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Faculty of Law Cancels Mid-Semester Break

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The Faculty of Law recently suspended the mid-semester break for its students due to the delay in commencement of the session creating outrage among the students. Read on to find out more.

The Faculty of Law, University of Delhi (DU) was established in the year 1924. The department operates through three centres within its campus, namely, Campus Law Centre, Law Centre-I and Law Centre-II and has about 7000 students at present including LL.B., LL.M., and PhD students

On 24th September 2019, the Law Faculty published a notice stating that due to the delay in commencement of classes of LL.B., the Mid Semester break stands cancelled. Further, it also said that the teaching session of the Faculty of Law will continue up to 30th  November 2019, reducing the number of preparation leaves provided to students for semester examinations.

According to sources, the department called off the Mid-Sem break last year as well. This is a sensitive time to terminate the seven days break provided to students as many of them have made non-refundable reservations for going back home but are stuck now as they cannot skip classes.

Amarjeet Kumar Singh, a student of the Faculty of Law said, “This information is true. And I would like to say about this that it is like a punishment to the students for which they have done nothing wrong. But in reality, the department is solely responsible for the delay. Even last year the mid-term break got cancelled/suspended for the same reason”

Kartik Saini, another student of the Faculty of Law said, “This has become a regular practice now. Last year, the same happened & I think it is followed every year. As with other colleges and institutes (Master’s Course) of DU, the session should start by 20th July.  As per the official notice, our classes started on 10th August but in reality, they actually started on 26th August causing a delay in other things. Not only the students & teachers get affected with this but it also leads to violation of BCI (Bar Council of India) norms which have decided the minimum number of classes for each semester. In fact, the Law Faculty is the place where unlawful practice prevails & rules are not followed. Administration condition is pathetic.”

 

Feature Image Credits: The Law Faculty, Delhi University

 

Avni Dhawan

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DUB Speak

Pretentious DU Review

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Delhi University (DU) seems to be the dream of almost every kid, cramming up all possible books to fetch a seat, performing all sorts of rituals for the sake of one’s dream college. The competition goes on and on. But is the DU craze justified?

 

  • North Campus Elitism

The ‘colony’ of colleges is a peculiar attribute of DU, thanks to Rang-De-Basanti, maybe that is why the north campus hype prances in its (hyped) glory? The overemphasis of the north campus, somewhere down the line, suggests the underlying elitism. While if one cares to hover their eyes over the map of Delhi, other colleges like Lady Shri Ram, Sri Venkateshwara College, Gargi College, etc. also exist. And do we even need to acquaint you with the ‘North Campus vs. South Campus’ tussle? You know the story from numerous YouTube videos. We get it North Campus, you have Virgin Tree in Hindu College and Kamla Nagar’s momos but that’s all there is.

  •  Study Culture

The infamous study culture of DU is not a secret. Many condemn that DU has only been successful in imparting degrees, but has failed when it comes to imparting knowledge. “A student from Calcutta University will take tuitions, will study for umpteen number of hours, while a DU student will pick up their books a week before the examinations. And at the end of the day, score more than us.” says, a pass out from Calcutta University who wished to be anonymous. The prominent DU degree is just a facade, while colleges like NLU and IITs provide high placements to their toppers, DU provides just boasting rights as placements at DU does not exist, well except for SRCC.

  • Infrastructure

Panting fans, ceilings which give a ‘near-to-death’ experience (we’re pointing at you Daulat Ram College), roads which remain under construction even after you clear all your backs and a master’s degree, washrooms (we’ll leave it to your imagination), aren’t these a class apart? (Note the heavy sarcasm). The infrastructure of DU is a different story altogether, a story which is poles apart from the preconceived image of DU. A DU aspirant with ambition in eyes is often met with broken benches, more broken than their hopes.

