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A Day in the Life of an Intern

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7:30 am:  My eyes open most reluctantly as the alarm goes off. I hit the ‘Snooze Button’ and pretend like it never even went off in the first place. I promptly go back to sleep.

8:15 am: My mother forces me to wake up by shaking me rather violently. I realise what time it is and panic for 2 minutes before I remind myself that I go through the same process every day, and hence have no reason to worry.

8:45 am: After getting ready quite hastily I drag myself to the Metro Station near my house and sleepily enter the Ladies’ Compartment.  I head off towards Noida where I’m interning this summer.

9:40 am: I finally reach the office and I’m only 10 minutes late. I make an expression like the ‘Not bad meme’ and sit down at my cubicle after greeting the other interns and my boss.

10:30 am: I’ve basically been going through a pile of paperwork and articles online, highlighting the information relevant to the project I’m supposed to research on. I look around to see what the other interns are up to and find all of them texting away at their phones. I pull my phone out to do the same.

11:15 am:  I feel (a little) guilty about being on my phone for such a long time and close all my chat and social networking site apps. I go through some more documents.

11:50 am: I decide to get myself a cup of coffee.

12:30 pm: Still going through documents and making entries in an Excel sheet. Lunch is just half an hour away, I realise happily.

1:00 pm:  Bring out the food! The interns and I head off to the canteen and sit at our usual table. The lunch thaali looks tasty today and we each buy one. Lunch hour is spent teasing each other and discussing trivial tales of our respective colleges. We also talk extensively of what would we would be doing right now if we were not interning – watching the latest movies and TV show seasons  are popular responses.

2:00 pm: Now that my stomach is full, I’m already feeling sleepy. My eyes threaten to close and my brain wants nothing more than to just doze off at the moment. But that is definitely not possible since the team has a meeting with the boss in about an hour.

2:45 pm: No one seems too pleased about the meeting. We’re all frantically finishing off our work and keeping an anxious eye on the clock.

3:30 pm: Well, I suppose it wasn’t that bad. In fact, the boss seemed happy with our progress! We spend the next hour brainstorming ideas on how to go about the next part of the project. I’m unusually alert right now.

3:50 pm: Time for another cup of coffee. Hmm, maybe some snacks too.

4:15 pm: Little more than hour to go.

4:30 pm: I strike up a conversation with the guy in the next cubicle about the latest Khaled Hosseini book. We both end up placing an order for it on Flipkart.

5:00 pm: I’m tempted to drink another cup of coffee but I manage to control myself by Googling ‘Health hazards of too much caffeine’ and convince myself that coffee is an evil addiction that must be curbed. For now, that is. I type out the weekly report I’m supposed to submit.

5:25 pm: I’m done with my work for the day but I can’t leave yet. I try to beat my Temple Run 2 high score-followed by Fruit Ninja and Paper Toss. I also list out all the things I’m going to buy with my stipend once I get it.

5:45 pm: FREEDOM AT LAST! I leave the building super-fast, as though I’ve been possessed by Flash’s spirit.

6:45 pm: I wake into my house, exhausted. I WhatsApp a few friends and sip some cold coffee.
Then I just lie down for a while. If nothing else, my internship has at least taught me to appreciate the beauty of coming back from a day’s work and doing absolutely…nothing!

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Admissions 2013

DU Cut Offs 2013: What You Can Expect

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Soon after the declaration of class XII board results, DU has again found a place in news. Only this time, it’s about a new course structure, amidst expectations of a rising cut off.

Let’s have a glance at this year’s results. About 7231 students crossed the barrier of 95%. While high percentage surely would have come as relief to both parents and students, how good would be the chances a student who has scored, say, 93%, would only become clear once the cut offs are declared.

Since the 95%+ club has been inundated with students, specially Science students, an average of about 3-4 % rise seems inevitable in the cut offs of science courses, as is also evident from the fact  that 754 students have scored 98% and above in physics and 426 people got merit in biology.

Altogether 44,676 students have scored 90% and higher in the Class XII CBSE boards, and their best-of-four aggregate for undergraduate admissions is likely to be even higher as 701 students have scored 100 in Maths and 1,498 have scored 96% and above in English. A spiralling rise was seen in Accountancy were 403 students earned merit in comparison to 223 in last year and in Business Studies it is 901. It is expected that increase in cut off for commerce course will range from 0.75%-1%. With SRCC, last year, announcing an unbelievable 100% cut off (for non-commerce students), it will be very interesting to see how this year’s increase takes shape. St Stephens which announced 98% as economics honours cut off is now expected to announce cut off around 98.75% – 99%. Humanities courses are also expected to see a rise of about 1%- 2%.

(For entire Admissions 2013 coverage click here)

However, not all subjects have witnessed an increase in marks scored. In Core English, the merit certificates have gone down from 1,782 to 1,498 this year, a decrease of about 19%. In Elective English, the decrease has been around 2-3%. CATE has been scrapped and the University will be admitting students on the basis of marks after many years.

