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Investors’ Pitch Day At SSCBS Creates A Space for Opportunities

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies Innovation and Incubation Foundation (SIIF) provided a platform to young entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to real investors and experts, to create connections and to strengthen their knowledge for the real world. The event also provided exciting opportunities and cash prizes.

 Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) hosted its Investors’ Pitch Day on 25th July 2019. The event was organised by SIIF, with support from YUVA, the E-Cell of the college. The Investors’ Pitch Day is an exciting platform which acts as a mediator between aspiring entrepreneurs and the seed funding they require to either sustain, or expand their startups.

Out of the 50 incubated start-ups with SIIF, 15 starts-ups which had the most promising growth and business model were shortlisted to pitch their startups to a board of savvy and experienced investors, which included Saurabh Jain, Paytm Vice President, Rohit Goyal, Founder Windrose Capital, Ravi Kant, Ex-Business head, Royal Bank of Scotland, among others.

Each entrepreneur was given a time limit of seven minutes to speak, followed by an interactive Question and Answer session with the panel of investors. The venture capitalists assessed the various business models on their revenue streams, profitability, growth aspects, management structure and their social responsibility. Companies were also specially commended on their contributions to real-world problems.

Saurabh Jain on the occasion said, “Entrepreneurship is not just a profession, but a state of mind.” He talked about the importance of job creation and self-learning. Jain went on to ignite the young minds by talking about the political system and how the solutions to the problems of this world now lie in our hands.

The platform was beneficial to the entrepreneurs that pitched their start-ups as they got fruitful critiques and pieces of advice from the investors, and it was enlightening for the audience who got key insights into the process and art of raising funds. These young entrepreneurs were provided with a platform to face real investors and to dig deeper into their potential of growth.

Vrinda Dube, Founder Knick Knack Nook, speaking to DU Beat said, “I have been incubated at SIIF for over a year now and SIIF has provided us with the foundational requirements like office space, office support and more. In terms of the event, it is a very well managed event with a lot of interesting investors.”

The entire program was power-packed with astute entrepreneurs along with features like a session on entrepreneurship, audience address by notable venture capitalists and the networking lunch to bridge the gap between the entrepreneurial community. The first half of the event witnessed start-ups like Woocoupons, a socially responsible advertising agency, Gamer Planet, an official PUBG tournament app and Knick Knack Nook, an economically feasible alternate to every-day jewellery.

Followed by the address of the keynote speaker,  Jain highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship and said, “Entrepreneurship gives the economy job-makers instead of job-takers. It solves problems instead of relying on the government or authorities to come up with solutions.” He added, “even if a person doesn’t make it as a successful entrepreneur, there’s a cushion you can fall back to as you will be a very desirable employee.”

Later, start-ups like Emergency Vehicle Approaching Light (EVAL), and D-comfy, that rents house spaces to students at economical rates without any barriers approached the dais.

Shivansh Jindal, the E Cell, YUVA’s President, told DU Beat, “Most of these start-ups without the funding will blow past their saturation point. SIIF and Investor’s Pitch Day gives them an opportunity to raise their ask for a share in their companies. Investors here will negotiate and discuss the numbers in great detail to determine the overall valuation of the company. It is the process of connecting those who have money to those who need money. SIIF not only gives them access to investors but also helps them with their pitch desks, office support. SIIF truly mentors the start-ups.”

In conclusion of the event, after rounds of deliberation between the panel the following were felicitated with recognition and cash rewards from SIIF and PaytM collectively:

 

Best Use of Technology – DesignX

Most Innovative Pitch and Idea – Perspectico

Best Pitch – Chocowishes

Idea with Huge Social Impact- Medulence

Maximum Business Impact – Keep It Fresh

Choice of Youth – Knick Knack Nook

 

The event was an incredible initiative and a great success for mobilising the funds between those who have it access, and those who need it. The event portrayed how entrepreneurship can build a country’s economy, especially in a country like India, where educational unemployment exists in great proportions.

 

Feature Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat

 

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

Chhavi Bahmba

[email protected]

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auburn umbrella

Auburn Umbrella: Essential Pieces in Every College-goer’s Wardrobe

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With the cut-offs frenzy and admission formalities done for, it’s finally time to start college and settle in with some new fashion statements in your wardrobe!

