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The accessibility in communication has blurred the lines between formal and informal forms of communication. With information available to us at our fingertips, there’s an expectation to be constantly online and updated. There’s no excuse to not do so since notifications buzzing around us. However, what is the cost of information influx?

Ping. You just put your phone down and were about to take a moment to yourself to break away from the constant influx of messages and notifications. However, you just heard the high-pitched sound that itches you increasingly until you can’t control yourself and finally give in to your urges. Before you know it, the muscle memory of your fingers swiftly types your passcode, and you have finally accessed WhatsApp. No worries, though, since it was just your friend reacting to your previous text. Since you have already made an effort to open WhatsApp, you might as well casually scroll through a few unread messages. There is, however, no such thing as casual on WhatsApp, and you are now obligated to reply to those messages because you might as well do it now.

Many of us are chronically online due to the demands of accessible communication. Even subconsciously, we constantly crave stimulation because we are accustomed to how conveniently we can access information. Getting updated is considered the bare minimum in keeping up with today’s globalised world. Notifications play an important role in ensuring you are on top of all your commitments and updates. In some ways, notifications ease communication for us because we don’t have to go the extra mile to get updated. WhatsApp groups are synonymous with a college notification board as they are the only way to get crucial updates on any developments in regard to your classes and societies. Notifications are a necessity to survive the fast-paced nature of college. However, just as easily, they can become an overwhelming source of anxiety.

There are several mechanisms to reduce the impact of notifications. For most of us, it is keeping our phones on silent mode and returning to our phones at our convenience. However, since our phones are perpetually glued to us, the silent mode feature is almost redundant in shielding us from our notifications. However, you may mute your notifications which prevents notifications from even appearing on your home screen. As most of us are acquainted with, blindly muting our notifications often has repercussions on our professional and personal lives.

Turning off all my notifications hardly ever works for me. I just feel like as college students we don’t really have the luxury of just muting all our notifications because the messages that we receive from college often require our immediate attention. Even when I choose to get back to messages at a convenient to me, I’m bombarded with over 50 messages from different groups and it creates even more stress because I have to go through all those messages to make sure I didn’t miss out on anything important,” a first-year student discussed.

The first come, first serve basis is how opportunities are grasped in WhatsApp groups. Even a 30-second delay in response can lead you to lose an opportunity. This is exactly where the pressure starts to arise with notifications. There’s an inherent need to constantly be available and be the first person to take hold of such opportunities. Although showing initiation may appear to be the bare minimum form of showing commitment, over time the constant influx of messages and notifications takes a toll on your ability to respond. The continuous notifications eventually cause lethargy and you lose track of keeping up with important developments.

“I remember the first day of college when all of a sudden I was added to so many groups and in those groups there were links to other groups. Official groups, unofficial groups, opportunity groups, and students of 2025/26 groups. It was so overwhelming trying to keep up with all of it because you are new to college and you are already stressed enough and you don’t want to miss out on important updates. I remember I joined a group a few hours later, and the entire CR elections had already been conducted and I had absolutely no clue about it,” a first-year student observed.

In the interest of professional commitments, somehow personal commitments take a back seat. In the wake of keeping up with emails and WhatsApp messages, answering texts from your friends and family may seem trivial. Due to this, your personal relationships suffer as you may not actively contribute towards staying in touch due to the lethargy that accompanies meeting your professional updates.

I have all my groups from college pinned. Since there are over 25 of them, I hardly even see messages from my friends because there is always something going on in my college groups. And they are very important and if I don’t get back to them in a few hours, I’m usually tagged. It becomes so draining trying to keep up with all this that I just completely forget that I haven’t even replied to my friend who texted me 2 days ago” lamented a student.

The urgency that accompanies notifications often is fueled by an intrinsic need to be available and immediately deal with the issue. Over time, just the mere sound of a notification can cause a wave of anxiety due to the urgency it creates. They can also be very overwhelming especially when the group chats are spammed with messages that compel you to answer them immediately. In the process, you start disassociating yourself from your surroundings and remain stuck with the updates and commitments. Due to the accessibility of your presence, answering texts carve away your relaxation time and blur the boundaries between your priorities.

