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DU Graduate gets Rape Threats for Criticising Matrimonial Ad

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A DU graduate received rape, murder, and possible dis-figuration threats for criticising a matrimonial ad. The hate mail was sent from  an encrypted email id. 

Warning – The report contains a screenshot of the email, which includes rape and violence threats. 

A recent outlash in the form of email threats was received to a Delhi University pass out. The letter was filled with rape threats as disclosed in the images attached to the article. The mail was in response to the aggrieved stating out her opinions in regard to a matrimonial advertisement posted in The Hindu on Sunday, 9th September, 2018.

IMG-20180910-WA0137

 

A few days ago, Priyanshu received the mail after reaching out to oppose the marital ad. The content of the advertisement chided and requested the potential bride to “non-feminist”, receiving angered reactions from the culprit. It was after stating her point on this advertisement, that she and her fellow friend received vulgar and tawdry messages from a username: ROOTswap threatening to rape them and claiming himself to be a “masculine warrior killer and rapist of all feminists…”.

2 (2)
Anupreet Kaur

The victim states: “I was utterly shocked to have received such a vulgar message. It does not seem like a joke, as no one would stoop down to such a limit, my friend and I are genuinely disturbed by it”.  While this has been brought into limelight hitherto, there are suspicions that they may have targeted more women with such threats.

Unfortunately, she adds that “the email id is encrypted with the protonmail interface.” Within the brief period twenty-four hours she received another mail, harassing with all sorts of guts and gore threats, in exchange for her GPS location and pictures. The mail also included his offering of money in exchange for spending time with him- the condition being the girl to be ‘fair’ and ‘good-looking’.  The note ended with a threat of murder and possible disfiguring.

The mail has been sent to The Hindu headquarters to ensure a background check is undertaken of the culprit. The aid from the legal team may prove relief in such hard times. She further adds, “It is a good thing we have been receiving a good response from fellow users who are trying to win justice over from our side, it makes me happy that we know people are out there who support us”.

While online harassing for women is equally disturbing and traumatic, cyber security measures should be undertaken even more strictly and such issues should be discussed and circulated to create a strong voice.

It is problematic that the cost of voicing one’s opinion, especially for women in this country is apparently not greeted with appreciation but with rape threats. 

Feature Image Credits – Anupreet Kaur

Avnika Chhikara 

[email protected] 

 

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NSUI Alleges that ABVP Copied their Manifesto ahead of DUSU Elections

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ABVP, in its defense, claims that NSUI has done no work in the past year, and is therefore looking for ways to demean the party.

With Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections just a couple of days away, major party National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that rival Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) stole their election manifesto.

NSUI’s manifesto had the proposition of subsidized food for DU students, which promised a complete meal thali at the meagre amount of Rs. 10. The same was allegedly seen on ABVP’s manifesto.

Saimon Farooqi, National Media Secretary of NSUI, said that their national handle has some posters and their corresponding dates are given. He added that on checking ABVP’s posters, the same designs and points can be seen, but with a later date.

What is also a shared point between the two parties is ‘the Institute of Eminence’, wherein, if a university is chosen, added funds of Rs. 1000 crore are allocated to them. Had DU been given these funds, the current budget of Rs 1100 crore would almost be doubled and would amount to Rs. 75,000 extra spent per student. This would ensure better facilities for them. Both the manifestos claimed to make DU the next Institute of Eminence. NSUI also says that there have been reports of the Prime Minister’s Office’s (PMO’s) involvement in the decision.

According to NSUI, ABVP’s manifesto has given themselves credit for writing off GST on sanitary pads, but a change petition was run by Sushmita Dev, National President of Mahila Congress on which she got half a million signatures. The petition was handed over to Arun Jaitley, the Minister of Finance and was thereby written off.

“ABVP is following Copy-cat politics. They are copying NSUI, whether it is about the points in our manifesto or the design of our poster”, told Farooqi to a DU Beat correspondent.

Jyoti Chaudhary, Joint Secretary ABVP, said that the work for writing off GST on sanitary napkins was done by Mahameda Nagar. When asked about the thaali, she said that it was never included in ABVP manifesto because it is not possible to provide food on such low rates. ‘Only the manifesto of those who have actually done work is stolen,’ Chaudhary said. ‘What will we do with the manifesto of those who have done nothing in the past year?’

