– Shraddha Gupta

On September 18 nearly 300 students, teachers and non teaching staff of the DU from across the city participated in a protest rally under the aegis of the Safe University Campaign to present a Charter of Demands to the Vice-Chancellor to demand that the campus be made a zero tolerance zone towards sexual harassment.

The Policy on Sexual Harassment and Ordinance XV (D) was passed after a sustained campaign by the university community between 2001-2003. Under the requirements of the ordinance each college is mandated to form required committees of UUCC, CCC and CPCC to create awareness about sexual harassment and to inquire into any complaints, whose ruling would have been binding on the college authorities. However a study conducted by the SUC revealed that the implementation of the ordinance was abysmal. Nearly 90% of the respondents agreed that sexual harassment was a major problem in the campus yet they were clueless about the existence of such an ordinance. In many colleges the required committees had not been formed.

The aim of the rally was also to generate awareness and to create public pressure on the administration to take up the issue on a scale as massive as that of the Anti-ragging and Anti-smoking campaigns, both of which have been highly successful. Some of the demands included allocation of a permanent space in each college for the display of the names and contact numbers of the members of the Complaints committee and making each university member sign an undertaking at the beginning of the year saying that he/she is aware of the Ordinance. The protestors also demanded that the University should ensure that all colleges have active Sexual Harassment Complaints Committees and Gender Sensitization Committees as per the Ordinance and that these bodies should be made more accountable.

The delegation received a mixed response from the administration and a date for a follow up meeting has been fixed. The campaign is an ongoing movement and they hold public meetings every Tuesday at 4 PM in the arts faculty to which concerned students are invited to show their support for the cause.

Numerous self-governing educational institutions intend to take a slew of measures including a hike in the tuition fee and charging a fee for internet usage as the government has asked them to generate additional wherewithal from the students. This move was announced a day after the release of a circular by the HRD Ministry stating that there would be a mandatory reduction of 10 percent in non-plan expenditure in the period 2009-10 as a part of the austerity drive and these organizations must extract money from students through strategies like raising the tuition fee and even withdrawal of hostel subsidies to name a few.

Prof Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor of the Delhi University adds, “We would like to revise it. Besides, we will take user charges for internet.” Though there are bound to be a lot of changes, no final verdict has been given. He explains further, “The matter of fee revision will go to the academic council which is the apex body to take a decision on the matter.” IIT has already adopted a few steps which include charging students for power usage in hostels as well as internet.

Delhi university, in a recently established agreement with a non profit organization, Dhriti has introduced an entrepreneurship course in certain colleges across the varsity. A three-month entrepreneurship course was initiated in SRCC, and then went on to be conducted in Ramjas, Gargi and Miranda House. The specialty of this course is that instead of just sticking to conventional theoretical practice and guest lectures; it encourages the students to initiate their own venture with the help of a live project. Dhriiti is a unique organisation that promotes and protects Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and helps build and create a spirit of entrepreneurship amongst the next generation of Indians, the youth.

How do I make money out of my passion? What if I start my own business? But how? What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Who’ll support me?

If these are the questions which come into your mind every now and then and if you think you have the aptitude to start your own venture, then you don’t need to stop on these questions anymore, for all you wanted to know about entrepreneurship is now be available to you in Delhi University.

The concept of entrepreneurship among the youth is a highly new concept in India while it has been going on successfully in the US and its counterparts since a long period, and this course is here to promote just that.

The next session starts in the third week of October in LSR. Colleges like Miranda House and LSR have also started their own entrepreneurship cell to promote entrepreneurship among its students. Ambika Ghughe, President of the Entrepreneurship Cell in Miranda House states, “Academic inclination in Delhi University is high, but not directly in tune with what is required in the real world. Students, through this initiative, get the feel of how initiatives are taken in a corporate world, and view the same not from the point of view of an employee but an employer.” The cell has also recently collaborated with the Miranda House Vatavaran Project dealing with recycling and plans to take it on a higher level.

The students also get the opportunity to interact with prospective funders based on the credibility of their project via the course. The course is also supplemented with an exposure trip to study the working of an enterprise. Last year the students were taken to the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). All that the students require to be a part of this course is to have the attitude, aptitude, an idea, and the zeal to bring it to life.

The Delhi University, in collaboration with the British Council took part in the UKIERI-Study India Programme between 7^th September and 10^th September. Four colleges from DU, namely St.Stephens, Kirori Mal College, Shri Ram College of Commerce and Sri Venkateswara College took part in this exchange programme. Students from various Universities across Britain came to India for a three week study tour.

On the first day, Mr.Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor of DU, addressed the students on the agrarian crisis, which was well received, by the students from DU and Britain. It was then followed by a presentation by an Official from the Department of Food on the food crisis in India and its effects which in turn was followed by DU Darsan, an initiative by SIFE where they saw many historic monuments in and around North Campus.

On the second day students went to the respective colleges they had been assigned to. In SRCC, they had a lecture with Mr. Amit Sachdeva (who also won the Best Teacher award in DU this year and was felicitated by APJ Abdul Kalam) . It was an interactive and fun learning session, the format being new for the British students as well. The students voiced their views on the agrarian crisis after which the SRCC street play ‘Grameen’ was performed.

The next day, there was an interactive session on ad campaigns in India by Dr. Amit Sachdeva. The ads that were screened predictably amused and bewildered the exchange students for the unfamiliar content, message and emotions they conveyed. The afternoon saw a visit to the Parliament House Museum and the library. The museum has recreated the entire freedom movement including a model of the central hall where the audience could sit and listen to Nehru’s “Tryst with destiny” speech.

The last day saw an interactive session between the Indian and British students where they discussed Culture, Economy, Politics and of course Bollywood.  The dialogue went very well often witnessing a consensus on various issues. Last but not least was the Cultural Programme which included performances ranging from the various renditions of Vande mataram to the Panache Dance performance, SRCC Band Illusions, and the Appadi Po da dance.

The exchange programme was a resounding success and truly an experience worth having. The Indian students now hope they get a chance to visit Britain.

Frustration, loss of relationship, remorse, conformity and escape are some of the pretexts addicts site for drug consumption. What they fail to anticipate is the harm they cause themselves and their family by this one reckless decision.

This was the message that AISEC wanted to convey to the students of Delhi University in a workshop held at Hansraj College. Through their event ‘Breaking Free’ they had former victims of drug abuse share the stories of their painful experience during the period of addiction and the difficult process of rehabilitation with. These former addicts were given an opportunity to explain their stories before a sympathetic audience. This was followed by an insightful address by Ms. Kiran Bedi in which she explained the multiple obstacles one encounters in overcoming this affliction and the important role a society plays in supporting the victims and upholding their will and spirit.

An effective though short five- minute presentation discussing the same was also screened. Ms. Priya Dutta, touched the central nerve of the issue by highlighting the necessity to separate the supposed cool quotient from drug usage which lures the impressionable youth. Another important point coming out of this exchange was the vicious nature of this addiction and the moral and spiritual vacuum it leaves within an individual.

The Question and Answer round brought forth a variety of queries from the audience, each of which was dealt comprehensively by the panellists.

Breaking free was an honest attempt to resolve a problem that, over the years, has spread alarmingly and become a plague devouring our younger generations. AISEC plans to follow up this concern by forming associations with NGOs and other such forums and organize further formal and informal discussions. This endeavour on their part shall hopefully not only rescue individuals and their families but salvage the society as a whole.