Starting college is an overwhelming change and can be hard to adjust to. Now that all the craziness of securing a place for yourself in the University of Delhi (DU) has finally ended, some questions might be plaguing you – what to wear and how to prepare? Some of the essentials for your college wardrobe are simple fashion classics, but there are necessities outside of those classics that will help you get through your college years.

  1. Sturdy Denim Shorts, Skirts, and Jeans: 

This one is a no-brainer. Classic denim that is comfortable, stylish, and goes with pretty much everything, is going to be your savior for mornings where you have a total of 15 minutes to get ready and reach college. Increase or decrease the length of the leg to suit your needs.  

  1. Street-side Jewelry:

Be it Sarojini Nagar, Kamla Nagar, or any other street shopping place that is near your college, street buys often make for statement pieces that can light up a boring outfit. For the days you don’t know what to wear, put on a white t-shirt and faded blue jeans, and the jewelry pieces that will add that much-needed oomph. 

  1. Basic Tees:

These are great to stock-up on since basic tees can be paired with anything and you can create new looks with different combinations. They are the go-to for when you have no new ideas for outfits, and can be styled in infinite ways.

  1. Graphic Tees: 

Aside from being great conversation starters, graphic tees give you an outlet for expression. Be it your favorite comedian, book-series, or TV show, you can let the world know your choices just by donning these comfortable and foolproof garments.

  1. A Good Pair of Sneakers: 

Be it a last-minute errand before class, or a sprint to catch the metro on time, a comfortable and robust pair of sneakers will do you a great service. Go for a solid color and stay simple, or experiment with patterns and prints to suit your style.

  1. Flannel Shirts:

Practical, useful, and basically college-wear by default, flannel shirts are a timeless clothing essential. You can wear them unbuttoned over a shirt, or buttoned-up and tucked-in – the possibilities are endless.

So, get out there and make the most of your three years! Roam, look, learn, and grow.  

Feature Image Credits: P.V. Purnima for DU Beat

Bhavya Pandey 

[email protected]

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News

Course in ‘Happiness’ for DU students at Ramanujan College

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Ramanujan College offers a six-month course in ‘happiness’ free of cost for undergraduate students, aimed at tackling rising stress.

The University of Delhi’s (DU) Ramanujan College is offering a free six-month certificate course for students in happiness. The course is being offered by the college’s School of Happiness which was inaugurated last year. Turned into a full-fledged morning college from Deshbandhu College, Evening in 2013, Ramanujan College, located in the heart of South Delhi is well-known for its promising infrastructure and top rankings.

The proposed certificate course has six components to its curriculum – community service, yoga and meditation, life skills, communication skills, personality development, and glimpses into our Vedas and spirituality which comprise to a total of a hundred points.

Under a memorandum of understanding with the Management Centre in Innsbruck, Austria, four meritorious students participating in this course will also be offered an opportunity to pursue higher education there, and two students will be selected for a student exchange program with them as well. Other incentives of pursuing this add-on course include Indian heritage-cum-educational tours, special certificates and a letter of recommendation for the students. Students would also be given relaxation in the attendance of regular classes in case they decide to take up this course.

In an interview with the Hindustan Times, the Convenor of the School of Happiness of Ramanujan College which is run under the College’s Centre for Ethics and Values said, “After workshops and seminars on the subject, we realised that students would benefit from a certificate course on the subject of happiness. Psychologists and members of our Applied Psychology department will interact with students and we have also partnered with NGOs to bring in instructors for the course.”

The College’s Principal, SP Aggarwal added, “The students want to learn new things. They come here from different regions to study and often there is a lot of stress. Even employers said that certain life skills like confidence,etc. were lacking in them,” while highlighting the importance of the course.

To enrol, students are required to fill up an online form and appear before an interview panel. The course will commence from 25th July 2019 in the college premises and the classes are scheduled to be held on Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM. More details regarding the procedure to apply for the course can be found on the college’s official website or by clicking on the following link – here

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Vaibhav Tekchandani for DU Beat

 

Bhavya Pandey

[email protected]

 

 

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News

Tribal Christian Students Cry Foul at St. Stephen’s Cut-offs

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After a row on the interview panel, another controversy surrounding discrimination in admissions has come up against St. Stephen’s College.