Besides these, the shared points include fee reduction, provision of hostels for all colleges in vacant lands around the campuses, Delhi metro and DTDC student passes, study room facilities, etc.  However, it can also be argued, that issues like these are universal to the students of the Delhi University and not limited to one party.

Feature Image Credits – DU Beat
Maumil Mehraj

[email protected]

 

 

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DUSU Elections 2018

Know Your Candidate: ABVP Edition

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With DUSU Elections coming to a close soon, it becomes imperative for voters to realise the importance their vote holds. Read on the maniefestos of the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates from ABVP to know more about the contenders!

Candidate for the post of President-

Ankiv Baisoya
The Presidential candidate of the ABVP,
Mr. Ankiv Baisoya, had done his graduation in B.A. (Hons.) Economics from the College of Vocational Studies, University of Delhi (DU). Currently pursuing his Masters degree in Buddhist studies from the Department of Buddhist Studies (DU), Baisoya has been a diligent member of the ABVP for the last five years. When asked about his agenda for this year’s Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), he told DU Beat, “If I am elected as the President, I will make sure over fifty percent of the DUSU budget is allocated towards women empowerment, holistic development of students belonging to the SC and ST communities, and towards an extensive focus on sports in the varsity.”
The establishment of a Research Students’ Grievance Cell and ensuring the conduct of fair and regular elections to the Internal Complaints’ Committee in all colleges are amongst the developments that he wants to bring about in the varsity. Further, he envisages the provision of a police booth
near every hostel and college, and pledges to equip those booths with female police
staff.

When the DU Beat correspondent
asked Baisoya why he thinks he is worthy of the post of President, he stated,
“Besides working for the students at the
grassroot level in the last five years, I
have taken up their issues of grievance
and worked to mitigate the same. I have
actively contributed to the protests
demanding 24*7 access to the library
facility for students of DU’s North Campus, as a result of which the access to the library was extended by three hours. Moreover, I have tirelessly worked in the ABVP’s efforts to campaign against the imposition of massive taxes on sanitary napkins. The government’s cut on the taxes on sanitary napkins has been largely considered a resulting factor of our collective effort. I espouse a university which will treat all students equally regardless of the area or community they come from. I espouse a
university which will embrace the girl child and provide a safe learning environment for her. I espouse a university where students will be able to venture into the worlds of knowledge, unhindered.”

Candidate for the Post of Vice-
President: Shakti Singh
The Vice Presidential candidate fielded
by the ABVP, Shakti Singh, belongs to
Baniyan of Uttar Pradesh but has done his schooling from Nainital. Having completed his graduation from MIT Pune in the year 2016, he is currently is a second-year law student at the Faculty of Law, DU. Shakti, who is a national-level boxer and a silver medalist at the state-level, said, “As a sportsperson, I will try my best to create a better atmosphere to simultaneously encourage sports with academics so that we can establish a healthy society and set the grounds for a better sports culture in Delhi University. Moreover, I will make sure that sports funds are allocated accurately.”
Having worked for the non-governmental organisation, ‘Association for Awareness,’ Singh is an active proponent of women’s safety and security and a large aspect of his agenda is focussed on gender sensitisation.

Mr. Singh has propounded that self-defence training camps should be held in various colleges for the girl students. Another area that Singh wants to work upon is the control over the rent for rooms in the North and South campuses of DU. He told DU Beat, “It is unfortunate that students who come from different regions of the country to study in India’s premier university are compelled to pay huge sums of money just for their accommodation.

If I am elected as the Vice President, I will work for the drafting and implementation of a ‘Room Rent Control’ Bill. I will ensure that outstation students are not forced to pay a very high rent, and that there is a ceiling on the maximum amount that can be charged from students.” Stressing on the importance of every student’s vote, Singh’s message to the student community of DU is, “None of the Above (NOTA) is not an option.

NOTA would not resolve the problems of
high varsity fees or inadequate facilities
on campus. We must have a direction in
life in order to comprehensively fulfill the purpose of our existence. Similarly, if I am elected, I will try my level best to carve out a sense of direction for the varsity such that the student community can study and pursue their aspirations in a conducive environment.

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DUB Speak

College – Experiences vs People

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It is a fact universally acknowledged that people make experiences. But can anyone put a number on the latter? Can experiences matter more than people?