Especially with utilizing multiple devices, we are even more charged with notifications. Our laptops, phones, iPads and Tablets are constantly buzzing with notifications from all sorts of social media applications. Although disconnecting from the chaos of our devices is intimidating, protecting our mental peace is much more crucial. Sometimes we may miss catching up on our emails and texts but instead of feeling guilty about it, we need to assert boundaries and compartmentalize our priorities to preserve our sanity and peace.

Image Credits: Macworld

Read Also: https://dubeat.com/2017/09/30/in-the-age-of-phone-fare/

Sri Sidhvi Dindi

[email protected]

The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad organised a protest at the Aryabhatta College on 21st June, in order to express concerns regarding student safety and student welfare in the campus. The college administration received condemnation from the protestors for apathy and indifference towards student issues.

On the 21st of June, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised a protest at Aryabhatta College in the South Campus of the University of Delhi. The protest was reportedly organised in order to condemn the inability of the college administration to ensure student safety in and around the college campus. On 18th June, a 19-year-old student named Nikhil Chauhan was allegedly stabbed to death outside the Aryabhatta College. The protestors blamed administrative negligence and poor security conditions around the college campus for the murder.

The protest, which was scheduled at 10:30, finally began at 11:30 and lasted for about 2 hours. The protestors reportedly bolted the college gates, not allowing students and faculty members to enter the campus. The protestors raised ‘vande mataram’ slogans and ‘bharat mata ki jai’ chants while asserting their demands.

The members of the ABVP made a list of demands that included – recruiting more female security guards, ensuring the availability of sanitary pad vending machines, renovating washrooms across the college campus etc. While some of the demands were specific and aimed at student welfare, other demands such as – “proper and strict action should be taken against incapable and abusive admin staff” were vague and incomprehensible. The protestors were mostly men and very few women were present at the site.

A student getting murdered right outside our college is a big deal. This could have been prevented. No action was taken by the admin staff even though they were aware of the fight between the victim and the accused that happened a week before the murder. The administration has been apathetic to student concerns. Students have to struggle for days even to solve minor issues. Our sports ground has been out of use for the past four months. We have made a list of demands addressing these concerns that we intend to place before the principal.” – Tarun Yadav, ABVP President for Aryabhatta College

The students, after staging the protest outside the college, marched inside the campus, raising slogans and vocalising their demands. The members of the ABVP expressed that they intend to place their demands in a meeting with the principal. There was tussle between the members of the admin and the protestors that resulted in chaos. Four representatives of the ABVP finally met with the principal and a meeting was held in order to discuss the concerns raised by the protestors. After the meeting, the members informed the protestors that almost all their demands had been readily accepted by the principal.

There was considerable police presence at the protest site. On being asked about how they feel about the deployment of police forces at the college, an ABVP representative stated that the police was present to help them carry out the protest without interference.

The police forces are not here to suppress our protest. They are here to ensure our security and to prevent any unwanted interference from other parties.” – Tarun Yadav, ABVP President for Aryabhatta College

Read also – https://dubeat.com/2023/06/20/a-delhi-university-student-stabbed-to-death-outside-of-aryabhatta-college/

Featured Image Credits – Pratik for DuBeat

Tulip Banerjee

[email protected]

A 19-year-old student from the University of Delhi was allegedly stabbed to death outside of Aryabhatta College.

 

On Sunday, in front of Aryabhatta College in South Campus, a 19-year-old Delhi University student, named Nikhil Chauhan,  was allegedly stabbed to death. A week ago, one of the accused had allegedly harassed a woman friend of the victim, to which he had objected, said a senior police officer in conversation with The Hindu.

On Sunday, around 12:30 pm, the key accused and three of his accomplices met with Nikhil outside the College and stabbed him in the chest, the police stated. He was later rushed to the Charak Palika Hospital, where he was declared dead. CCTV footage has surfaced online, which, captured near the college, purportedly showed the accused escaping on scooters and a bike.

While talking to The Hindu, Nikhil’s father had this to say

We deserve justice, this is not what we send our children to school for.” He further stated, “I received a call at 12 p.m. that Nikhil has been injured, I rushed to the hospital, but by the time I reached, he passed away.”

