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DU To Establish New Women’s College; Invites Name Suggestions

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Delhi University (DU) is taking suggestions for the name of the new women’s college that will be established in Fatehpur Beri village on Gram Sabha land located in South West Delhi.

Delhi University’s upcoming women’s college will be established specially for women from rural areas belonging to the outskirts of Delhi and NCR. The college will be constructed in Fatehpur Beri village, and the Varsity has formulated a special committee to recommend suitable names for the newly proposed college.

The committee held a meeting on 11th March, and the agenda for the same was to invite suggestions from the public for probable names for the proposed college. Delhi University issued a notice on its official website that mentions the details for soliciting name suggestions for the women’s college. Name recommendations may be shared with the committee via [email protected] within 15 days, that is, till March 26.

After a careful selection of the name for the upcoming college, the committee will further work towards devising a proper structure for the college, which includes the courses to be offered, teaching and non-teaching staff, admission procedures, and other spheres of information.

The 40 bigha land was recently allotted to the University by the Government of NCT, Delhi, for construction of the women’s college. This educational institution will essentially help women from the outskirts of Delhi.

With the recent declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, the Varsity has suspended classes, conferences, and other events till 31st March. It was notified on the official website of Delhi University that study material will be made available through its website. All internal assessments will be held after 31st March. These preventive measures were taken by the University to drastically reduce footfall on the campus to avoid any plausible conditions that may lead to the spread of the Coronavirus. However, the site is still available for sending name suggestions.

Feature image credits- DU Beat Archives

Suhani Malhotra

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DUB News

12 DU Colleges Salary-Less for Over Two Months

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12 colleges of the University of Delhi haven’t paid their teaching and non-teaching staff salary for two months now.

12 colleges in the University of Delhi have withheld salary from their teaching and non-teaching staff for two months now. The colleges whose funds have been withheld are Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education & Sports Science, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Raj GuruCollege, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Acharya Narendra Dev College, Bhagini Nivedita College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Maharaja Agrasen College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Maharishi Balmiki College of Education, and Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Science. The funds have been withheld by Delhi Government because the colleges haven’t notified their governing bodies, approval for which, they claim, is awaited from the university.

The salaries of not just the faculty but also of sanitation workers, contractual labourers, and other non-teaching staff have also been held up. “It seems we will not be able to pay salaries even from 1st April.” Principal Hem Chand Jain of DDU college, told The Times of India. Another principal has said that theyare yet to get a concrete response from Delhi government on when and how the issue would be resolved but revealed that they had been told thatrepresentatives would be meeting Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi on 17th March regarding the matter. This information has been confirmed by a DU official. In response to the issue, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said that the government-aided colleges had been doing a lot of “illegal work” because “without governing bodies in place the colleges can’t function”.

It has also been revealed that the University’s Executive Council approving the names at its sitting on 13th March. A DU official told Times of India that the AAP government flouted norms in selecting some of governing board nominees. The official alsoargued that in the pattern of assistance, there isnothing that states that the government is allowed to without funds from an institution that doesn’t have a governing body.

The staff of these 12 institutions steadfastly believe that the shortcomings of the DU administration in regards to solving this matter are highly political, and a fight between “two political parties”.

For now, it seems highly unlikely that the issue would be solved anytime soon.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Shreya Juyal

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Campus Central

Amidst Heavy Rain, Ankit Tiwari Concludes Nexus

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Ankit Tiwari performed on the last day, as heavy rain engulfed Nexus, the annual cultural fest of Sri Venkateswara College. However, the star night was delayed and issues arose, even after strict security. 

On 29th February, the final night of Nexus’20, Sri Venkateswara’s Annual Cultural Festival, everyone was excited for the fest to be concluded with the performance of renowned singer and songwriter, Ankit Tiwari. The performance which was arranged to be at 5 pm, was extremely delayed due to unexpected showers and thunderstorm that ensued in the evening.

 Before the performance began, the huge crowd which had gathered to listen to the artist, shuffled back and forth between the performance ground and the college building to take shelter from the excessive downpour. The rain kept everyone on their feet, and the muddy grounds were a dangerous territory for people who had dressed their best for the fest.

There was extremely strict security maintained for the star night. Many items were prohibited to be carried. There were staff teachers, and administrators on the main gate as well as inside the barricade. However, the heavy rain tested all.
During the beginning of the performance, the sound system switched offmid-song due to technical errors, causing a ruckus.