 The general consensus about life will advocate the importance of people in life. All the memories that we create are fragments of people we choose to savor. I think it is partially true. My partial doubt is based on the fact that sometimes, in our quests to unravel the ideas of happiness in life, we cross certain limits. These limits are those of truth, the truth of our own identities. When we start giving importance to people over ourselves, my doubt comes into play. In college, this problem of self-actualisation takes a sidetrack as we seek for validation, more than anything else. It is a challenge now, to contain your identity. You start a battle with yourself, fighting hard against the tide of truth, for the simple reason that people will matter a lot in your explorations. It is true but to an extent. These people will be your best places at times, but some people might make you question your ideals, push you down or trample you. The only wise choice you have then is to trudge a path of your own making. I must mention this at the outset, experiences will gain meaning with your indulgence, and the involvement of others will always be secondary.

A few days ago, as many other Freshers, I dealt with a minor crisis of emotions. We come to a new world, anticipating great things. Somehow, we fail to see that prejudices and vanities are scattered everywhere in this world. When unreal standards are met with reality, especially when you are caught off-guard, the smallest instances can be troublesome. The moment you begin to see your opinions being shaped forcibly by an outer element, return to your guard. It is never right to let others feed on your vulnerabilities. Talk them out. As Tyrion Lannister tells Jon Snow, “Once you have accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.”

Acceptance is always the answer. Analyse yourself. In a moment of doubt, seeking advice is helpful. One of my seniors once told me that college is all about experiences. Some you will share with people, others will be your own. Every experience that is your own delivers a powerful lesson. Remember yourself in all this chaos that mandates the presence of people to ensure the best days. You are the people you need. You are your experiences.

There is something extremely important that requires our remembrance. These three years are meant for us, after the completion of this phase, there is a greater reality that awaits us. Every senior will narrate to you the stories of their survival and transformation through their time spent in college. This is only a pedestal. There are uncountable rungs that must be climbed yet. A thousand joys await you, a million smiles, because you are here, in the midst of an opportune haven. Give yourself these wings. Become the best version of yourself, and do not be a pleaser. The best people, the best relationships, the deepest bonds are established of their own accord. Something as soulful as friendship cannot feed on falseness. There will always be love. People will make you question this at times. But I firmly believe, that your experiences will tell you otherwise.

So indulge in all experiences. It is true, experiences require the involvement of people, but people are only party to the experiences. The adventures you go on will supersede the company. I do not wish to demolish the idea of relationships. In fact, all I wish to say is that people will find you, and adventures will too; all that matters is that you give priority to yourself. ‘Into the Wild’ taught me a valuable lesson. I suggest everyone to watch this cathartic joy of a movie. I read once, that shyness can ruin the best of opportunities. Do not withhold yourself from this exposure. Remember these days, for the days they are, not necessarily the ones you spent them with, to revel in earnest.

CARPE DIEM!

 

Feature Image Credits: tico.ca

 Kartik Chauhan
[email protected]

 

 

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Admissions 2018

Admission Gets Cancelled Due to College’s Negligence

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Getting merit-based admissions in Delhi University is the dream that every student in the country nurtures. The candidates and their parents heave sighs of relief once the formalities are finalised, and the acknowledgment slip is procured. But, that’s not what happened with Lariba Ashfaq Ahmed, an aspiring Literature student at Sri Venkateswara College.

It can be agreed that procuring admission in a reputed college can be a tricky business, but for Lariba, it turned out to be a nightmare altogether. On the last day of admissions in the 10th Cut-Off list, Lariba reached Venkateswara College, to inquire about the vacant seats in the Department of English, and procure one, if available. Subsequent to her arrival at the college, she happened to bump into a lady staff, Ms. Nidhi, who directed her to the Head of the Department, of English for clarifications and attaining information about the vacancies. Having obtained a nod of approval from the Head, Lariba rushed to Kamla Nehru College, (where she had already taken admission in a prior list), to cancel her admission and migrate to Venkateswara.

After the admission formalities were over, the college administration handed over an “acknowledgment slip”, bearing Roll Number- 21083 to her, which she accepted, preserved, and left for her home. But this was hardly any cause of rejoicing for her. As soon as she reached her home, she received a call on her mother’s phone, over which the caller alleged that there had been some issues with the verification of her documents, and hence, she should pay a visit to the college in the company of her father the next day.