The victim, who has been survived by his two brothers and parents who live in West Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, worked as a part-time model. His parents have said that he loved modelling and acting, taking part in many competitions in the city.

My son was also into modelling. He told me that he also wants to study political science to have vast knowledge about our country. He had a bright future. We don’t know what to do now,”

– said Mr Chauhan.

A case under IPC 302(murder) has been registered and an investigation is ongoing to apprehend the accused-who have been identified, the police have said.

“It is very unfortunate and sad that a young life has been lost and that also just outside the college where students come to learn and make career.”  said a Delhi University spokesperson in a statement to The Hindu.

 

Feature Image Source: DU Beat Archives

Read Also: Mismanagement and Arbitrary Decisions taken at Meghdoot Hostel

Vanshika Ahuja

[email protected]

 

The residents of Meghdoot Hostel have expressed dismay upon their living conditions and have alleged that various arbitrary decisions have been taken by the authorities. The accusations have mostly been levelled against the former provost of the Hostel, Dr Pratibha Mehta Luthra, who has reportedly recently retired from her Hostel duties.  

Meghdoot Hostel is one of the two University hostels for women in North Campus. It primarily admits masters and PhD students. It has been reported that after the pandemic, quite a few hostels were not well equipped to take in fresh students. In Meghdoot Hostel most students were admitted as guest residents and were asked to pay a higher fee. It has been alleged that there was complete lack of transparency in the admission process. The basis on which students were admitted into the hostel is unclear and whether university guidelines were followed is in question. Reportedly, a disproportionately high number of science students, particularly students from Dr B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research – the institution in which the former provost is a faculty member-were given permanent seats.

Students who were not given a permanent seat were asked to vacate on a short notice. Those who were about to complete their courses requested for brief extensions so that they could be allowed to stay at the hostel until the completion of their courses. Most of these requests were denied. Asking students to vacate their rooms on a short notice caused immense disruption as many of them did not have any other place to stay.

“My dissertation submission was on the 15th of June. I simply needed a 15-day extension. My application for extension was approved by the Department Head as well. Yet, the provost denied me an extension and refused to listen to my concerns” – a former resident of the hostel who wishes to remain anonymous

The former provost had reportedly undertaken the task of establishing a Saraswati idol in the Hostel premises. While the hostel often fell short of ensuring basic necessities for the residents, it was alleged that a considerable amount of the funds was spent in the establishment and maintenance of the idol. Multiple Hindu religious events such as havans and pujas were organised and it has been alleged that the students were coerced to participant in them. However, this has been refuted by a resident who stated that although religious gatherings and events were organised, attending them was a matter of choice. After the establishment of the idol, the hostel authorities stopped non-vegetarian food from being served in the mess. When this decision was met with complaints, the provost reportedly reasoned that non-vegetarian food cannot possibly be allowed in the hostel premises as the piety of the space had to be maintained due to the presence of the idol.

“We were repeatedly asked to participate in the events organised by the hostel. We were told that non participation in these events would affect our applications for permanents seats. Women from all over the country, from diverse cultures and different faiths, reside in our hostel. They were all asked to attend havans early in the morning. The prejudice that the provost had was very evident. – a resident of Meghdoot hostel who requested to remain anonymous

DU Beat contacted the members of the managing committee and the former provost to respond to the allegations.

“Thank you for kindly communicating with me on the matter. I held a meeting with the students on 2nd June 2023 in the matter. The response from them has been communicated to the management committee. Everything has been done as per rule and based on the request from the students.”  – Dr Pratibha Mehta Luthra, Provost, Meghdoot Hostel

Reportedly a new provost has been appointed to the hostel. The students hope that their concerns are taken care of with greater sincerity in future.

Featured image credits: Joon Square

Read also – https://dubeat.com/2023/04/30/lsr-hostel-student-suffers-injuries-after-ceiling-collapse/

DU Beat

Hindu college students face possible suspension for having protested against the decision to reduce the 3-day college fest ‘Mecca’ to just 1. They have been asked to pay a heavy fine; failing to do so may lead to their being barred from writing exams. The affected students have held a meeting with the principal, hoping for the withdrawal of the notice.

