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Newly elected Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President, Rocky Tuseed now faces a setback to his victory run. On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to him after an intervening application held him guilty of concealing personal facts, including his arrest on criminal charges. The application was filed by Suman Chauhan and Jivesh Tiwari, counsel for Rajat Choudhary, the Presidental candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhya Parishad (ABVP). This September, Tuseed broke a five-year spell when he was elected as the first President of the DUSU from the National Students Union of India (NSUI) since 2012. The controversial candidate won the election with 16,299 votes, beating Choudhary who gained 14,709 votes.

The Allegation

The ABVP has played the Lyngdoh trump card; a recurring move in University elections across the country. The Lyngdoh committee guidelines which were implemented in May 2006 are to be followed in the Students’ Union elections in order to establish accountability, transparency, and discipline. The complainants have claimed that Tuseed hasn’t abided by these guidelines in his run for President.

Firstly, the application claims that Tuseed did not disclose that an FIR had been registered against him in Rajouri Garden on August 6, 2014, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint). It also mentions that he was sent to judicial custody on August 28, 2014, to September 15, 2014.In this respect, the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines state: The candidate shall not have a previous criminal record, that is to say, he should not have been tried and/or convicted of any criminal offence or misdemeanour. The candidate shall also not have been subject to any disciplinary action by the University authorities.

Secondly, the application alleges that Tuseed had been given ‘essential repeat’ in two semesters while pursuing a Masters in Buddhist Studies in the academic session 2016- 2017. The Lyngdoh committee states that “the candidate should in no event have any academic arrears in the year of contesting election”.

The NSUI stance

The NSUI has defended Tuseed by refuting charges in a press release earlier today. It accuses Choudhary of approaching the Delhi High Court on the basis of a false FIR which was registered by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government in August 2014 against a group of students, during the 2014 DUSU elections. According to the NSUI, the complainant had withdrawn the case against Tuseed within a month. They’ve also pointed out the fact that the newly elected ABVP DUSU Secretary, Mahameda Nagar is also being investigated in a criminal case filed by the Dean of Faculty of Law.

A bumpy presidential run

This is the third time that Tuseed has been accused of disciplinary charges. When the Delhi University’s Chief Election Officer’s (CEO) office released their list of candidates on 5 September, the NSUI candidate, Tuseed’s name had not been mentioned on “disciplinary grounds”. The NSUI had then sought to campaign for an independent candidate, Alka, until the High Court acquitted him of charges on 9 September, two days before the DUSU elections. This arbitrariness had also dogged his presidential run in the Department of Buddhist Studies last year. The election commission had cleared him to contest the election which he subsequently went on to win.

In the running for this year’s DUSU election, ABVP candidate, Choudhary had also been caught up in controversy. Independent candidate Raja Choudhary had been given police protection following his complaint to the police and the chief election commissioner, in which he alleged that he had been beaten up and threatened by the ABVP candidate. According to Raja, the ABVP candidate had feared that the students would get confused between the two names- Raja Choudhary and Rajat Choudhary, and would mistakenly vote for the other candidate rather than the candidate of their choice.

What now?

Justice Indermeet Kaur has sought a reply from Tuseed on November 15. The High Court has termed the alleged concealment on his part as “very serious”.

Keeping in mind the fact that the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines are more often flouted than not, students wonder whether any strong action will be taken against Tuseed. The same guidelines also mandate that candidates should not be affiliated with any national political party and that the campaigning expenditure per candidate should amount to ?5000. Yet, DUSU elections have been more about contesting parties than individual candidates. The expenditure requirement has also become a joke, so much so that when Tuseed cheekily announced in a discussion on national television that his total expenditure amounted to ?4800, every speaker laughed it off.

With inputs from The Indian Express

Image Credits: Financial Express

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

Almost 4 lakh final year students enrolled in the School of Open Learning (SOL) stand at a loss of losing a year of studies, as the University of Delhi has not released their results yet. The varsity has already begun to declare results of final year students admitted in regular colleges.

Admissions to most post-graduate courses, including those in DU, are already underway leaving SOL students at a huge disadvantage. According to the Hindu, SOL officials have said that the results are likely to be declared in October. This leaves the students with a prospect of having to drop a year of studies.

In a statement to the Hindu, Ravinder Kumar, a student of B.A. (Programme) at SOL said, “Admissions to most universities will close in September. However, our results will not be declared before October. This means that I will have to waste one year.”