St. Stephens College released its cut-offs on 24th June 2019. Since then, there has been uproar amongst the Naga Students’ Union of Delhi regarding higher cut-offs for students from Christian Scheduled Tribe (CST), as compared to Christians from Other than Church of North India (COTH).

In a letter to the Principal, the Union said, “It is evident that there is high discrimination against students falling under CST category, where the cut-off marks have been kept much higher than the COTH”, as told in a report in The Hindu. The Union also added, “There is no rationality on how CST and COTH differ as far as the teaching of Christianity is concerned.” They called this difference a violation of their Constitutional Rights.

Comparing this year’s cut-offs to the last year’s, one can easily see that there has been a drastic change because last year the cut-offs for these quotas were either similar, or were lower for Christian ST’s in almost all courses.

In the list of 2018-19, the cut-off for B.A. Programme for COTH was at 88% (Commerce and Science) and at 85.5% (Humanities), while for CST, it was at 86% (Commerce and Science) and at 83.5% (Humanities). In this year’s list, the cut-off for COTH is at 88% (Commerce and Science) and at 86.5% (Humanities), while for CST it is set drastically higher at 96% (Commerce and Science) and at 94.5% (Humanities).

Similarly, this change in cut-off has also been observed in the B.Sc. Mathematics Course where, in 2018-19 for COTH, the cut-off was at 90.5% (Commerce and Science) and at 89.5% (Humanities), while for CST, it was at 82.5% (Commerce and Science) and at 81.5% (Humanities). In this year’s list, the cut-off for COTH is at 82.5% (Commerce and Science) and at 81.75% (Humanities), while for CST it is again set higher at 92.5% (Commerce), at 92.75% (Science) and at 91.75% (Humanities).

On contacting the Governing Body of St. Stephen’s College, we received no response regarding this matter.

 

Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

s[email protected]

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Campus Central

NSUI to Pay First-Year Fee of Children of Slain Soldiers and Farmers

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NSUI’s offer to bear expenses, expressed in a press release made by NSUI on 19th June, was made on the occasion of the birthday of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The student wing of the Congress, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), has decided on a move to pay the first-year fees of the children of late soldiers and farmers who are taking admission in the University of Delhi. The offer, expressed in a press release made by NSUI on 19th June, was made on the birth anniversary of Congress President, Rahul Gandhi.

“NSUI has made a plan to take an important step to serve the families of the Army on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Congress President Rahul Gandhi Ji. NSUI wants to help and provide services to the children of the family of martyred army, security force [sic]. For this, NSUI wants to pay one year fee for the children of martyrs who are going to take admission in Delhi University this year,” the press release stated.

Calling out the “unfortunate and painful” manner in which the army had been “politicized” by “all the parties” in the “past few days,” the press release said that the NSUI was “standing in every way with the families of those soldiers.”

The press release further said, “The National Student’s Union of India [sic] is also standing with the families of the farmers, who had to commit suicide due to non-payment of loans to the banks. NSUI also wants to pay fees of the children of those farmers.”

The process for the same requires students to register on the email [email protected], following which the National Committee of the NSUI will verify the students’ details.

NSUI National President Neeraj Kundan was quoted by ANI as saying that the party will reimburse the students’ fee in case they had already submitted it to the University, while also adding that the programme “reverberated” Rahul Gandhi’s thinking.

When asked about whether the decision was taken in view of the student polls, Kundan was quoted as saying that the organisation wanted to forward it’s leader, Rahul Gandhi’s ideas instead of just cutting a cake on the occasion of his birthday.

DU Beat tried contacting Saimon Farooqui, the National Secretary of NSUI for a comment, but he was not immediately available.

In our view, while no political move can be separated from the idea of seeking votes or at least, acquiring votes as a byproduct of even a desirable move, political parties often act in subtle ways to expand their reach over the masses. While it is not clear what kind of information will be sought by the NSUI for the programme in question here, a reasonable expectation would be that information such as mobile numbers and other contact details will not be used by the party to reach out to the registrants – such that it does not become a political tool. But voting for a party as per one’s own judgement is, of course, a right available to all.