On April 20th and 21st, students at Hindu College held protests against the administrative decision to wrap up the three-day fest “Mecca” in just one day. Eventually, the authorities allowed for a two-day fest. On May 8, more than a week after the fest, the administrative body issued a notice suspending the protesting students for two months. The notice states that the protesting students blocked the principal’s way, not allowing her to go for a meeting. It further accuses the students of causing damage to college property as well as “maligning and misrepresenting the college on social and print media platforms”. Furthermore, the students have been informed that they would be barred from writing their semester exams should they fail to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000 by May 12th. According to the notice, the students would also be barred from holding positions of responsibility in the college.

Reportedly, 30–35 students have been suspended and fined. One of our sources informed us that some of the students who have been suspended were not part of the protest but were simply part of the general crowd. They alleged that these students had been arbitrarily named and punished by the college authorities. The protestors claim that the protest was conducted in an organised and orderly manner. One of the protestors stated that the students would organise a protest against the action if the notice was not withdrawn.

What has happened is extremely wrong and arbitrary. Many of the students who are affected by this action were not part of the activity and had nothing to do with the protest. We strongly condemn this action. The protest was not organised by any political group. It was an independently organised protest by the students of our college.

– A student of Hindu College who wishes to remain anonymous

Later in the day, the student body held talks with the principal in order to discuss the concerns of both sides. One of our sources states that the outcome of the meeting is expected to be positive. During the meeting, students expressed their concerns, and the principal reportedly attempted to hear them out and responded to their demands. The students hope that the suspension order will be withdrawn, although there is still some ambiguity around the removal of the fine and the complete dismissal of the notice.

We reasoned with the principal that various students cannot afford to pay the fine as it is a humongous amount. Many of us live off less than Rs. 10,000 a month. It is cruel to demand such a large sum from students. We hope that ma’am understands our concerns and waives off the fine.

– A student of Hindu College who wishes to remain anonymous 

Some of the students have their exams scheduled in less than a week, and the possibility of suspension and the imposition of a heavy fine has caused outrage and agony among many. The students are deeply disturbed by the notice and are keen on resolving the matter at the earliest possible time.

Read also: Hindu College Students Protest for Annual Fest ‘Mecca’

Featured Image Credits: Keshavi for DU Beat

Tulip Banerjee
[email protected] 

The hustle culture at DU is never-ending. Just when you feel you can take a breather, the competition season arrives—the politics, the implications, and, most importantly, the cut-throat rivalry. Just winning a prize is not enough anymore. The hierarchies add a different dimension to an already competitive environment. Read on to find out a first-year student’s account and reflections on the competition season at DU.

Congratulations! You just cracked the Common University Entrance Exam (CUET), surpassing lakhs of students to get admission at Delhi University (DU). You have just started to dip your toes into the hustle culture that perpetuates every fiber of this prestigious university. In a fit of enthusiasm and a promise of progress, you inevitably fall into the maze of toxic society culture. You feel absolutely desolate and frustrated, but at least the fest season is approaching. In a fit of hope, you drag yourself through the tedious internal and semester examinations. You are on the brink of exhaustion, but at least now you rightfully deserve to celebrate during the fest season. However, something surprises you. You overhear murmured whispers among students discussing the competitions they will be participating in during college fests. Welcome to the plight of college students.

What are these Competitions?

By competitions, we are essentially referring to the events conducted by specific departments and societies during their annual fest. Competitions are an opportunity for departments and societies to interact with students from other colleges, leading to a lively spirit of collaboration. Among the most popular are case study competitions, slam poetry competitions, debate competitions, and quizzes. Participants are expected to register through Unstop and pass through the preliminary rounds before being shortlisted for further rounds. The hefty prizes as well as the CV boost incentivize the participants to compete with hundreds of other contestants scattered across the University.

This competition culture is a very integral part of the cultural intricacies that dominate DU. The close affiliation of colleges and their interconnected functioning play an essential role in organising competitions in such capacities. This allows students to easily navigate, network, build connections across various colleges, and participate. The number of colleges and the vast number of events that are conducted provide a plethora of opportunities for students to find a competition suitable for their niche interests.