Many such students have accused the University of negligence towards SOL students, and of deliberately delaying their results.  Students of SOL see this treatment as an act of blatant differentiation from regular colleges.

Moreover, students from SOL have been trying to get their concerns heard for many years. SOL student, Harsh Gautam says to the Hindu, We have been requesting the university for the last four years to resolve the matter. We have even submitted memorandums and met the Vice-Chancellor. However, nothing has been done to rectify the issue.”

Officials blame a large number of students for the delay in results. However, students believe that it is not a valid reason for them to miss out on a year of academics.

With inputs from The Hindu

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

The Delhi University Joint Admission Test (DU JAT) is conducted every year in order to short-list students for admissions to undergraduate management programmes at University of Delhi’s affiliated institutes. It is a gateway for admissions to six colleges, offering Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), and eight other colleges which offer B.A (Hons) Business Economics and BBA (FIA) programmes. This year, DU JAT is to be conducted on the 9th of July, on both offline and online modes.

With only a few days left for the exams, now would be a good time to check out unacademy.com. It is a non-profit website, which has a course developed by Darpan Jain, a student of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, and provides a comprehensive guide to the exam. It includes an introduction, lessons on each individual section, and also familiarises users with the test pattern.

According to the founder, he started the online preparation course solely to help other aspirants and share his knowledge.  He adds, “The course also includes some important last minute tips and my personal recommendations which helped me to ace the exam and can help others too!”

The DU JAT will be conducted on the 9th of July from 12 pm to 2 pm, and results are to be announced in mid-July.

You can find the course here.

Feature Image Credits: Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

First, comes college and then comes the accommodation dilemma! Do not fret; we’ve got it covered. Here are all the possible places to stay, to help you make your decision easier.


College Hostels

At present, twelve DU colleges provide hostel facilities. While most outstation students prefer college hostels to private accommodation, seats are as limited as only six students per course getting admitted. Admissions to college hostels are merit-based and beyond that, dependent on the region the student hails from. For instance, a student from Kanyakumari has a better chance of getting a seat than another student from, say, Ahmedabad with the same percentage. Moreover, students from the Delhi NCR region cannot apply to college hostels.

 

Getting admitted into a college hostel is very advantageous as accommodation fees are usually minimal and round-the-clock security is ensured. Other benefits include living in close proximity to the college building, no transportation costs, staying in the college library until late, etc. However, one drawback is that most college hostels, particularly for girls, have very early curfew timings. While this is the very reason most parents are keen on getting their children admitted to them, it may be disadvantageous in the long run as this prevents students from participating in many activities. Moreover, another drawback may be the fact that students have to pack up and move out their belongings after every academic year which becomes rather cumbersome.

 

It is important to note that hostel registration takes place independently of college admissions. Once your college admission is taken care of, you should go to the college hostel or warden’s office to register for the college hostel.

University Hostels

Another option, solely for girls, is the Under Graduate Hostel for Girls. It is a residence for full-time undergraduate girl students of the North and South Campus of the University of Delhi. The hostel complex is located at Dhaka, Mukherjee Nagar and boasts of a wide campus with seven blocks with a total of 344 rooms on double occupancy. Here, too, admissions are merit-based and seats per college are limited. The admission process of this hostel initiates rather late into the admission procedure, so it is wise to visit the hostel website from time to time to check up on the hostel prospectus and admission dates.

The University also has separate hostels for international students – both boys and girls. They are situated in North Campus and even provide a shuttle-bus service within the area. Students should visit the hostel for additional information.

Paying Guest Accommodation

Since acceptance rates in most college and university hostels run very low, most students opt for a private paying guest accommodation. The sheer number and variety of PGs may be daunting, but it all boils down to shrewd PG-hunting. Here is a comprehensive list of tips for the majority of you who will be opting for paying guest accommodation:

– For starters, approaching brokers is unnecessary.
– Begin by collecting phone numbers and addresses of PGs. Many put up posters and distribute business cards.
– Take a day or two and visit as many PGs as possible. Don’t finalise your choice instantly, take a night to evaluate the pros and cons of each establishment with your parents and only then make a decision. Remember, expensive may not always mean better! Be sure to check whether the electricity bill is included in the monthly tariff.
– While evaluating PGs, also check the toilets, kitchens, and balconies properly. Hygiene is key!
– Strike up conversations with PG residents for honest reviews.
– Never take PG owners’ promises at face value, as they’re shrewd businessmen.
– Sometimes, PG owners lower tariffs as the admission season ends. You may strike up a good deal at the last moment.