  •  Classes and Timetables

The classes have a scenario worth noticing! Classes are packed with over 100 students, which look more like a poultry farm than a classroom. Maybe it is our time to shout – “DU, is this a fish market?” The given timetable and the actual timetable never lie parallel, the once jam-packed timetable, at the end of the day, is nothing but a series of lectures which were cancelled because Monica ma’am went for vacation and college forgot to hire a guest teacher. You can also witness the deadly shift of classes, the 11:30 a.m. class can become a 3:15 p.m. class keeping you in college that longer.

  •  Societies (oh, the drama!)

The society hype stands above all other self-acclaimed accolades of DU. The incessant number of forms filled, rounds of interviews and the introductory workshops. Maybe getting into an MNC is easier! Questions like, “Will you be able to sacrifice food, classes, attendance, relationships?” give you a major existential crisis. Sadly sometimes, students dedicate their entire college life for getting into a society, not because they actually want to be in it, but because they want to be a part of the hype. I guess you know which societies we’re thinking about!

 

  • The Election Season

If you felt that Delhi has an aggressive winter season, you never visited DU in the election season. Elections lean more towards littering, unnecessary Bharat Mata Ki Jai chants, brochure distribution and more cancelled classes than the actual purpose of elections, voting and student empowerment. Remember the “koi bhi dikkat ho toh bhai ko batana” (if you face any problem, let your brother know about it) you got from some seniors? It was for this day!

It’s time that DU pulls up its socks. The actual-DU and the glorified-DU are two different worlds! As different as the world we live in and Neverland. Like the cut-offs, even the DU standards should have inflated.

 

Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat

 

Priyanshi Banerjee

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 Chhavi Bahmba

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Campus Central

DU’s SOL Shifts to Shift 2.0

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With approximately 1.5 lac students enrolling every year in the various courses provided by the University, Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) aims to offer correspondence courses with no mandatory attendance against the regular courses of the University. 

The continual shortage of classrooms, faculties, and other facilities has continued to hinder the progress of the University and its students. Only recently, after switching to the semester mode of education, SOL is set to conduct all classes on Saturdays as well.

Despite three weeks since the inception of this academic session, the administration has only been able to carry sixty percent of the total classes, as opposed to previous years, where the turnout corresponded to only 10-20% of students, the number exceeded to about 30-40% in 2019, making the situation difficult for the administration, as claimed by Professor Ramesh Bhardwaj, Officer on Special Duty in SOL.

Professor Bhardwaj further quoted that the shift in the system from an annual mode to a semester mode has contribued to the problems all the more. Where the annual mode classes would have begun in October or November, the new semester mode, adopted by the SOL has pushed the timeline much forward than planned, for the first-time the students of the SOL will be studying under the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS), which will bring their courses on par with regular curriculum.

However, right from the start of the course, regular protests are being held by members of KYS, and other student organisations, expressing their grievance against the authorities in different parts of the University. Classes are being cancelled regularly and many times at the last minute, causing wastage of student’s time & energy. 

“We don’t mind the CBCS system being implemented, but they [administration] are clearly not prepared for it,” says Aarti Khush Wahab, a first-year student at SOL. 

The administration has further announced the dates for the examination to be in the first week of November, what with the inconsistent classes and inadequate study material, worsening the situation for the students. 

In response to issues mentioned above, the administration plans to hold classes in double shifts, Professor Bhardwaj said. Currently there are about 30 centres alloted to SOL for holding classes, the administration requires 70 more in near future. The step seems promising but its effectiveness seems to be a big question. 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Faizan Salik

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Arts Faculty

Revamping DU: Central Library Preservation, New Hostels and Academic Block

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The University of Delhi’s long-time pending demand for the construction of two hostels has finally bore fruit with the University ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). This stands as one of the key developmental issues that will take place in the University.

The University of Delhi (DU) along with the CPWD is planning to construct two hostels in the North and South Campus. A ‘400 bed capacity with double accommodation’ hostel is to be constructed in Mukherjee Nagar and the one in South Campus is yet to be finalised.

Currently, there are only 17 hostels in the University with a total capacity of 3,215 students whereas the total number of students for undergraduate, postgraduate, and certificate courses stands above a staggering number of 2,23,000 students. Having more hostels will bring better and safer living alternatives for the students of the University.