“Immediately after our academic symposium, the craze to participate in competitions has shot up. It’s like everybody is on Unstop looking for case competitions suddenly. It feels like apart from academics, one must excel at this too” – Manvi Goel, a first-year student lamented.

The Politics of Competitions

Similar to most things in life, there is a fraction of luck involved in the process of participating in these competitions. It all begins with finding the right partner. Usually, most competitions require participation in teams of two to four, and so the hunt for the right partner begins. Working with the right partner greatly increases the morale of the student, and with the right efforts, their teamwork can drive them to great heights. Specifically, in the context of competitions, your rapport with your partner plays an important role, and your complementary attitudes will reflect heavily during the presentation of your competition.

“Mostly in competitions, the rounds that come up are extremely on the stop. If you have a good rapport with your partner, you will be able to explain things better, and your partner will be able to understand it well and translate it into better content for the presentation or explain it while answering during Q&A rounds. In case you are not comfortable with your team members, you will not be able to deliver to your 100% potential. Having that rapport gives you the encouragement that whatever may be the consequence, we did our best and we learned so much, and it then develops into a really nice friendship.” – Dhaani Sood, a first-year student discussed.

However, finding the right partner is a tumultuous task. This is certainly where the element of luck comes into play. Usually, students choose to partner with their friends because a background of understanding has already been established. However, when your friend circle is inclined towards different interests, reaching out to try and build a network outside of your friend circle can cause a great deal of stress.

“The process of finding the correct team is often rough and takes time. If there’s anything I have learned in the journey of finding a cohesive team, it’s that teamwork is the bedrock of success in any competition. I have had experiences where the lack of team coordination was the major reason for our underperformance. A team works better when each member takes accountability for the task assigned to them rather than burdening an individual with the entire work. One should remember that the sum is always greater than the parts” – Ananya Pandey, a first-year student

A lot of dirty politics come into play while enrolling in competitions through Unstop. Usually, the first round of elimination is conducted through an online quiz via UnStop. Often, students can be seen enrolling themselves through several fake emails to participate in the quiz and get an understanding of all the questions and answers. Later, they enrol through their official email address and answer all the questions promptly. This gives them an edge in the following rounds, where the participants with the least time are only allowed to proceed. Such malpractices are often hard to detect in an online and unsupervised space. Although some organisers may severely restrict the time limits, such unethical practises are unavoidable in the race for the first position.

Nowadays, just securing a prize has become the bare minimum. A certain hierarchy exists along with the nature of competition. Case study competitions are usually considered the most prestigious competitions to secure a prize in, specifically those surrounding the topics of entrepreneurship and finance. The obsession with securing a prize in such competitions is hugely fueled due to the immense benefits they add during the recruitment process for internships and companies. Although the amount of effort required for the preparation of case studies is immensely more demanding than other competitions, it often creates a demoralising spirit among participants who are not inclined towards such interests. An additional layer is added when the prestigious factor of colleges is added. Students specifically choose to compete in the so-called Tier-1 colleges across the University due to the spark it adds to their CVs.

So is it worth it?

In some sense, you can’t escape the demands that accompany the very being of a college student. Competition is a fundamental requisite of the environment you are exposed to. It can be very discouraging, but at the same time, when you succeed, it provides you with a boost of confidence. The solution always comes down to your priorities and passions. You cannot compete with everyone for everything, so choose the battles that will genuinely challenge you.

Read also: Toxic Culture of DU Societies: Seniors with Junior Mindsets

Featured Image Credits: BM Law College

Sri Sidhvi Dindi
[email protected] 

A first-year resident of the LSR hostel suffered major injuries when the ceiling of a bathroom stall collapsed. Students raised concern over the safety measures of the hostel and expressed their frustrations over the college’s lack of accountability. The incident occurred among previous allegations against the functionality of the hostel, such as food poisoning, irregular water supply, obsolete infrastructure, and a lack of air conditioning facilities.