Rented Apartments

For starters, in case you do not have family or friends who are already living in flats, it is better to postpone staying in a flat until your second year. It is advisable not to settle into a flat with friends you’ve just met. Having said that, living in a flat may not be as daunting as most people suppose.

The North campus area, in particular, is very student-friendly in terms of securing good flats and cheap, durable furniture, and – in case you cannot cook – dabba-waalas. While resorting to brokerage when it comes to PGs is unnecessary, you have to opt for a broker while searching for flats if you do not already know anyone who is moving out of theirs. Brokerage fees are one-time and 50% of your rent. Rent varies according to the area with cheaper rates being at around Rs. 16,000 to 18,000 for a 2BHK flat in the North Campus area.

– Swareena Gurung
[email protected] 

India’s premium Commerce College, Shri Ram College of Commerce has released its first cut-off list for admissions in the academic year 2017-2018. Surprisingly, the cut-off percentage has undergone a dip as compared to last year. Following is the cut-off:

B.A. (H) Economics
General: 97.75%.
OBC: 95.75%
Scheduled castes: 95.00%
Scheduled Tribes: 92.25%
Kashmiri Migrants: 94.75%
PWD: 95.50

B. Com. (H)

General: 97.75%
OBC:95.25%
Scheduled Castes: 92%
Scheduled Tribes: 88%
Kashmiri Migrants: 89.25%
PWD: 87.75%

The admission process will commence tomorrow at the SRCC campus. The schedule for reporting for admission is as follows:

June 24, 2017 – General (98.5% and above) and OBC (96% and above)

June 27-28 – All other candidates

(During 9:00 am to 1:00 pm)

Candidates belonging to other categories are advised to contact personally for completing the admission formalities on any day (during the admission schedule for first cut-off  list) between 9:00 am to 1:00 pm with the prescribed documents.
You can find an original copy of the cut off here. 

 

 

Swareena Gurung

[email protected]

A 25% increase in fees at Ramjas College will be effective from the 2017-2018 academic session. Such a hike will require every student from across courses to pay an additional amount of Rs. 2500 each. The decision was made in a staff council meeting of the College, held on Friday. Acting principle, P.C. Tulsian maintained that the fee hike was necessary in light of the developmental work taking place in the college. Moreover, he said that the University does not give funds for the same.

However, the move has not gone down well with the faculty and students of the college. Students view it as a clear movement towards privatisation of the college. They’ve also criticised the fee hike as going against the public-funded nature of government colleges and a sheer attempt to dismantle it. For years, the University of Delhi has invited students from various economic backgrounds. However, due to such a move, students from lower income groups are bound to be burdened by the added expenses.

This decision by Ramjas College comes shortly after the move to inflate hostel fees at the DS Kothari hostel. In a statement to the New Indian Express, a group of DU students remarked:

“If all colleges and hostels will slowly hike their fees, even when the varsity is central and public funded, then where will the poor students go? It clearly states that the varsity is moving towards autonomy and privatisation of education.”

Following the controversy to make St. Stephen’s College autonomous and the recent NAAC appraisal, many have begun to view such moves as part of an agenda to privatise higher education.

Please write to us, expressing your thoughts on the same.

With inputs from The Statesman and The New Indian Express

 

Feature Image Credits: Ramjas College
Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

 

Having launched an app to ensure the convenience of blind students, Miranda House has now come up with three different apps to make college work easier for students and teachers alike. The college is ready to go live with the apps from the new academic session of 2017-2018.

The apps are called Event Hub, SmartProf, and InfraCare. Following are the details:

Event Hub:

> Students who head societies, unions, etc can book venues to organise and conduct events through this app.
> Similar interface lets one choose between the Seminar Hall, Auditorium, Heritage Hall, and Student Activity Centre.
> The app notifies one whether a venue is booked, or if an event taking place there is open or closed.
> Event posters have to be uploaded at the time of booking.
> The app also allows requisitioning of PA systems and other equipment.

Infra Care:
> Through this app, anyone can lodge a complaint about infrastructure issues in the college and the hostels.
> As proof, a photo legitimising the complaint has to be uploaded.
> Status of the complaint is shared with the complainant.

Smart Prof:
> Students and teachers can view attendance records, curriculum, and lecture locations.
> Teachers can take attendance on the app and the students can view it.
> Timetable and lecture timings can be set by the teachers.