Upon her visit to the college the next day, she was exposed to the cunning of the college administration. The college staff, somehow caught hold of the acknowledgment slip from her, and, having done that, slammed her documents on her face, stating that she couldn’t be admitted into the college.

This left the student in the doldrums. Having cancelled her admission in KNC and been cunningly struck off the rolls at Venkateswara, she had nowhere to go to. Even though she tried to procure legal help from the police, but all that she could get was the mere fulfillment of formalities. The PCR simply took her statement, making their evergreen promise to “Look into the matter and carry out a thorough investigation”. Meanwhile, the concoction of the administration staff at Venkateswara brought dark clouds over the candidate’s future.

However, Kamla Nehru College came to her timely aid. The college, considering her ordeal, gave her admission in the same cut-off, and the process was glitch and tension free. This entire chain of events brings to the limelight the disheartening treatment the candidates are exposed to at the hands of the unruly administration staff at colleges. Not only is their future played with, there’s no acceptance of the deed or an apology from the college’s end.

Interestingly, students at Venkateswara had remained oblivious to the incident, until an FB post and a YouTube video went viral. According to the students, the college has been manipulative enough to ensure that the incident doesn’t come out to the reach of the public spectrum, because they think that the college is already acquainted with the fact that the students are not in favor of the administration staff.

The students have shown a marked resentment against this agitating incident and expect a proper explanation and solution to such problems. Even though they request that their identities are kept hidden, their words will surely shine bright like the moon on the full moon night, through DU Beat.  Their thoughts are fraught with resilience and expect a concrete solution from the varsity’s end regarding behaviour of the administration staff, rather than the college’s end, because this is more or less the story of every college.

“If the candidate wasn’t eligible for admissions, why wasn’t she told that in the first place? Why did the college play with an innocent student’s career?”, said a student of Venkasteswara College, on anonymity..

“The problem is, the administrative staff does not care about the future of the students. They have a gala time in their A/C offices sipping tea, while the students suffer”, mentioned another student from the same college.

If things continue this way, the students are afraid that the college will lose the reputation that it enjoys, which shall pose serious detrimental effects to the interests of the students. This was more or less a case of infringement of the student’s right to education, and it must be looked at with profound gravity.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Aashish Jain
[email protected]

 

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Uncategorized

An Introduction to the Delhi University Students’ Union Politics

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Even though each DU college has its own students’ union, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) is the body that encompasses most of the colleges and faculties that are affiliated with it.

DUSU is a students’ organisation that handles politics at a university level. With the University of Delhi (DU) being
one of the biggest central universities of India, their position becomes all the more important and they go on
to decide the mood of the political environment of the country. They have a constitution with objectives
like ‘promoting the spirit of oneness among students’ and ‘service towards the state’. DUSU is also responsible for organising debates, meetings, and programmes for the students. DUSU’s most important function, however, is making representations to the University authorities on matters concerning the students.

Known to be one of India’s largest student elections, the DUSU elections happen every year in either the month of August or September. As announced by the University, the elections for this year will be held on 12th September. The elections for the Delhi University Students’ Union are by direct voting of the students of the colleges affiliated
with it. The panel consists of a duly elected President, Vice President, Secretary and Joint-Secretary. For the year 2017-18, Rocky Tuseed was the President of DUSU, Kunal Sehrawat was the Vice-President, both from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), while Mahamedhaa Nagar was elected Secretary and Uma Shankar, the Joint Secretary, representing the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

However, colleges like St. Stephen’s College, Lady Shri Ram College, and Jesus and Mary College are not affiliated with DUSU. In fact, most of the girls’ colleges don’t associate themselves with the Union. They have their own internal students’ unions to represent their issues in front of the college authorities. The manifestos of the parties remain focussed on women security, affordable hostel facilities, proper implementation of the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), anti-ragging, and anti-discriminatory practices and so on.

The major parties contesting for the DUSU are the ABVP of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the NSUI of the Indian National Congress (INC). For the past few years, the presidents have been members of either of these two
parties. As they campaign vigorously, aggressive competition is witnessed between them.
Apart from these two giants, there are parties like the All India Students’ Association (AISA) of the Communist Party of India -MarxistLeninst, the Indian National Students’ Organisation, and Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party. This year, CYSS and AISA have decided to contest DUSU elections together. They will raise issues like student passes in AC buses, decrease in metro fares, 24-hour library facility, and installation of CCTV cameras.