Along with the construction of the hostels, DU is also planning to preserve the century old Central Library as a ‘heritage building’. The Central Library is a host to a collection of 1,380 gifted books and functioned as a shifting space, until it found the present location at the Faculty of Arts in 1950. According to the plan, the library will be renovated and preserved along with the addition of another new block to it. The plan includes the construction of smart class rooms, seminar halls and an auditorium.

These two projects are spearheaded by CPWD along with the construction of a fully ‘digitalised Academic Block’ which will be located at the Maurice Nagar. The academic block will only be used for teaching purposes and will be constructed with digital and world class technology.

The University is working on more interesting plans and new technology for the students. As reported by The Pioneer, Mr. Tarun Das, Registrar, DU, said, “With the CPWD as the executing agency of the project, an estimated budget cost of the entire project is said to be 200 crores.”

The environment angle will duly be kept in check while all of these construction projects take place. Mr. Das also quoted, “Permissions need to be sought from environment department for felling trees.”

All of these projects stand as great stepping stones in bringing world class facilities to the university and making the spaces more accessible and centres of learning and ease for the students.

Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat

Amrashree Mishra

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How Much Pythagoras Theorem do you use in Real Life?

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How many things have we learned in our school life expecting to use them in reality which, we found out were in fact, a total waste of brain space?

From a very young age, an average Indian student is fed a healthy diet of multiplication tables, and an abundant number of formulas that they tend to cram up and carry with them for a period of more than 12 years. We adhere to these concepts for so long that the very idea of education becomes restricted to the ability to score well and not flunk, doesn’t matter if we actually learn something from it or not. Hence, eventually losing the ability to question the system.

I am sure we all believed at the age of 12 that by the looks of it, we would be using geometry on a daily basis. Yet, another day has passed and how much Pythagoras Theorem have you applied in real life? At some point in high school, we all get into geometric theorems and proofs, comparing triangles to other triangles, and a few other things that the Greeks had already figured out for us. But when it comes to applying them in real life, people just don’t encounter triangles in the wild pleading to be proved identical. Let us not forget how much we struggled with long division back in fourth grade. It was added to our math curriculum in an era when people smoked for their health and calculators were rare. Basically, the only people who use long division now are fourth-grade teachers teaching it to fourth graders.

Archimedes, the famous Greek Mathematician that contributed his fair share of principles and theorems, was considered highly intellectual. Lesser-known truth about his life is the cause of his death. When his city was captured and there were rage and terror everywhere, he was killed by a soldier, who mistakenly thought, the mathematical instruments Archimedes was carrying were valuable weapons and thus, killed him with his sword in anger. Which tells us how there’s actually a quite thick line between Maths and intelligence.

Our education system judges the mental level of students by seeing how accurate they are with math. Doesn’t matter if it’s anyone’s cup of tea or not. And it’s just not mathematics. We wouldn’t have struggled with History so much if instead of Jhum cultivation, or about how different rivers were named, we were made to read chapters on the stories written by the great Sadat Hasan Manto, who did not write words, but wrote emotions, covering every detail of those dark times, how various people of the society were affected differently.

Ironically, the word “Education” comes from the Greek word “Edukos”, which means ‘To Draw Forth From Within’. How very different from the prevailing schooling system which seeks the child’s soul to conform to the demands of a consumer-driven society, leaving us hackneyed. Imagine an education system so abominable that we make extra coaching, a thriving multimillion rupee industry with enough money to buy front-page ads, billboards and bus wraps.

When it’s said that education is the solution to various catastrophes of the world, it certainly doesn’t indicate what we studied about Mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell. Rather, it’s about educating and making the people aware about inequality, cyber crimes, taxes, poverty, homosexuality, and numerous other visions that give us the power and confidence to question the issues prevailing in the world. Seeing unhealthy patterns in the previous generations and deciding those patterns end with us is an extremely powerful decision which is, in fact, the basic expectation from this generation, something that can only be achieved from a liberal education system that doesn’t produce mules.