On March 27, at around 8:15 in the morning, a first-year resident at the Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) hostel was severely injured when the ceiling of the bathroom stall disintegrated and collapsed on top of her. The student was immediately hospitalised due to debilitating injuries to her arms and legs. The incident has raised several concerns regarding the safety precautions and the obsolete infrastructure of the hostel.

When the incident occurred, the students heard a loud crashing noise emerging from the bathroom cubicles and a screaming noise. The injured student was trapped inside the bathroom and was unable to unlock the bathroom door due to her injuries. The nearby students immediately notified the superintendent of the hostel, who lives right opposite the bathroom and allegedly had not heard the collapse of the ceiling or the wailing of the injured student.

The superintendent was unable to push through the bathroom door without further injuring the student. Immediately, four men were called, and they assisted the student and accompanied her to her room. However, adequate support was delayed, and the student did not receive immediate care due to the technicalities of the hostel administration.

“They had first taken the student to her room and offered her tea. She did not get medical attention immediately, which is very weird, and they were saying that they needed a legal guardian for her to be taken to the hospital, which did not happen eventually. They ended up taking her themselves to the Moolchand Hospital. The hostel did pay for her because it was the hostel’s fault that this happened.” – A student and resident of the LSR hostel

The bathroom stall had been immediately closed and placed under supervision for further maintenance. Later, at 7 p.m., the head and assistant warden of the hostel organised a meeting to discuss the incident. They blamed the occurrence of the accident on the debilitating infrastructure of the hostel. Apparently, the hostel required constant maintenance, and the most recent repairs were made around September 2022. However, several students raised concerns regarding the quality of such renovations.

“Renovation of the building is not enough because the foundation of the building itself is not concrete. The architecture is very old, and the pipelines are iron, so they have rusted. The ceilings also have issues. It’s a problem with the infrastructure. Whenever we tell the warden, we are given the same response: that the hostel is a very old building, and Delhi University (DU) does not give any funds. To fully renovate the hostel, at least a year is required, and in that case, they cannot offer the facilities of the hostel for an entire year.” – LSR student and hostel resident who was present in the meeting

In the meeting, it was also stated that starting the following day, checks will be administered in all the bathrooms to ensure safety precautions. However, students are raising concerns over the safety measures of the hostel, as the bathroom stall where the incident occurred is considered to be one of the “safe” stalls. When the students expressed their frustrations over the lack of accountability on behalf of the college, the administration warned the students to vacate the hostel if they were dissatisfied with the facilities offered by the hostel.

“It felt like they were threatening us by saying they will close the hostel. They were saying that if we want proper renovations, they will need to tear down the building and the students will be required to vacate the hostel. This is, of course, not feasible for many students, who will not be able to find such accommodations on such short notice. They also said that if we want renovations with more qualified people, they will increase our fees, and the next year students will blame us for the increase in fees.” – LSR student and hostel resident

The parents of the injured student visited the premises to accompany their daughter to their hometown. The student will remain in her hometown for a few weeks to recover from her injuries.

Read also: LSR Invites Controversial Politician Anurag Thakur as Guest, Students Raise Objection

Featured Image Credits: Lady Shri Ram College Website

This June, remember to hold onto your anger and pain as you set out to celebrate your pride. Pride was, never a celebration alone to begin with. It was and will always, remain a fierce riot.

When I joined DU Beat, I was a lost correspondent with too many opinions on Netflix and zero knowledge about graphics ideation. But one thing I knew for sure was that I wished to write stories rooted in my immediate cultural experiences. Stories about people. Stories about students. Stories about queerness.

I never viewed queerness as something that was associated with a sexual identity but rather as something that served as a deviation from a set norm. Queering of narratives, discourses, readings and even something like non-linear documentation of time always interested me. As a marginal figure in my most immediate circles while growing up, I felt the need to understand and by extension empathise with anything that occupied a position of marginality around us.

Ever since I stepped foot into DU, I realised that there are hardly any places more queer than those afforded by educational spaces – where marginal social identities offset hundreds of students from the larger crowd of normal adherence. And such varsity spaces become intersectional convergence points for glorious bonhomie – and sometimes sites of extreme cruelty. Taking pride in visiblising intersectional identities in university spaces like ours are more often than not the share of a privileged few – their economic and social position allowing them affordances most are denied. The same identity that becomes the pride of a select few – comes at a cost for others. For most people of such social minority identities, making common knowledge of your lower caste identity comes at the cost of having your narrative being baited by upper caste saviours, your gender identity becomes a double edged sword in your path of progress and your sexuality a constant site of speculation and amusement for those around you.