DUSU has been a gateway to real-world politics for many of its former members, and several of them now hold office at the local and central governments. Leaders like Arun Jaitley, Ajay Maken, Vijay Goel, Vijay Jolly, Alka Lamba, etc., have been union members of the DUSU in their time in DU as students.
With campuses littered with a sea of campaign posters and blaring voices on megaphones promising better infrastructure, the DUSU elections are worth all the hype they get. Because it is the voice of the youth that goes on to decide what the country will look like in the next few years.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Maumil Mehraj
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Turning Back Time: A History of DUSU

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The DUSU we recognise today has its roots in the power tussles, falls, and revolutions of the past. How much has it changed? Read on to find out.
As the capital of this democracy, Delhi has always experienced the uprising of revolutionary, sometimes unsettling, but always a realistic picture of the national politics. The student population of the University of Delhi (DU) comprises of 1.5 lakh diverse individuals today. But back in the time when the University was in its inception stages, the issues faced by the country were still concrete and significant although they were not enormous in number. It is not an unexpected predicament that the Delhi University Students’ Union has been addressing and even reflecting the politics of a much larger realm since 1954, when the first polls of the DUSU elections were held.
Paving a path for prominent positions in the national political parties of India, DUSU has had a history of producing leaders who proved their motivation. During the Emergency in the nation, the then General Secretary of DUSU was allegedly jailed and subjected to torture for raising a voice against the advent of fascism. Moulding, adjusting, and
treading the tightrope of similar ideals, the present day parties contesting in the DUSU elections draw a lot of
their narrative, structure, policies, and campaigning methodologies from their older counterparts.

Mirroring the hyped affairs of the contrasting politics of the two most popular political factions today- the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party on one hand and the Indian National Congress on the other- the DUSU elections of 2018 might create an illusion of a power struggle only between the student units of the said political bodies, namely the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the National Students’ Union of India, respectively. The truth is – like a national democracy cripples without the existence of real choice in its representatives, student governance too suffers a downfall. This is why, choices and political parties have come, gone, and changed through the course of DUSU’s journey.

For instance, the Indian National Students’ Organisation stemmed as the student wing of the Indian National Lok Dal and enjoys strong favorability in the state of Haryana at present. In the year 2008, INSO contributed to a seemingly radical initiative for that time by reportedly being the first party to field a male candidate from the Sikh community for one of the four office bearers in the central panel at the DUSU elections. This report published in The Hindu provides a clarity of thought to the understanding of numerous parties’ participation in bringing the University’s politics to the forefront.

Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, a relatively nascent organisation, joining forces with the left-wing All India Students’ Association, may seem like an unprecedented move, for the politics at DU, but the very foundation of the much notable NSUI was laid by the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Saimon Farooqui, the National Secretary at NSUI, told DU Beat that the 2013 DUSU elections were a crutial determinant of the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha political upheaval and outcome. He believes that the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 too find a significant sway with the DUSU politics for this term.

Almost six decades later, DUSU has seen a plethora of political tussle, and a vision for the future of this University and the capital must not be forgetful of the history that changed its course in every way.

Feature Image Credits: The Hindu

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

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DSJ Controversy: All You Need to Know

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After more than 48 hours of continuous protest and withdrawal of the suspension of 8 students by the administration, students have been assured that their grievances will be addressed on 14th September 2018.

On Monday, 27th August 2018, the students of Delhi School of Journalism staged a protest outside the Arts Faculty demanding a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi. The protest began when Professor JP Dubey on Friday, 24th August 2018 told the students that the administration cannot give a deadline to any of the demands of the students and they should do whatever they want to in their capacity. The students have time and again protested about the poor infrastructure facilities, unavailability of the media lab and the high fees and wanted to meet the VC regarding the same.

Arts Faculty Protest Pic
Image Credits – DSJ students

 

The protest was then shifted in the DSJ campus where the students protested against the administration and their behaviour towards the charter of demands issued by the students on 2nd August 2018.Mohd Alishan Jaffri, a second year student of DSJ says, “We launched a complete non co-operation movement against the DSJ administration and organized a sit-in in the college premises. The whole act was peaceful and Gandhian in nature. The administration tried to move us, but since no written assurance was provided, we continued the protest.”