Now to answer the question, will you ever use Pythagoras theorem in real life? Dissentious. Unless one plans on making a career in mathematics, about which, are you sure?

 

Feature Image Credits: Pinterest

Avni Dhawan

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Reality Check: Mental Health Care in the University of Delhi

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The state of mental health care is in dire need of improvement so that it can cater to what is now emerging as one of the leading problems among students.

College life is perhaps the most unique part of a person’s life. It is a world away from the idiosyncrasies of the school. It is the beginning of a new life; a life which brings joy, ambition, and freedom. A life which also brings in stress, and anxiety. The stress of living away from home for the first time, the stress of becoming productive, the stress of getting into new relationships, and the stress of internals. As we find ourselves in this whirlpool of emotions, it gets very easy to lose track of ourselves.

“When we enter college life, it is drastically different from school, you leave your protected bubble and enter the real world. You do things you have never done before. And all that takes a toll on you, especially adjusting to a new life when you barely know anyone around you. A counsellor is a really good buffer zone to help you adjust to the new life and even deal with the great academic pressure,” said Nighat, a student of Psychology from Aryabhatta College.

This is where a college counsellor comes in. A counsellor is a professional designated by the institution to help students deal with their problems — be it mental, psychological, academic, social, or economic — in a productive and effective manner. While some colleges like Hindu College, Miranda House, and Daulat Ram provide a counsellor, there are many colleges without the provision for one. Even when colleges do provide a counsellor, they are often inaccessible to the students. On speaking to a number of students, we found that most were not aware of the presence of a counsellor on campus.

“It is very important to normalise and remove the stigma around seeking a counsellor. Sometimes, just talking to friends does not work. A counsellor is someone who can guide you better. It is only recently that I have seen changes in the perception regarding mental health. I have been working here since 2014. Earlier, the students used to come with hushed voices and quiet footsteps, to not alert anyone else. It is only now that I’m seeing a change where students come in more freely,” said a counsellor from a University of Delhi (DU) college.

With the increase of awareness, there has been a surge in the mental health events or workshops being conducted during “Mental Health Awareness Week” by the Psychology Departments of various colleges. These workshops are usually in collaboration with mental health organisations, where several University students also volunteer. These organisations have become very popular among young college students as they organise poetry sessions, anxiety management activities, and much more. Apart from the college counsellors, there is also the Delhi University Women’s Association which offers counselling services at nominal charges.

What should be noted is that the onus to work for better mental health should not begin and end in a designated mental health week. It should also not be restricted to departments. There should be a regular availability of a skilled counsellor, authorities should take the onus to ensure interactions between the counsellor and the students, and basic facilities should be provided for the same. Few college societies have worked towards this, by using peer mentoring and understanding the importance of catharsis through sharing.

The counsellors should be more involved within the fabric of the college, since becoming a familiar and approachable face is of utmost importance. For a long while now the importance of mental health has been undermined, and it is time that it gains the momentum it deserves.

 

Feature Image Credits: Friends’ Corner via Facebook

 

Satviki Sanjay

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Shivani Dadhwal

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Presidential Candidate Of Shaheed Bhagat Singh puts Blood, Sweat, and Tears to win the Election

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Student politics at the prestigious University of Delhi (DU) college Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (Morning) took a bizarre turn when the annual elections to the Students’ Union were marred by unprecedented violence that ended with a student sustaining an injury in his head.

The fiercely contested elections of 12th September witnessed a violent ruckus when the victim, Jatin Sahu’s head was bashed by a Presidential candidate, Vikas Nagar. At around 12:30 p.m., Nagar, along with his team, entered the canteen to campaign for the elections. Sahu, who supports Sandesh Kumar (another Presidential candidate) started campaigning for him, due to which the Nagar team got intolerant and resorted to violence. A video shot at the scene of incident wherein Sahu is blaming Nagar for the attack has been making rounds.