A student inside the barricade, told DU Beat, “The issue was that there were a lot of people who wanted in, and as they were trying to enter photographers were getting shoved. Barricade did have administrators and College staff inside to see if everything is okay.”

Despite of security being maintained, the large number of crowd was a test for all. Female photographers present at the venue faced harassment by other photographers and Tiwari’s team while doing their job, with people pushing and shoving others around to get a barricade entry, photographers got shoved and hit as the crowds around the barricade became unmanageable. However, there were administrators present inside the barricade for safety of students.

A female photographer covering the event, in conditions of anonymity said, “The people with Ankit Tiwari told me that if you want a picture then you need to come to his room. As I was the only female photographer, the other male photographers told me to go to the back.”

These events occurring mostly in isolation and behind closed curtains clearly didn’t dampen any spirits as the crowd wholeheartedly enjoyed after the singer arrived on the stage. Tiwari sang some of his greatest hits, like Sun Raha Hai Na Tu, and also invited members of the audience to join him on the stage as he performed, hyping up the crowd. The event ended at 8 pm at last, with rains showing no signs of satiating. People ran helper-skelter to take cover and rush towards the closest metro stations wading through the muddy roads while people struggled to exit the campus due to the excessive crowd.

Rajat Sharma, President, Students’ Union, said, “Day 3 of Nexus was going well even after the heavy rains but some incident occured between the authority, photographers and delhi police which was very unfortunate to happen. I being unaware of the complete situation from all the three sides cannot give my verdict over right and wrong but anything of this sort is obviously not good for tge reputation of the college and if there was any misconduct I am extremely sorry for the same taking the responsibility and blame wherever required.”

However, in Sri Venkateswara College, Nexus, the annual cultural fest is organised by Fine Arts Association (FAA) as well.

Hrithik, President, FAA, said, “Keeping in mind about conditions prevailing , we tried our level best to assure strict security and efficient management . Entry inside the college on the three days was strictly provided to only those who had the valid ID cards . Our officials were present at the main gate and near the barricade to make sure there was no issue .
We appreciate all our media partners including all the videographers and photographers who stood by even in the unpleasant weather conditions to cover our event . My team and I would also like to thank our enthusiastic crowd which helped to make Nexus 2020 a grand success.”

The star night was memorable for all. The pleasant chilly weather soon washed away everyone’s trouble.

Nexus ended on a chilly note, yet witnessed warmth on all three days. The college was filled with iconic Bollywood mementos, the decor was remarkable with them being able to put a ship, owing to the Pirate in all of us, between the College. Nexus, unlike other fests, is organised not just by the Students’ Union, but the Fine Arts Association, as well. The entire college perfectly imbibed the theme of “Lights, Camera, Nexus.”

Feature Image Credits: Manav Ahuja for DU Beat

Shreya Juyal

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 Satviki Sanjay

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Campus Central

Student Brandishes Gun in Hansraj College

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On 25th February, a fight between two groups in Hansraj College took a violent turn, with brandishing of violent weapons, posing even more questions about security inside college campuses.

 On 25th February, a fight took place between two groups at the Lovers’ Point in Hansraj College. The altercation consisted of a few students graduated from Delhi University (DU) and students of Satyawati College, DU. Amidst the barrel, one of the students took out a katta (Indian handmade gun) and threatened the other party. However, they soon dispersed, following which, a large number of police personnel were seen in and around the College. Till now, the administration has not commented on the matter, and there is no official notification of an investigation being conducted in this regard.

On 26th February, the students of Hansraj College, collected in order to protest against the administration’s silence on the matter as well as against the rising communalism in the country. The students marched from the hostel gate of the College to the main gate, where they addressed a gathering and talked about the issues plaguing the country.

A student who organised the protest, in conditions of anonymity told DU Beat, “The administration did not even let us make posters inside the college, let alone protest inside. This protest was combined, about college being a safe space, the administration giving us our agency and us being allowed to use it properly and also to throw light on how the country’s being divided for political gains and people are suffering.” “It is also shameful that we’re hosting a fest in such times.” they added.

An important thing to note is that Hansraj College had only recently installed metal detectors at all entrances. This incident also raises some very important questions about how safe college spaces really are, something that college administrative bodies really need to answer.