The other reason spotted for rise in this year’s cut off might be the risk of over-admitting students. Earlier, there was rampant over-admission in spite of high cut-offs. But with the increase in the number of available seats under the four-year undergraduate program, there are contradictory views that this might get balanced out too.

Moreover, it’s a new system and colleges might be very cautious and conservative, especially for the first cut-off list, but in subsequent lists, cut offs are expected to normalize. Overall, there are a number of factors to be considered—the four-year undergraduate program that will increase the total strength of Delhi University’s undergraduate classes by about a third, redistribution of seats that formerly belonged to ‘Program’ courses, removal of entrance tests in several courses and, finally, the Class XII CBSE results. The abolishing of the BA, BCom and BSc program courses has added seats to many of the honours courses and the impact this has on cut-offs, will depend largely on how many seats have been redistributed and among how many subjects.

This year it’s going to be very tricky.

Update: The cut-off for St. Stephen’s College was declared on June 21st. Check the details here.

Image credits: Surbhi Bhatia 

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Campus Central

Students of Law Fac Organise Protest March Against University Authorities

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The students of the Faculty of Law, as well as the students who are trying to take admission in the Faculty of Law, organized a huge protest march starting from the main gate of the Arts Faculty and it culminated inside the Faculty of Law. The main reason for organising this protest march was to make the University authorities aware of the malpractices that are going on with total support from the admission committee and with full guidance and support from the Dean, Faculty of Law.

There have been several cases of mental harassment as well as vulgar abuses against the existing students who have been detained due to personal biases and also against girl students who are trying to seek admission in the Faculty of Law. Several cases of students seeking admission in the Law Faculty being booed with filthy abuses have been reported. There have been several complaints regarding this from the students to DUSU. Students seeking fresh admission to the Faculty, as well as those currently enrolled, came out and joined hands, expressing their solidarity against the Dean in what has been described by some students as a “tyrannical” rule.

Current students of the Faculty have been facing constant harassment at the hands of the Dean as they have been detained on account of shortage of attendance, the stipulated requirement of which is 66%. These students spread out overall three years of the LL.B. course found themselves in these unfortunate circumstances only 4 days before the start of their end-semester examinations. When they approached the Dean and other members of the Faculty, they were humiliated, verbally abused and made to run from pillar to post. They allege that they have been detained without warning and have fallen victim to the rivalry between the Faculty and the administration. As if the testimonies of the current students did not disincentivise an admission seeker from applying to the Faculty of Law, students have been made to wait for hours on end to be able to procure and submit their LL.B. Entrance Forms in the sweltering heat. The counter to submit the forms opens an hour late and the lunch hours are flexible to the whims and fancies of the staff. Upon making a complaint, students were abused verbally and the staff did not even heed to the presence of female students and continued to use filthy language which is not expected from a faculty of their caliber.

Students, fed up with the situation, approached the DUSU Office and through its President, Shri Arun Hooda, a complaint was made. Instead of readdressing the grievances of the students, the faculty, hand in glove with the college administration, falsely framed the student leader of misconduct. The Dean’s attitude and approach has made many a student regretful of their association with the Faculty and fresh admission seekers are thinking twice before applying for admission on account of the harassment meted out to them. The protest was carried out in the Faculty premises and the students marched near Gate No.4 and a memorandum of their grievances was submitted to the University authorities. Appeal has been made by these angered student community for stringent action against the Dean and an enquiry into the issue at hand.

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DUB Speak

As We Bid Adieu

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When winter turns to spring, the trees wake up from their cold slumber as tender leaves sprout from their fragile branches, adding colour to a body that stands like a bare canvas. The ground begins to thaw as life breathes through its pores, ready to face the onset of a new year. As we say goodbye to the three years that defined our outlook towards life, our branches shake off the protective layer of ice that kept us insulated from a world where we need to dig our roots deep into the soil, choosing our own paths and charting the course of our future.

With barely a month left for the final exams to begin, our third year comrades prepare their resumes and compile their academic transcripts together in the race to get into the next phase of this never-ending journey. Some choose to fill out innumerable applications and sit for overwhelming entrances, while others run around hoping to get their professors to write letters of recommendation, smoothing the obstacle course set by foreign universities. Yet another set of aspiring adults choose to begin their budding careers, and a significant bunch take a year or two off to brainstorm on where to channel their passion.

Not all of us have enjoyed these three years. Many wait for those dreaded exams to end, the close of an old chapter and an eager turn to the next page. DU is a waste of three years, the education system is below average, many of the professors can’t speak properly, and the infrastructure is pathetic. Warnings have always rained on the years of the delusional juniors. However, what we don’t realise is that behind the dilapidated, rusted exterior, we still have special moments. Moments when we run out of our class to visit the momo or bhel puri wala before he leaves, a quick snack between classes. Moments when we take part in a competition with our friends at a popular college’s fest and come back penniless due to all the food we ate for lack of anything to do. In other cases, when we outshine everyone else and hold the trophy in our hands, a reminder that no matter how big the stage is, school, college or life, the things we’re passionate about never leave us feeling less than satisfied. All the friends you make, the parts of your college that you cherish the most, the teachers that made classes memorable for you thanks to their teaching, or even their mispronunciations.