Feature Image Credits: ANI

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

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Admissions 2019

Protest Against ‘Faulty Admission Process’ Continues

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Student organisations have organised multiple protests till now, raising various demands related to the admission process and alleged fee hikes. In the series of protests, a one-day hunger strike was called on 20th June.

Following the protests of 11th June, 14th June, and a press conference and dharna on 19th June, the protesting student organisations sat on a hunger strike on 20th June against what they have called a “faulty admission process” and fee hike. The hunger strike went on from 10 am to 10 pm in front of Gate No. Four of the Arts Faculty building, and saw the participation of seven student organisations – All India Students’ Association (AISA), Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM), Collective, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), Parivartankami Chhatra Sangathan (Pachhas), Pinjra Tod and Students’ Federation of India (SFI).

A total of seven students, one from each organisation, sat on a hunger strike. These included Amarjeet from AISA, Nishant from BSCEM, Udita from Collective, Rohit from KYS, Aman from Pachhas, Diya from Pinjra Tod, and Varkey from SFI.

A press release issued by AISA stated, “The registration fees for OBC category has seen a drastic increase and is placed at INR 750, whereas the EWS category pays INR 300; the criteria for both being an income of below INR 8 lakh per annum.” The press release further mentioned about the previous protests and read, “Seeing disappointment again on the 19th, students decided to take up the method of hunger strike. From today (20th June), Amarjeet from AISA with six other students began the hunger strike and shall continue until the Vice Chancellor comes out and talks to the students.”

A press release had been issued by SFI also on 19th June, which read, “Activists of SFI and other organisations held a press conference and dharna (on 19th June) at gate number four of Arts Faculty, University of Delhi, protesting the fee hike of the OBC registration and faulty admission process. A delegation from the protestors met the Deputy Dean of Students’ Welfare, and submitted a memorandum. He made several verb promises, but nothing concrete came of it. By 4:30 pm the students were attacked by the security guard(s) and removed from gate number four. Later the police also intervened in the matter and attempted to intimidate the students. The protesters have decided to move for a hunger strike from tomorrow.”

Diya Davis from Pinjra Tod, one of the protesters who sat on the hunger strike, told DU Beat, “This (the hunger strike) was after the protest outside the Office gate (of the Dean of Students’ Welfare) was forcefully disrupted by the security personnel the previous day. Protesters were forcefully removed from the protest site on 19th June. There was no response from the admin.” She also said that the students were removed from the protest site “using force by the security guards”, on 19th June.

Another protester, Aman Bhartiya from Pachhas, remarked regarding the strike, “It was hoped that someone will come from (the) administration to discuss the issues, but unfortunately it did not happen. So we are now going to file a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) within 1-2 days. Also a mass protest has been called for, by all student organizations, on 24th June.”

DU Beat had reported about the previous protests and the demands raised. These have majorly centred around the differential fee requirements of students from Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories. Other demands include: setting the entrance exam question paper in Hindi as well; providing “proper facilities” at the exam centres; revoking the fee hike in Ramjas College & Bharati College, and other related issues.

Read the previously published reports here for a comprehensive and chronological understanding of the protest:

https://dubeat.com/2019/06/student-organisations-protest-against-faulty-admission-process/

https://dubeat.com/2019/06/protesters-burn-effigy-of-du-vc/

The protesting organisations are now planning to take the matter to the courts by filing a PIL. A larger protest has also been scheduled for 24th June.

 

Feature Image Credits: Amarjeet Kumar Singh from AISA

 

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

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Admissions 2019

Student Organisations Protest Against “Faulty Admission Process”

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Various student parties and organisation launched the protest at Gate No. 4 of the Arts Faculty building on the morning of 11th June.

Protesting against what they called a “faulty admission process”, groups like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Pinjra Tod, Parivartankami Chhatra Sangathan (Pachhas), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), Collective, and others raised demands related to the admission procedure and fee hikes.