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

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Campus Central

DU to Award 1 lakh for Writing Papers on Kashmiri Culture

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In order to embrace the Kashmiri culture, University of Delhi (DU), announces award of 1 lakh to students writing papers on the said topic.

Yogesh Tyagi, The Vice Chancellor of University of Delhi, announced on Tuesday, 18th February,  an award of 1 lakh to any student who researches and publishes a paper on the Kashmiri culture. This followed, the first event organised by the Varsity showcasing Kashmiri folk-music namely “Meeras-e-Kashmir”, under the banner of “Cultural Flavours of India”. Karan Singh, Rajya Sabha Veteran, and Amitabh Mattoo, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Professor, were guests at this event.

The Congress veteran discussed the essence of Kashmiri culture, heritage and the rich pursuit of traditional knowledge by various prominent saints from the valley. “Never give up faith in your culture. We may be surrounded by corruption and violence everywhere, but we have to maintain ourselves. It is only then we will fulfil our potential,” the former MP said.

Singh shared several anecdotes from Kashmir, further adding “It is important for us to emphasise the diversity and inclusiveness of Indian culture and never get into exclusivism mode”. He also talked of the time when Sufis came to Kashmir. “There were places in Srinagar where people would pray namaz on the first floor and do aarti on the ground floor. That was the synoptic philosophy particular to Kashmir, which is now shattered,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor of DU too talked about India being the hub of cultural diversity across the world. He suggested, “being the premier institution of India, the onus is on us in academia to appreciate the importance of geographical location, natural beauty, culture, cuisine, tradition, literature of Kashmir”.

Mattoo, JNU Professor,  talked of ways to strengthen our ideas of coexistence. “The first is the history and idea of Kashmiri Shaivism, the second Sufi tradition and finally Kashmiriyat. The recovery of the tradition of Meeras-e-Kashmir is the recovery of pluralism, co-existence and diversity, which will form the bedrock of the idea of India,” he further added.

Feature Image Credits: Easymetrip

Aditi Gutgutia

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Campus Central

NGT Directs Developer to Stop Construction of Housing Complex 

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Days after the apex court ruled in favour of the developer and set aside the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order of status quo, the green panel has restrained the developer from proceeding with the construction.  

 

In a series of events involving the highest authorities of the nation, the NGT has ordered to stop all construction activities for the second time, as the Supreme Court had directed the green panel to take note of the counter affidavit moved by Young builders (YP) and pass orders in accordance with law. The top court said, “the same shall be done in an expeditious manner. All contentions of the parties are left open”. 

 

The NGT, on 3rd February 2020, restrained the builder from proceeding with the construction. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel observed, “While accepting prayer for adjournment, we direct that the project proponent may not proceed with any further activity till further consideration of the matter by this Tribunal.” 

 

Earlier in January, the NGT had issued status quo on the construction of the building, and the same was challenged by the counsel of YP, asserting that the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) had granted an Environmental clearance (EC) for the project. But the counsel for Delhi University had claimed that EC could be granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and not by SEIAA as the project is within 10 km from a critically polluted area. 

 

The NGT ruled that no construction could take place till the panel completes its deliberation on the same. A report from the Ministry of Environment is expected to be the decision-maker. 

Feature Image credits: The Hindu

Feature Image caption: NGT directs Young Builders to stop construction.

 

Kuber Bathla

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Campus Central

Student Assaulted During Anti-CAA Protest in Hansraj College

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On 13th January 2020, the students of Hansraj College, University of Delhi (DU) stopped peaceful protests from happening while a student in the protest alleged violence by a faculty member.

 On 13th January, the students of Hansraj College had given a call for a collective reading of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution and Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago Speech. However, as soon as a few of the students had gathered, holding the Indian flag in their hands, the Principal, Dr Rama, came with a few faculty members and started snatching the flag from their hands, taking away their mobile phones and dispersing the crowd.

“I reached LP at 11 am with the National Flag and posters. Dr Rama, The Principal, was already present there with few other teachers and admin staff and was forcing students to vacate the space. Then she rushed towards me and my friend who was holding the other end of the Flag, and tried to snatch the flag. A student also tried to assault us and take away the Flag,” said a student, who wishes not to be named fearing action from the college authorities.

Also, Gaurav Kumar, Physical Education, Professor at Hansraj College, allegedly physically assaulted a third year student due to his participation in the protest.

