy practice of caffeine consumption at dangerous levels can be very detrimental to the health of students. This ‘harmless’ addiction can affect the body in unimaginable ways. Increased level of caffeine in our body can rewire our mind and mess with the hormonal levels our body.

College students have a very dynamic life which demands to be juggled very efficiently. They have to balance academics, extra-curricular activities, and social life, each of which demand a lot of time. Understandably, many of them count on caffeine to push themselves a few extra hours in each day. Mostly in the form of tea or coffee, caffeine acts on our adrenal glands and induces the secretion of adrenaline hormone which in turn rejuvenates us.

Consuming tea or coffee catapults the energy level and enhances alertness, but at the same time students are ignoring the negative implications of caffeine addiction. ‘Excess’ of anything is bad. In excess, caffeine can be really dangerous.

Caffeine abuse can cause increased anxiety, irritability, and disorientation. It is highly diuretic and can cause frequent urination which further may lead to dehydration. Caffeine addiction can leave a student jittery and nervous. Caffeine has also been known to act as a trigger for people who suffer from panic attacks.

Caffeine addiction can induce sleep disorders in the body which may lead to further complications. The addiction can also cause stomach ulcers and acid reflux which can prove fatal.

To worsen the plight, a lot of netizens are romanticizing the idea of ‘tea’ addiction over social media platforms. To keep up with the social trend, students in large numbers are getting tricked into this addiction. This ‘addiction’ is generally considered harmless but all the indiscriminate caffeine we intake can wreak havoc in our bodies and minds.

The pertinent question at this point is, what amount of caffeine is actually permissible in our body? Research suggests that each person can reap the benefits of the caffeine at an amount as small as 25 to 50 milligrams of coffee a day which is analogous to one cup of tea, and no one should exceed 250 milligrams, or 2 cups of coffee, each day.

Kicking this habit comes at the cost of undergoing the experience of the ‘withdrawal symptoms’. If you’re not so up for a few days of a headache, fatigue, and irritability, try gradually reducing the gradient of consumption. Caffeine drinks can be replaced by decaffeinated herbal drinks which are actually good for health. They don’t mess with the hormonal levels of our body.

Keeping a healthy cycle of habits in the loop of daily routine can enhance our efficiency and diminish our dependence on caffeine. Reduced caffeine dependence can make us feel surprisingly energised all the day.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Jakarta Post

Sandeep Samal

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News

DU to Change the Admission Procedure this Year

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The admission committee of the University of Delhi assembled for a press conference on Monday regarding the admission procedure of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research courses. The committee announced that the University will strive to abridge the admission procedure for this session. Last year, 11 cut-off lists were released for admission in various UG courses for around 56,000 seats. The admission process took nearly two months for completion. DU now plans to come up with realistic cut-offs for the upcoming academic season.

The University is mulling over the possibility of holding a computer-based online test for admission to the UG courses. The University has also recommended the colleges to give two percent benefit on the cut-off to OBC women applicants.
A special admission cell to aid northeast students will also be created. Each college will have a deputed nodal officer who will help students from the northeast. The idea of bringing in a moderation policy for different boards is also being considered.

When DU Beat approached Mr. Asutosh Bhardwaj, Officer on Special Duty for Admissions, he said, “The University will be more focused on removing the glitches in the admission procedure that occurred last year.” He further added, “All the recommendations have been taken into consideration.” A committee to formulate policy on deciding merit-based admissions to PG courses will be constituted.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Sandeep Samal
[email protected]

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