But amidst the pride colours, pride watchlists and other glittery extravaganza is the overlooked loneliness of growing up queer. To survive a childhood of conflict with your truest point of self-identification, knowing that perhaps the biggest truth about you will always be held as a questioned truth by those around you and eventually coming to a city this big and finding yourself lost amidst a sea of unknown faces – each presenting to you hierarchies of power previously unknown to you. You are immediately swept into a whirlwind of heterosexual college romances, and your heart yearns for that singular same-sex romance that you only see in your annual token queer Netflix romantic comedy and before you know it you have set sail on the flood-prone waves of the hookup culture. Eventually your life is a string of making your way from one bed to another, from looking for ‘spots’ and asking for ‘places’.

But every year in June, corporations and allies around you urge you to forget this language of heartbreak and make you drown in their definition of a glitzy celebration of queerness. To all those queer souls lost this Pride month – to you I say, remember Pride began as a protest, a riot to be precise. Take the anger in your heart and hold onto it – for being queer comes at great pain of surviving a staunchly heterosexual society. To all the allies planning your next pride march, make sure to administer a consensual hug to the next queer you meet this month – queerness is a struggle with loneliness and for all your good intent some loneliness of the self that will take this community an entire life to overcome.

Anwesh Banerjee

[email protected]

 

The UGC-approved guidelines make internships compulsory for students pursuing undergraduate courses. The guidelines come after the UGC’s previous attempt at bolstering student participation in internships and other similar activities. Read to find out more.


On Tuesday, 10th May 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) approved the guidelines for making research internships compulsory for students pursuing undergraduate courses. These guidelines come in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which also aimed at making such internships compulsory for all graduation courses. The guidelines mention two purposes of these internships– “to enhance employability of an individual student” and “to develop research aptitude of an individual student”.

 

The integration of Research, Innovation and Technology Development is the foundation of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India). An institutionalisation of Research Internship at Undergraduate Levels is expected to play a pivotal role in catalysing inter-disciplinary/multi-disciplinary/transdisciplinary and translational research culture embedded in NEP 2020,” read the guidelines from UGC.

 

Internship Length

 

While this step makes internships compulsory for all students, the length of the internship would depend upon the duration of the course a student might be pursuing. Students pursuing a four-year degree course with research would have to do 10 weeks of internship along with one year of actual research work. The students pursuing a four-year undergraduate course without research will also have to do at least 8-10 weeks of internship. Even in the case of students wishing to exit their FYUP programme after the second or the fourth semester, the completion of one internship of 8-10 weeks is compulsory.

 

ugc internships

Source: news.careers360.com

 

Credit System

The completion of the internship would award the student with 10 credits upon a completion of 450 hours. This means that 1 credit implies a minimum of 45 hours of engagement in internship work and activities. Students in FYUP would have to complete an internship amounting to a minimum of 20 credits.

In addition, the UGC has also proposed to respective higher education institutions (HIEs) to offer Research Ability Enhancement Courses (REAC) worth 10 credits.

Few Research Ability Enhancement Courses (RAEC) in research and analytical tools and techniques, worth 10 credits, to be offered during the 7th semester as pre-requisite courses for 4-year degree (Research) students, …. Research work in the form of dissertation/project work preferably in interdisciplinary/multi-disciplinary/trans-disciplinary areas worth 30 credits,” read the draft.

 

Research Supervisors

Under research projects, students will be attached to research supervisors, preferably belonging to other HEIs, for a specified duration at the research facility of the supervisors to conduct a time-bound internship project. Students would be given hands-on training in research equipment, methodologies, techniques, etc., and would learn other aspects of research training, allowing them to gain experience.

 

Research internship experience can be gained by working with faculty/ scientists in education institutes, research institutions, industrial research labs, nationally reputed organisations and individual persons distinguished in specific fields,” the guidelines read. 