The apps have been designed so as to cut down on red-tape and involve the students in the functioning of the college. In a statement to the Times of India, Dr. Pratibha Jolly, Principal of the college, maintained, “We are committed to building a technology-enhanced active learning environment, and realising innovatively the full potential of IT in education.”
With inputs from the Times of India

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

The University of Delhi has consistently attracted top-notch companies, both national and international, in its placement drives through the years.  The placement season of 2016-2017 witnessed a rise both in terms of the number of students who secured placements, as well as the pay packages offered to them. A significant rise in the number of on-campus recruiters including many first-time recruiters and start-ups was observed.

To top the placement list this year, a pay-package of Rs. 40 lakhs per annum has been secured by a student of St. Stephen’s College, to work at international consulting firm, Arthur D Little.  Two students from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) received a salary package of Rs. 30 lakhs each from Barclays Capital. At Hansraj College (HRC), the highest package rose from Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 16 lakhs per annum, offered by DE Shaw to two students. Last year, the highest pay package received by a Delhi University student of was Rs. 29 lakhs.

Students of St. Stephens College also received the highest average pay package at Rs. 8.05 lakhs per annum. At SRCC, the average pay package increased to Rs. 6.5 lakhs per annum as compared to the last year’s figure of Rs. 6 lakhs per annum. Even at Hansraj, the average package across the 149 students who gained placements, increased to Rs. 5.02 lakhs from last year’s figure of Rs. 4.7 lakhs. Students from colleges such as Kirorimal College (KMC), Sri Venkateswara College and College of Vocational Studies (CVS) received an average annual pay package of Rs. 4.8 lakhs, Rs. 4.1 lakhs and Rs. 3.5 lakhs respectively. The most popular profiles across colleges were those of analyst (audit/tax) and business consultancy.

Big companies such as Ernst & Young, Deloitte, Teach for India, FIS, KPMG and Bajaj Capital recruited the most number of students. First-time recruiters included companies such as Facebook, JP Morgan, ITC hospitality, Uber and Decathlon. Moreover, job offers from various start-ups also increased this year.

On the basis of data collected from different colleges, it stands out that hiring companies looked for students who have a substantial degree of internship experience and exposure. Apart from that, participation in college societies and community service were also important factors apart from academic proficiency.

(All information is based on the data received from participating colleges in a DU Beat survey)

Image Credits:  ststephens.edu

Swareena Gurung

[email protected]

 

The death of a 17-year old boy on the 24th of March in a locality of Greater Noida, and the subsequent accusation of the involvement of five Nigerian students, has led loose a spate of attacks against all Africans living in the area. In such a racially tinged atmosphere, it is time to introspect whether we, as a nation, are as hospitable as we claim to be.
In the wake of several acts of violence that have been perpetrated against people from the African continent, I decided to interview a few Africans studying in Sharda University. It is an international university located in Greater Noida, an area where incidents of brutal violence on innocent African students in public spaces such as malls and bus stops have occurred in recent days. The failure of the government to take any definite action to secure the safety of the students has further contributed to their helplessness. On being questioned about his views on such incidents, a student from South Sudan retorted, “What will you do by getting information? If the government is reluctant to do anything, what can you do?” Another student questioned, “Where is the Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath? Why isn’t he doing anything to help us? Had it been just one American or British student who had been attacked, everyone including the Prime Minister would’ve been actively probing into the matter. Why isn’t it so with African people?”

What started it all

On Friday, the 24th of March 2017, 17 year old Manish Khari, had gone missing from his neighbourhood in Greater Noida. His parents accused five Nigerian students, who lived a single house away from them of having “eaten up” their child and went so far as to raid their refrigerator for possible “remains”. The boy, who was subsequently returned home, later died of a cardiac arrest following a drug overdose. The Nigerian neighbours were now accused of having forcibly drugged him, and were brutally beaten by a mob, and only then detained by the police who acquitted them for lack of evidence.

The fact that the two Nigerians had apparently been spotted taking two dogs into their house a few days earlier, had led the neighbours to make the absurd accusation of cannibalism. Residents of the locality have also complained that the Nigerians were a disturbance to the neighbourhood. However, two Tanzanian neighbours of the boy, Lisa and Jessica, who are temporarily staying in the international hostel at Sharda University for fear of their safety, remarked that prior to this incident, they had not caused disturbances of any kind.