Interestingly, after only six hours of the incident, Jatin Sahu can be seen taking his statement back, and saying, “It is all sorted now.”

It is a shame that such incidents are becoming more and more common with every passing year. In 2017, the campus witnessed violent uprisings in Ramjas College. After Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Hyderabad Central University, DU’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (M) has become the new battleground for violent politics.

Ramesh* (*name changed) a third-year student of B.A. (Hons.) Political Science states, “How can someone just change their statement in six short hours after getting their head bashed? Clearly, he was pressured to do so.”

Sandesh Kumar quotes, “It is a shame to have witnessed such an incident. Clearly, the opposition played petty politics that led to such a violent act. I refuse to believe the statement released hours after the incident. If I win the elections, I will address this incident with serious gravity.”

Both, Jatin Sahu and Vikas Nagar were unavailable to give a quote.

“The college is guided by the values of ethics, integrity, national integration,” the College maintains. Yet, sadly, the administration has not taken a single step against the person responsible. It is high time to address such incidents with the seriousness they deserve as college is the ground that lies the first brick to change the politics of the country and clearly India needs leaders that can save the country from the turmoil it is facing.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Bhagyahree Chatterjee

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Arts & Culture

UGC Bans Single Use Plastic for Institutes of Higher Education

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Ahead of the nation-wide ban on plastics scheduled for 2nd October, University Grants Commission (UGC) issues guidelines to ban use of plastics in institutions, urges ‘Swachhata Hee Sewa’.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines to all the higher education institutions across the country to impose a ban on items made from single-use plastics such as bags, packaging materials, straws, and bottles. The move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’splan of launching a nation-wide revolution against single-use plastics from 2nd October this year, which will mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi – the face of the Swachha Bharat Campaign of the nation. The guidelines issued by the UGC state that the institutions of higher education across the country should systematically ban the use of plastic in their campuses and replace plastics with “environment friendly substitutes.” The guidelines also instruct that every higher education institution in the country should ban single-use plastics in its canteens, hostels and shopping complexes in the institution’s premises.

The guidelines also mandate that institutions must “carry out awareness drives and sensitization workshops on the harmful impacts of single-use plastics, mandate all students to avoid bringing non-bio-degradable plastic items to the institution, (and) install necessary alternative facilities like water units to avoid the use of plastic.”

Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day speech, had urged citizens to eliminate the use of single-use plastic, besides suggesting that shopkeepers should provide eco-friendly bags to the customers as an alternative. In his monthly “Mann Ki Baat” address subsequently, he had said that the time has come for the citizens to join hands in curbing single-use plastic.

The decision to curb the use of single-use plastics has been received with a positive response by the institutions of University of Delhi, with colleges such as Maitreyi College and Jesus and Mary College initiating ‘Green Walks’ and cleanliness drives across their campuses to encourage students to keep their plastic usage to the minimum. Dhara, the Eco-Club of Daulat Ram College also organized a drive to minimize the use of plastics in their campus.

The move by the UGC has been brought about keeping in mind the emergence of plastic wastes as one of the biggest environmental concerns adversely impacting soil, water and the health of citizens at large. Excess consumption of plastics combined with limited waste disposal systems in urban areas has become the challenge for disposal systems, and has choked the water bodies in these areas. According to the UGC, educational institutions have the unique spread and influence to educate the students and households on the need for avoiding the use of plastics and hence, it has issued the guidelines.

The guidelines also ask the higher education institutions, which have adopted villages under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, to undertake a campaign in their adopted villages till they are converted into ‘plastic-free villages’ through promoting awareness and encouraging shift to alternative products.

Feature Image Credits: The Hindu

Bhavya Pandey

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Uncategorized

DU Granted Status of Institution of Eminence

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University of Delhi (DU), along with IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, Hyderabad University and Banaras Hindu University, has been granted the status of Institution of Eminence by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).

On Thursday, 5th September 2018, the HRD Ministry granted the status of Institution of Eminence (IoE) to DU, along with four other public institutions- IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, Hyderabad University, and Banaras Hindu University.