 

Application

Students would be allowed to apply for internships on their own or through faculty mentors by registering on an online portal. After registration and application, students will be selected based on the selection criteria specified under different internships. Further communication would take place with the potential intern through the portal itself or via email, with the host organisation asking for confirmation or acceptance. After that, the students can join the internship upon getting permission from the parent organisation.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

Student will undergo internship in the supervisor’s lab/ working space at the host organisation. During the period of internship, the parent HEI through the mentor will arrange to keep track of the activities and performance of students as interns at the host organisation, based on periodic reports submitted by students,” the draft reads.

 

After completing the internship, the students will also have to submit an internship report, copies of which will be submitted to their parent organisation and the host organisation. 

 

Upon completion of the internship, the student would be given a certificate by the organisation.

 

Read also: “Ensure Reserved Category Seats Are Not Left Vacant, DU VC is Urged”

Feature image: Financial Express

 

Manasvi Kadian

[email protected]

DU students organised a protest at Arts Faculty, North Campus to attract Delhi University authorities’ attention towards their demand for online examinations for all semesters of DU.


Following an earlier protest which was organised on 7th March 2022, students of Delhi University held another protest on 11th March 2022, demanding online examinations (or OBE) for all students, including those belonging to semesters other than the first semester. This protest was held at Arts Faculty, North Campus, Delhi University and students showed up in massive numbers to support this demand for OBE for the ongoing semesters.

 

These offline protests were accompanied by online protests which involved sharing of posters on stories and using the hashtag ‘#Hybridmodeshouldbeachoice’ and ‘#OnlineExamForAllSemestersOfDU’. This also led to the signing and filling of an online petition form which was then to be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University on 11th March itself.

 

After the massive re-opening protests in the beginning of February, these protests highlighting the problems of re-opening and offline classes have brought forward the irony and duality of being a Delhi University student. 

 

The student protesters believe that OBE mode of examination is the only form in which examination should be taken in such a scenario wherein almost 70-80% of the syllabus has been covered during online classes. 

For 2 years we have been giving online exams and online assignments and now suddenly the colleges have opened and (offline) internals have started… It will take time to adapt ourselves to the university environment; and we haven’t gotten that much time. Majority of our syllabus has been completed online. Only the latter 30% is being taught in offline (mode) and then you are expecting that we give offline exams so obviously that is a problem for us,” says Anubhav, a 3rd year UG student from Ramjas.

 

Many students have also raised concern over the fact that while all the colleges have opened, hostels have not. This means that in addition to all the other problems and issues that the students are facing, they also have to find a place to stay at a very short notice. This comes with an extreme rise in PG prices and rents, something that cannot be ignored when talking about students coming from different economic backgrounds.

I saw yesterday that the mother of a student was crying that please get my daughter a hostel, a room. They haven’t thought about where the students are going to stay. All they have said is that come and give offline exams,” continues Anubhav.

 

Many of the post-graduate students have also highlighted the problem of having to leave the jobs that they had taken up or the examinations they were preparing for.

We have already started pursuing our different (professional) lines and we have started the studies for the same. Now you are expecting that we switch over, so obviously it isn’t that easy. It isn’t easy to do so in a Master’s (degree),” said a student from Hansraj College.

 

Following these protests from Friday, a group of student protestors was called in front of the examination decision-making authority, that is, the Dean of Examinations, to discuss the issue and address the students’ demands. This was done without the presence of the Vice-Chancellor due to his absence during that time.

First of all, they said that majority of the students want to give offline exams. On that, we showed them the 7000 forms (petition forms) that had been filled after which they said that they would mediate upon this and get back to us,” said Divyanshu Singh Yadav, who has been very vocal and visible at the protests and has been constantly urging students to support the cause through the medium of videos on an Instagram page dedicated to this cause, ‘du_online_mode_2022’.

At present, no clear decision has been taken in response to these students’ protests yet.

 

Read also ‘CYSS Vivekananda College Demands ‘No Classes’ on Saturdays’ 

Feature Image Credits: YouTube (@Gaurav Doraha)

 

Manasvi Kadian

[email protected]