An inhospitable climate for African Students

The impact of such an accusation has been tremendous on the African community in Greater Noida. Students are scared to venture out of their houses for fear of mob violence. Many are trapped within their houses, surviving at a dearth of food and money, while few volunteers have been supplying them with amenities. Those who have been provided accommodation by Sharda University have only been allowed to stay until Saturday, the 1 April 2017, after which they will have to pay 300 USD if they wish to extend their stay.

Around five thousand African nationals study in Greater Noida alone. Indian universities such as Sharda University and Amity University regularly participate in college fairs in African countries to attract students into India. In the case of many students that I’ve spoken to, their perspective of India has been shaped by the many Indians living in their countries, who’ve managed to integrate themselves fairly well. On being asked whether they have the same perspective now, the reply came in a chorus, “No, now we do not want to complete our higher education here. We will also advise other people from our countries not to come here to study. They should opt from countries such as China, where our friends are enjoying themselves freely, whereas we need police escort to even venture out of our colleges at this point of time.”

Possible Impact of such hate crimes on Indo-African relations

A large chunk of the Indian diaspora lives in African countries, many of whom have profitable businesses there. When questioned whether they think that there will be a possible retaliation against Indians living in their own countries, many replied that there were many chances of it happening. In a statement wherein the African Association of Students in India called for government support, they maintained:

“Failure to secure the lives and to ensure ‘maximum security’ in areas where African students live will entail us taking stringent actions:

1.We will actively urge the African Union to cut all bi-lateral trade with India.
2. We will ask African students in our respective countries to stop making India their study destination with immediate effect.
3. We will call for a nationwide protest inviting all Students and people of the African diaspora here in India and as well international media houses for coverage.”

While the government remains in denial about Africans facing racist attacks in India, these incidents shall inevitably hamper the Indian government’s attempts to woo students and medical tourists from the African continent.


A trend of growing intolerance against African students

Reflecting on the immense prejudice that he faces daily, Adam, a South Sudanese student of Sharda University remarked that the adage of Atiti devo bhawa (The guest is akin to god), which acts as a leitmotif in several Indian tourism commercials, should be changed to Atiti kuto bhava (The guest is akin to a dog). Students like him feel that they’re treated like “zoo animals” in public spaces such as the metro, where they’re blatantly stared at and fall victim to lewd, racially charged comments. One student remarked, “Children come up to us and shout “bhoot!” (ghost) before running away.”

It is depressing that we, who as a histocrically colonised nation, have been on the receiving end of racism for hundreds of years, are active proponents of such a crime. The constant “othering” of minorities to assert dominance has rendered India into a racist nation.

Image Credits: Association of African Students in India

Swareena Gurung

[email protected]

Miranda House, 15th February: Eminent historian Prof. Romila Thapar along with Prof. Kumkum Roy (Centre for Historical Studies, JNU) participated in a conversation on ‘The Many Meanings of Heritage’ in an event organised by the History society of Miranda House. Pertinent questions on the idea of heritage were raised and addressed by the two speakers.
At the very outset, Prof. Thapar raised the central question of what constitutes heritage. “Is heritage something that each generation invents for itself? Is it representative of the entire society? Who gave us this heritage? Speaking of the process of selection of heritage, she said that it is bothersome that heritage is treated as if it were a package that we’ve inherited from the past, handed down virtually unchanged. Every entity considered as ‘heritage’ has a history of its own.”
According to Prof. Thapar, we tend to regard entities such as trophies of conquest, mausoleums, paintings and sculptures as heritage. She argues, however, that even as simple and non-consequential a thing as black-and-red pottery from an urban excavation site is heritage. This brought the conversation to an important question of how ethical the process of selection actually is. Should we allow people to select heritage or term everything as heritage?
Prof. Thapar believes that in this process of selecting and not selecting something as heritage, the sentiments of the people directly attached to that entity should be taken into consideration. To this effect, she cited the example of the Niymagiri Hills in Odisha, where tribals have opposed the usage of the site for bauxite mining as it is sacred to them. She added that heritage is something that can be celebrated by some people and negated by others. In this process, however, the opinions of the marginalised such as the adivasis should not be deemed inferior and suppressed by others who have a greater say in this matter.
On the responsibility of historians, she quoted E.H. Carr, “The historian that is aware of the concerns of the present very often becomes the one who is successful in studying the past.”
As it happens with most stimulating conversations, the audience were left with even more questions to discuss and ponder upon at the end.

Photo courtesy: Jasmine Chahal for DU Beat.

Swareena Gurung

[email protected]