All in all, eight such demands were raised. Those were:

  1. Reducing the registration fee for Other Backward Classes (OBC) students to INR 300 and apologising for the inconvenience caused;
  2. Reducing the registration fee for unreserved category students from INR 750 to INR 500;
  3. Refunding the extra fee to the students;
  4. Immediately resolving technical problems in the registration forms;
  5. Giving two days to applicants to make corrections to their forms after filling it up;
  6. Setting the entrance exam question papers in Hindi as well;
  7. Providing proper facilities at exam centres;
  8. Revoking the fee hike in Ramjas College and Bharati College.

In a memorandum submitted to the Dean of Students’ Welfare (DSW) that stated the dissimilar fees requirements of OBC and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories, the protesting organisations argued that even though the “OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) category have an income cut-off not very different from the newly introduced EWS General Category”, yet there was a “massive difference in admission fees” between both categories.

“Besides the fee hike in the entrance form, OBC category students are being made to pay the same amount as General category students, while the EWS category has been clubbed with other reserved categories for the subsidised fees,” the memorandum read. It further stated that this was “completely over-riding the logic of reservation for OBC communities, which is (based on) social and economic backwardness. This is extremely arbitrary and does not reflect the constitutional consideration behind reservation of seats for OBC students.”

The University of Delhi (DU) had set different fees, for both registration and for entrance exams – wherever applicable – that was to be paid by different categories of students. The registration fee for the undergraduate courses is INR 250 for unreserved and OBC categories and INR 100 for students falling under reservation (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Persons with Disability/EWS). The ‘additional registration fee for each entrance-based course’ for students belonging to the unreserved and the OBC categories was set at INR 750, while that for reserved category students was INR 300.

The same distinction of INR 750 and INR 300 also applies to the application fees for postgraduate, MPhil, and PhD admissions. All these are non-refundable, as mentioned in the three ‘Bulletin of Information’ documents released by the University.

Speaking to Amarjeet Kumar Singh of AISA, we learnt that upon meeting the DSW, the protesters asked the Dean about the reason for the different fee requirements of OBC and EWS students. According to Singh, questions were posed to the Dean that given that there were three bases of reservation given to the OBC – social, educational and economic backwardness – and the EWS reservation, on the other hand, was based only on economic backwardness, what was the reason for different fees requirements from the two categories.

We were told by Singh and SFI Delhi’s Vice President, Sumit Kataria, that the Dean allegedly provided wrong information about the reservation criteria to the protesting students. Having checked the facts, the students demanded to meet the Dean again but were refused, Singh told us. Following this, the protesters sat on a dharna outside the Dean’s office. Singh said that when they met the Dean again and questioned him about the alleged misinformation, “unke pas koi jawab nahi tha” – he did not have any answer.

According to Singh, the Dean told the students that some response over their demands would be taken by Monday. However, the students want to see action by 13th June as some student organisations had submitted similar memoranda in their individual capacities previously as well; AISA did it on 7th June, while SFI had submitted theirs on 8th June.

Singh also said, “Yadi 13 tareekh tak koi response nahi aata hai, to agle din yaani 14 tareekh ko hum log ek bada protest nikalenge aur protest ka form badal bhi sakta hai” – if a response doesn’t come till the 13th, then we will organise a big protest on the 14th (June) and the form of protest could be different too. When we asked him what the “different form of protest” implied, he said, “I can’t describe the form of protest. But the protest will be on 14th of June and also different from 11th June.” “But it won’t be a violent protest, right?” was our question. To this, Singh said, “It is obvious that we use democratic means of protest.”

Feature Image Credits:  Amarjeet Kumar Singh of AISA

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

 

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

Top Societies of DU: CBS Debating Society for English Parliamentary Debating

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A thing that brings all the aspirants of the University of Delhi (DU) in this country to a sense of fascination is the University’s engagement with the performing arts. With a plethora of opportunities in fields like dance, music, dramatic, debating, students are exposed to the discipline and the adventure of the arts that interest them. DU Beat brings to you, for the first time, a ranking of the top debating societies in the circuit. The hard work was persistent, and the competition heartening. Let’s delve into who made the cut and how.