On the same day, a meeting was organized by the administration to look into the matter again, but the meeting ended in a deadlock. The students continued their sit in demonstration in the evening and few stayed inside the college campus overnight.

Late night protest
DSJ students

The agitation continued on 28th August 2018. The administration agreed to send a delegation of 6 students to meet the VC and present their grievances to him. However, in the evening, this proposal was rejected. The students were also locked inside the college campus. The situation worsened when the students were manhandled by the security guards of the college. Ambuj Bhardwaj, a second year student was hit by one of the guards.  Delhi Police was called in to intimidate the protestors both in afternoon and in the evening.

Suspension order
DSJ students

A suspension letter was issued to 8 students of DSJ around 8 p.m. on 28th August 2018 for repeatedly violating the discipline of the Delhi University while disrupting the classes since August 27 and not letting administration to carry on their official work by blocking the entrance to the Director’s room.
However, the revocation to the suspension came in half an hour after protest was called off by the students. The same was conveyed to the students through an e-mail late at night.  

Neeta Sehgal, Proctor, University of Delhi came and discussed the matter with the students. She also gave a written assurance to the students to look into the matter and solve the grievances of the students. She has promised to meet the students on 14th September 2018.

IMG-20180829-WA0007
DSJ students

 

Manasvini Yogi, OSD, Delhi School of Journalism informed the students on 29th August 2018 that a media lab has been arranged for the students in the School of Open Learning. The practicals will be held in the lab from 15th September 2018 onwards.

Feature Image Credits: Neerav Yadav

Anoushka Sharma

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Delhi School of Journalism: A Shattered Dream?

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While the future of Delhi School of Journalism hangs in uncertainty, the administration asks students to “have faith.” With #FraudDSJ trending on Twitter and other social media platforms, DU Beat presents a situation explainer.

“I want the Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ) to become an even better centre than the famous Columbia School of Journalism,” said Prof. Yogesh Tyagi, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Delhi, during the orientation programme of Delhi School of Journalism last year. Fast forward one year and it seems that the VC’s dream project has turned into a nightmare. Expensive Course, Infrastructure Woes The students of DSJ have shown displeasure over lack of facilities. The new entrants pursuing one of the varsity’s most expensive courses have continuously complained about poor infrastructure.
One of the core issues raised by the students is the lack of a library facility. Instead, they have a “reading room” which has the capacity to accomodate only ten students to sit and read at a time. Students have proposed that since there is no proper library in the campus of DSJ, they should be given access to the Central Library, but to no avail.
Another issue raised is regarding the sports facilities, citing that they are not allowed to use the sports ground despite the campus being in the University Stadium Complex. With a high annual fee of 70,000 INR, this self financing journalism course is without a media lab. DSJ Needs Fresh Air, Literally.

DSJ is housed in the University Stadium Complex which is centrally air-conditioned. However, the air conditioning system has failed miserably. As a remedy, the administration installed pedestal fans which have been ineffective. There is no ventilation and the fans create a lot of noise which further prevents the possibility of any constructive academic discourse. On 30th July 2018, the students staged a sit-in protest to demand “fast-track action” by the varsity. “The air-conditioning system stopped working 20 days ago. The engineering department of the University repaired it, but it stopped working again. We are doing our best. Please have faith,” Dr. M.M. Yogi said, while looking visibly tired. The classes for the third-semester students were subsequently suspended from 31st July to 5th August owing to the ovenlike the condition of classes.
Rohit Shukla, a student of DSJ, expressed his displeasure by stating, “DSJ is just like an election manifesto of any political party which looks and sounds extremely great from outside but it just remains only on paper.” It’s a ‘subject’ Matter DSJ follows the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) which means that apart from the compulsory core courses, students have the freedom to choose their elective course from a pool of options. However, students were denied options in choosing General Electives in the first and second semester. They were forced to study other subjects without explanation or justification. The students believe that this may be due to an acute shortage of funds or space to conduct classes at the same time. The same happened with Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC) and the language course they are supposed to study according to CBCS.
A few students were forced to take Hindi as AECC despite lacking the basic knowledge of the language. The programme offers four options for both foreign and regional languages. Some students have resented the denial of Urdu as a regional language. A student informed DU Beat that despite appealing to the management for the
inclusion of Urdu, the officials rebuked by saying, “If we offer Urdu, then all the Muslims will top.” However, Dr. M.M. Yogi, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Delhi School of Journalism, said, “Urdu was offered last year but there were not enough students who volunteered to take up Urdu as their regional language. At least a group of 20 students is required to introduce a language in the course.”
Of Promises, Accountability, and ‘Faith’ Delhi School of Journalism organised its orientation programme for the upcoming batch of students on 2nd August 2018. The students of the first year protested near the venue. They submitted a list of demands stating the problems mentioned above, some of which needed immediate attention. The students also demanded the budget for the current annual year and the previous year be made public. Prof. J.P. Dubey, the honourary Director of DSJ, assured the students that these demands will be taken care of, but refused to answer by when. DU Beat spoke to Dr. M.M. Yogi after the protest on 2nd August 2018. She informed that efforts are being made to fulfill the demands of the students since the demands are genuine and not wrong. Adding to that, she said that the administration cannot provide a target date since most things depend on bureaucratic measures that await the approval of higher authorities. On questioning the “leaked budget details” of the year 2018-19, the management informed that the unspent balance of 2017-18 which estimates to INR 46 lakh will be used in setting up the digital media lab and for purchasing the softwares required for the course.