The decision to grant IoEs to these institutions was preceded by a recommendation by the University Grant Commission (UGC) last month.

This decision is a part of a scheme promulgated by the HRD Ministry last year, wherein it would select 10 public, and 10 private institutions to be granted the status of IoE, and enjoy complete administrative and academic autonomy.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told The Hindu, “Till date, we have 16 institutions as IoEs, apart from which another 4 institutions where state government’s confirmation and commitment is awaited.”

Mr. Nishak also added, “A Letter of Intent for granting the IoE status has also been issued to five private universities — Amrita Vidyapeetham and Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu, Odhisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Jamia Hamdard University in Delhi and Satya Bharti Foundation’s Bharti Institute in Mohali. Shiv Nadar University in Noida and O. P. Jindal University in Sonipat have also been recommended by the selection panel. “These institutions will be required to submit their readiness for commencing academic operations as IoEs,”.

The government will be providing funding for up to INR 1,000 crore for public institutions with the IoE tag; however, no financial support will be provided for private institutions that have been granted the IoE status. They will, however, be applicable for more autonomy under the category of Deemed University. The IoEs also get to forgo inspections by the UGC.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Shreya Juyal

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Life of a Professor

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We all talk about the problems and difficulties in the lives of students, but we always forget to mention the difficulties that professors face.

The job of a teacher is considered as a fixed-time job by many. A lot of students talk about how a professor just has to come, speak for an hour, deliver lectures, and go back and enjoy the rest of the day. But the real question is that, is their job as easy as it is thought to be? The answer to this question comes in many forms. 

Becoming a professor is not just a day-job that can be turned off after working hours. It changes the way of life, as it changes the way one acts, and you cannot truly turn your academic brain off. Their job is not just restricted to the classroom. It is taken to their home as well. For instance, writing assignments is the work of students, but correcting them and offering ways for becoming better is the work of the teacher. Correcting assignments of 50 students is not done in a single day. If a student takes an hour to write a test, the professor will also need some time to read and correct it. It is a result of hours of hard work.

The work of a professor is also not limited to delivering lectures. It forms a much wider perspective. Once you become a teacher and are responsible for a bunch of students, you are not responsible just for their academics, but also their overall growth. Where the right or a positive professor can lead to the rise of a student, the negative one can lead to their fall. Everything a teacher does has the power to influence the students.

Bharati Jagannathan, a permanent faculty at Miranda House said, “The job of a professor is easier in comparison to other private corporate jobs as they have to work for longer shifts. However, there are other difficulties in our lives. It depends on what we are looking at. For instance, teaching the same paper over years is not difficult as we just need to brush up our knowledge. But taking a new paper increases the difficulty. We need to spend hours in college where we do not even have our personal space. The people in the administrative department have their cubicles, but we are required to share the same room with other professors. The work is also not confined to just college, as we need to prepare for our lectures, read and check assignments every day.”

Mridul Megha, an ad-hoc professor said, “Being a teacher is not easy, but it is exciting. Moreover, being an ad-hoc professor is a little difficult because the fear that we will have to sit for interviews again in the next semester and we might or might not get the job is always there at the back of our mind. As a result of this, we are also not able to associate ourselves with a single college.”

She further adds, “The notion that teaching is time-constrained is not very true. Teaching is a profession that is not restricted to just college. We need to prepare daily for our lectures and if we have 4 lectures then it is like preparing for 4 tests every day. We need to keep updating ourselves and that is not easy. In most of the other professions, the work stays confined to the workplace itself but as a teacher, we have to dedicate around 2-3 hours at home every day to reading.”

Balancing work, family, life, and self is demanding at times. Professional life is time-consuming and challenging. Thus, it can be said that the life of a professor is not easy. Just like every other professional, they have a hundred things to deal with, and they have a bigger responsibility of building the character of a student as well.

Feature Image Credits: DUB Archives 

Priya Chauhan

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