Methodology

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The team that secured the 1st position (winners) was awarded 3 points and the team that secured the 2nd position (finalist) was awarded 2 points. The best adjudicator and the second best adjudicators were allotted 3 and 2 points each, respectively.

46 DU college competitions were considered in the making of the tally. The selection of these 46 competitions was based upon an analysis done by speaking with members of numerous college societies, and tracking the competitions they considered most prestigious. The considered college competitions are limited to only colleges affiliated with DU:

Aryabhatta College
Bharti College
College of Vocational Studies
Dyal Singh College
Daulat Ram College
Delhi College of Arts and Commerce
Deen Dyal Upadhyay College
Gargi College
Guru Gobind Singh College – Freshers
Guru Gobind Singh College – Seniors
Hansraj College
Hindu College – Premchand
Hindu College – Thadani
Indraprastha College for Women
Janki Devi Memorial
Jesus and Mary College
Kamala Nehru College
Keshav Mahavidyalaya College
Kirori Mal College – Freshers
Kirori Mal College – Seniors
Lady Irwin College
Lady Shri Ram College
Mata Sundri College
Maitreyi College
Miranda House
Moti Lal Nehru College (Morning)
Moti Lal Nehru College (Evening)
PGDAV College (Morning)
PGDAV College (Evening)
Ramjas College
Ramanaujan College
Ram Lal Anand College
Satyawati College
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
SGTB Khalsa College
SGND Khalsa College
Sri Venkateswara College
Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Business Studies
Shivaji College
Shri Ram College of Commerce – Freshers
Shri Ram College of Commerce – Seniors
Shyama Prasad Mukherji College
St Stephen’s College – Freshers
St Stephen’s College – Seniors
Zakir Hussain College (Morning)
Zakir Hussain College (Evening)


Top Three Positions

The following are the positions and the points with which they emerged victorious:

Winner- CBS with 47 points
First Runner-up- Venkateswara with 45 points
Second Runner-up – KMC with 40 points


Points Tally

The Winning Society at a Glance

The CBS Debating Society shared its delight with DU Beat correspondent, Shivani Dadhwal- “This year has been an extremely rewarding year for our society. We have increased our tournament wins from 4 to 9, beating our own record many times over. However, this journey hasn’t been an easy one. Being a business college, We didn’t have exposure to social studies in our college curriculum. Some would consider this a disadvantage but we were able to overcome this with the constant dedication, hard work and commitment of all the members.

Our society is new to the circuit and we have actively debated only in the last few years. Initially our members found it difficult to even find an opportunity to participate as our society enjoyed no recognition. It fills us with immense joy to see our society  reach such heights. We are confident all our current and future members will continue to work and inspire.”

Active Members

      1. Jatin Gupta (President)

  1. Meher Jauhar
  2. Bhavya Bhatia
  3. Nimratt Singh
  4. Ragini Jetly
  5. Ayush Gupta
  6. Anany Jain
  7. Udit Miglani
  8. Bhavya Mehta
  9. Avantika Mathur
  10. Archit Dikshit
  11. Kshitij Bansal
  12. Tanish Mittal (Vice President)
  13. Suraj Chawla
  14. Naman Wadhwa
  15. Devesh Mittal
  16. Ajatshatru Singh Rawat
  17. Rakshit Sinha
  18. Abhi Bansal
  19. Adittya Dhingra
  20. Aashish Kumar
  21. Ayushman Jain
  22. Dev Goel
  23. Medha Bhasin
  24. Muskaan Sharma
  25. Raghavv Garg
  26. Samridhh Sharma
  27. Shreyan Puri
  28. Satwik Rajput
  29. Srishti Bhandari
  30. Samyak Jain
  31. Rohan Kumar
  32. Vasu Aggarwal
  33. Yuganshu Bhagat
  34. Yash Jain

Winners Tally

From among the colleges we considered, the CBS Debating Society secured positions at the following competitions:

Winners: Hindu College (Thadani), Zakir Hussain College (Morning), Kamala Nehru College

Finalist: Deen Dyal Upadhyay College, Gargi College, Hindu College (Premchand), Indraprastha College, Janki Devi Memorial College, LSR College, SRCC Freshers

Best Adjudicator: Dyal Singh College, Hansraj College, Indraprastha College, Jesus and Mary College, Moti Lal Nehru College (Morning), Ramjas College

2nd Best Adjudicator: Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Deen Dyal Upadhyay, Hindu College (Premchand)

Data Analysis and Compilation by:

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Feature Image Designed by:

Palak Mittal for DU Beat

[email protected]

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Admissions

DU Council Members Oppose Changes in Eligibility Criteria of Admissions

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The members of Academic Council wrote to the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Delhi (DU), strongly opposing the recent changes made in the eligibility criteria and demanded restoration of the earlier criteria on urgent basis.