“Sir told me that he will drag me out of the hostel and beat me up and no one will be able to do anything. Now the problem is, I cannot go anywhere, even the college is adamant on proving me wrong. I’ve filed a written complaint with Rama Ma’am,” the victim told DU Beat.

He added, “Gaurav had a grudge against me as a few days ago, I had shared a screenshot of a post where our professor was using a fake news to attack an actress.”

However, the Assistant Professor denied the claim. The Professor said, “I had confronted him regarding the post, but didn’t touch him. He is lying.”

The student has demanded that the administration of the Hansraj College file an FIR against the teacher, and suspend him until an investigation takes place. Students have decided to hold protests if action is not taken against him.

Image Credits: Anonymous
Image Credits: Anonymous

The original complaint sent to the College administration by the victim.

While all of this was happening, a group of students organised a protest supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in College ground. The administration was lax in reaching out to stop the gathering and was able to stop the pro-CAA gathering, not before videos were made and slogans and chants raised.

Feature Image Credits: Anonymous

 

 

 

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Bazinga

Bazinga: DU Cancels First-Period Classes Due to Fog

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The University of Delhi (DU) has decided to cancel all the first period classes of the colleges under the University, due to heavy fog and biting cold in the Capital.

On 4th January 2020, DU released a notice, stating its temporary policy to cancel all morning classes till 15th January. DU has adopted this policy due to the heavy presence of fog in the capital.

The notice reads, “This is to inform all the students of the University of Delhi (DU) that all classes taking place in the first period according to college timetable are to be cancelled till the 15th of January due to the presence of heavy fog in the city. The classes will continue as intended from the second period onwards.”

For some colleges like Hindu College, the first period starts at 8:50 a.m, for some like Mata Sundri College, it is 9 a.m, while for some colleges like Miranda House, it is at 8:30 a.m.

Jogesh K Tyagi, Vice Chancellor, DU, added that the University administration has taken this decision as a step towards its new policy of being more student-friendly. They plan on carrying out more policies like this in the future.

Rajesh R. Verma, a Professor of Hindi, said, “The students in the morning are drowsy during the first period and the fog will only heighten this. Moreover, students a lot of times tend to skip the first classes due to the fog. This might lead to them missing out on their course material. I think this is a move taken in favour of the students and I appreciate it. I hope the students won’t miss the other classes now.”

Sakshi Sharma, a student of Hansraj College, said, “I welcome this change made by DU. It takes me about two hours to come to college from home. In the fog, it’s especially difficult to travel. It’ll be a great relief for both students and teachers.”

However, Saumya Rao, a third-year student, disagreed with the move, saying, “I don’t think there’s any point in cancelling the classes. Bad weather days may come and go, but I don’t think our routine life should change because of that. This will only lead to us missing out on our syllabus and then cramming during the end. I wish the University focused more on important things like infrastructure.”

While this is going to be implemented only till 15th January, worsening of weather conditions may lead to further changes and cancellation of classes.

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Satviki Sanjay

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Campus Central

UGC Proposes On-Demand Exams for Undergraduate Level

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University Grants Commission (UGC) has requested the current government to introduce on-demand examinations at the undergraduate level to reduce failures and malpractices that happen during scheduled exams. UGC also wants to ensure that the decision to appear for the exam comes from the students and not the institution.

The University Grants Commission (UGC)  panel has suggested that on-demand examinations be introduced for students at the undergraduate level. UGC has proposed for a National Board to conduct examinations emphasising on “exams should be held when the learner is ready” and urged the current Modi government to introduce the initiative.

This proposal would be a reform by the UGC panel on evaluation. The proposal would reorganise and rearrange matters that relate to examinations which were set up in May 2018 in a committee that was chaired by Vice Chancellor, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, M.M. Salunkhe.

According to the report submitted by UGC last week, the UGC panel stated, “Assessment can take place when the learners consider themselves ready to appear. Thus readiness depends on the learner and not institutions.” The panel also added that this initiative would lead to a reduction in failures and also malpractices that occur during scheduled examinations.

The plan suggested an extensive use of automation and technology, with question papers being drawn from a question bank. The Board suggested that the on-demand exams should first begin for distance mode programmes and then be implemented to all other eligible programmes without any age or eligibility restrictions.

UGC also recommended setting up of a National Board that would deal with the operation and execution of these on-demand examinations. “Uniform grading and credit transfer policies must be evolved for this to work”, said the report by the UGC panel.