“The bills about the purchases have been made and sent,” she added. She also asserted that there will be enough space to accommodate both the first year and second year students when the college resumes on 6th August 2018. Since the third semester has subjects like design and layout, the students wanted to know whether they will be re-issued laptops. Dr. Yogi informed DU Beat that the students may avail the laptops again after the fee payment of the third semester. She also assured that the students will not suffer any academic loss and every measure will be initiated to establish the best academic facilities.
However, against the backdrop of unfulfilled expectations and invisible progress, OSD’s reassuring words, which are supported by decades of experience, sound unconvincing. As just a year old organisation, DSJ has garnered much bad press. At the risk of portraying an overly optimistic perspective, what needs to be noticed is, from amongst the chaos here is an emerging student democracy at play. One hundred and twenty students are challenging the administration headon and the faculty, in the face of acute allegations, is accepting this rebellion with respect. If nothing, then at least this vibrancy should be accepted and appreciated.

The Current Situation

The situation at DSJ has worsened as students demand basic amenities. From yesterday evening, students have continuously been protesting in the campus premises. Earlier this evening, protesting students had been locked inside the campus. Students have alleged being mishandled by the college guards.
Police officials have attempted to stop students from recording videos at the protest. As of now, 8 students have been suspended until further notice.

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

(With inputs fron Maknoon Wani)

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DUB News

DU to Introduce Course on Entrepreneurship Next Year

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The University of Delhi is planning to start a new course on entrepreneurship from the next academic session i.e. 2018-19. The course will be a three-year degree program and will be called BBA Entrepreneurship.

The standing committee on academic matters met on Monday, 20th August 2018 and welcomed the proposal to introduce a course on Entrepreneurship. The course is yet to be approved by the academic council. It will be established under the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities.

For admission into the course, there will be a three-stage procedure. The first round will be a national level entrance test, followed by a group discussion round as the second stage, while the last stage will include personal interviews. The entrance test will be designed to check the logical and quantitative reasoning of the students. During the course of study, the students will be expected to complete two internships and submit a dissertation by the end of the third year. The course will follow the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and a total of 158 credits will be awarded to students completing the course.

DU Beat contacted Ms. Poonam Verma, Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) who made this proposal. She remarked, “The course will start from next year. The academic council and executive council of the University will pass the proposal in  reasonable time so that the admission process can get started for the next academic session. Once we get the approval, we are going to get started with it.” She informed that the course will be first of its kind in the University. Ms. Verma also spoke about the two most sought-after courses in University of Delhi- Bachelors of Management Studies (BMS) and Bachelor of Business Administration in Financial and Investment Analysis (BBA-FIA)which are available in her college. The course, BBA Entrepreneurship, will start from her college if approved. She hopes that other DU colleges also welcome the course so that maximum students get the benefit. Ms. Verma also mentioned the incubation centre in SSCBS,  which could provide a progressive and comprehensive platform to the budding entrepreneurs.

The course aligns with the Delhi government and Central government’s initiative for skill development and entrepreneurship at academic and undergraduate levels. Currently, very few universities in India offer BBA Entrepreneurship and most of them are private institutions.

 

(With Inputs from TOI)

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Anoushka Sharma
[email protected]

 

 

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