In light of the recent changes made in qualifying criteria for admissions to DU, the Executive Council (EC) and Academic Council (AC) members have written a letter to the VC protesting these “arbitrary” changes. The changes include making Maths compulsory in the best of four subject calculation for B.A (Honours) Economics,  having varied percentage scores in English for different subjects, etc. Along with these changes, the percentage of marks required in qualifying subjects  has also been increased for various courses.

AC members Seema Das, Sudhanshu and Pradeep Kumar, along with EC members, JL Gupta, and Rajesh Jha wrote in the letter that these changes could adversely affect admissions of the reserved category students. They also claimed that as per the University’s regulations, such policy changes must be taken in the AC itself. As the students have been caught unaware, they must be given sufficient time to adapt themselves to these changes.

The letter elucidates the difference between eligibility criteria of academic year 2018-19 and 2019-20. Whereas, in the previous year passing Mathematics or Business Mathematics was a mandatory requirement for B.Com (Honours), this year the requirement will be scoring 50% or more marks in the aforementioned subjects. Similarly, where an aggregate of 40% marks in qualifying exams was required for admission in B.Com, now an aggregate of 60% with new conditions will be required.

The members appealed  to the VC, Yogesh Tyagi that the earlier criteria be restored for this academic session on an urgent basis and changes be made after following the due process.

We tried contacting former member of the EC, Abha Dev Habib and the former Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) President, Nandita Narain, but they were unavailable for comments.

 

Feature Image Credits: Rajesh Jha

 

Priyanshu

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Admissions

DU Colleges to Contemplate Fee Hike

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Amidst admission procedures, several colleges under the University of Delhi (DU) are contemplating to increase their fees citing reasons like ‘insufficient funds’

Earlier in April, during one of the Staff Council Meetings, the administration had decided to increase the fee of DU. According to the minutes of the meeting, the fee had been revised under several heads. The annual infrastructure maintenance fee has been revised from last year’s INR 1,500 to  INR 3,500. While annual function and student’s orientation fee was revised by a minimum of INR 50, the development fee has increased by INR 500.

Manoj Khanna, Principal, Ramjas College told Hindustan Times (HT) that this decision had been taken after holding due consultations with all departments. He also added that this revision was necessary to make important infrastructural development, and even after these changes their fee is less than many other colleges of DU.

According to the report in HT, Bharati College’s Governing Body did not allow the college to make any fee adjustments except for in one course. The Principal, Mukti Sayal stated that only fees for B.A. (Honours) Psychology is going to increase by mere INR 300 only for incurring the costs of Psychological Tests. She also added that due to funding issues, the societies will have to now rely on sponsorships.

SGTB Khalsa College is also revising its fee. College Principal, Jaswinder Singh said that a committee is working on revising the fee and the matter will soon be sent for the governing body’s approval. St Stephen’s College has also increased its annual fee by 6 % and residential fee by 9 % this year. Principal of Sri Venkateswara College, Hemalatha Reddy said that the college will revise the annual fee by 10%.

According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) draft notification 2017, the central universities/colleges were asked to follow 70:30 funding formula, of which, 30% was the internal. A senior official in the UGC told HT “The colleges need not panic. The UGC will release funds whenever there is requirement. They can reach out to the commission.”

Rajesh Jha, member of the University’s executive council (EC) and an Associate Professor at Rajdhani College, also told HT that these might be nominal changes for the colleges and a section of students, but a large chunk of students who come from marginalised sections of the society will get affected by it. He added that the increase will be additional burden on such students.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Aakarsh Gupta for DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

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