This evaluation reform is based on the poor nature of University’s productivity. It also aims to change the dearth of employment that Indian graduates and postgraduates face.

Though many students welcome the idea, thinking it to be synonymous to the GMAT tests, others remain sceptical. Nidhi, second-year student, Daulat Ram College told DU Beat, “The idea is good and is definitely an attempt to show that universities and the educational committees are trying to be more student-friendly, and are finally catching up to international standards.”

She further added, “However, I don’t think universities- or least the government universities have enough resources to be able to implement these efficiently. This will ultimately lead to chaos and in the end, it will up to us students to bear the brunt of all the poor implementation.”

Teachers also echoed similar concerns about the inefficiency of the suggestion. As reported by The Print, Professor Amita Singh, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University said, “A university is not a call centre that can work 24X7 to fulfil the demands of innumerable students. Academic preparation needs discipline, a conducive environment for students to think, discuss and debate while preparing for exams. There should also be the availability of libraries, books, coffee shops and hostels.”

However, keeping the debate of efficiency aside, it must be noted that while the UGC issued guidelines to all universities in 2015 to offer students a choice based credit system, the current reality is that there is little flexibility or choice for learners. It added that students should have the freedom to opt for courses beyond their core specialisations.

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Shreya Juyal

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Arts & Culture

Writing’s on the wall: the walls of North Campus

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Every aspect of North Campus has its own story to tell. Just take the walls for instance; there is something or the other stuck, painted, splattered on these walls that are bound to catch your eye.

One can begin their “Dilli Deewar Darshan” with a common DU thing i.e. student politics. Take the left or the right, various shades of political opinion are expressed on the bricks that form the foundations of several colleges and lanes. This definitely includes the posters and bills featuring quirky close-up photographs with loud fancy fonts. Even before a fresher gets to know about parties like ABVP and NSUI, he will know who is Rocky Tuseer, Rajat Chaudhary or Mahamedha Nagar, all thanks to the endless posters and vibrant graffiti. Getting layers of these posters is like a monthly affair for many such “walls for democracy” in the campus. And some of the thin paper bills even start getting shredded over time making the wall look like a bizarre work of modern art. Sometimes rain might be the reason for the tearing away of these posters. However, we all know that rain and Delhi don’t have long-lasting relationships. So, one might wonder which beast goes on scratching off these posters in a savage fashion ravaging our North Campus walls.

dav

However, the walls don’t get tattooed with the names of DUSU candidates always. Sometimes there are scribbles of meaningful text and art as well.  Many free thinkers and peaceful revolutionaries form a part of the DU family and their mental product is reflected on the walls too. For instance, you can spot the words “Free Saibaba” spray-painted in different areas. This refers to the sudden arrest of DU Professor GN Saibaba who has been hailed as a crusader for peasant movements. Some detailed imagery and messages can also be found relating to women empowerment, road safety and menstruation awareness. These adornments to the North Campus walls are much needed for the aesthetic appeal and social relevance.

mde

Talking about art and politics and social messages, it is no surprise that the Father of the Nation is also a featured guest. Mahatma Gandhi’s face is virtually everywhere in the country be it in textbooks or currency notes or the DU walls. A few walls near Vishwavidyalaya metro station and the souvenir shop, in particular, have several bright murals on Gandhi’s morals (no pun intended).  Apart from Gandhi, historical greats like Swami Vivekananda and Bhagat Singh also keep a watchful eye on the students of DU.

gandhi

A knowledge hub like Delhi University attracts people from diverse parts of the country. Many shift to North Campus with hopes, dreams and their parents’ money in their pocket and tend to shift in flats and PGs. So, it’s no surprise that amongst the tons of Post It notes stuck on the walls, advertisements for PG and other facilities occupy a major share too (especially on the Kamala Nagar and Hudson Line side).  The names and ads are totally random so you can expect anything from “Radhe Radhe Boys PG” to “Cook Dhoni”.

sdr

Ranging from mundane to outrageous, these walls are something which makes North Campus what it is. The walls are filled with diverse colours, fonts, political parties, student unions, rebel messages, and paintings. Maybe indirectly, this symbolises the whole DU culture itself, a life filled with hues, cultures and ideas of all sorts…

 

Featured Image credits- Shaurya Singh Thapa

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

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