Growing up is never easy. It’s a constant headache as you wonder what’s in store for you. Yet the day you graduate, think of it as the time to let go of the past, and look ahead to your future. Cherish the memories you have created over the past three years, as these moments never come back.

 

Image Credits: Swadha Singh

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Campus Central

A Teacher’s Anguish over Unspeakable Manner of Academic Interaction in SRCC

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It is with dismay, as a teacher, that I wish to bring to public notice an unthinkable and unfortunate incident that took place in my college, Shri Ram College of Commerce on 6th April. I am doing so for I believe that the incident is symptomatic of the wider, systematic decline in academic culture of the University of Delhi that I have been witnessing over the past few years.

As part of an academic Conference on the subject “Transformational Leadership”, Prof. Dinesh Singh, the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University was to address students and teachers in the college auditorium at 10.00 am. I stood up, before the Vice-Chancellor started his address and had politely and barely uttered “May I take a minute”, when bouncers accompanying Prof. Singh rushed towards me and from the centre of the auditorium kept violently pushing me even though I offered no resistance; this carried on till they made sure that I was out of the auditorium.

The auditorium was full of students as classes started at 8.40 am, student volunteers were sent by organisers to each class room to announce that all teachers and students “have” to be present in the auditorium. This directive itself was unprecedented and undesirable. Many seminars and conferences are held in the college and it is left to students and teachers to voluntarily participate in those events depending on their inclinations and how they value their participation. Even a hint of coercion where the role of students and teachers is reduced to being listeners and applauders is destructive of independent and critical thinking and of the development of socially concerned individuals who will have the sensitivity and courage to stand for what they believe is right. And when it happens in the name of an “academic” event, the event is anything but academic. Many seminars and conferences are held but never had we forced anyone to attend any particular ones. However much I do not wish to say it, it did not escape anyone that such an unwelcome exercise was because the speaker in question occupies an important post and has the powers to favour or disfavour.

On 3 April 2013, Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju was our chief guest for the Annual Day. He walked in and walked out, with the Principal, teachers and alumni, the same auditorium with no security guards. Recently, when Shri Narendra Modi visited the college, his security guards did not enter the lecture venue. In another worrying first, an academic head of our own University was accompanied by bouncers. I have also learnt that before the event began teachers were asked not to occupy the first row since it had been decided that persons accompanying the VC to this academic event and interaction would be seated in the first row.

Further, to the best my knowledge, in any academic event if someone wishes time for raising any issue or express an opinion, normally they are allowed brief intervention. Sometimes, depending on the person occupying the chair, interventions from the floor are allowed while at others, the chair disallows the intervention. Physical manhandling and contact is alien to any healthy academic institution. I was not raising slogans, my voice was soft and polite and I was only seeking permission.

Of the many issues and manner in which the university administration conducting itself, I wished to bring to his notice only one – that only recently on 25th March 2013 one official under him, he being the chief academic and executive officer of the University, had directed colleges to suspend classes on 26 March 2013 in view of possible Holi-eve hooliganism and at the same time directed teachers to mark their presence. Teachers who had non-teaching assignments that day such as organisation of co-curricualr and extra-curricular activities or some assigned administrative duty were anyway supposed to come. To direct teachers to be present without having anything to do and when most colleges have no individual rooms for academic pursuit can only stem from a view which does not visualise teachers as academic workers / intellectuals who should be devoting their time to academic pursuits but as time-bound employees who earn their salary by spending time waiting for orders. Such redefining of teachers’ role carries with itself many undesirable transformations of work culture in an academic institution. Such “small” things, if repeated without critically examining all ramifications, can adversely affect motivation without which no teaching-learning, let alone quality teaching-learning, can take place. Demotivating and humiliating teachers may in the long-term produce a culture that is unthinkable today. Beyond assigned class and contact hours, it may become “normal” not to attend to or interact with students on their queries, doubts and aspirations.

This incident, to me, as a teacher, who has been the profession for over 30 years, is less an occasion for hurt or anger and more one of anguish and pessimism about the future unless such conduct is reviewed and not repeated.

In fact, one has been a hapless witness to the process of academic debate and interaction in the University where the administration speaks only to those who they pick, where meetings and Congresses are reduced to “chosen” audience addressed by “chosen” speakers. Views and counter-views are not allowed to be expressed, let alone debated, before academic decisions are taken. Counter-views, differing opinions and dissent gradually perforce can only be expressed only as protest actions, on streets.

I sincerely hope that we do not come to such a pass. Denial of democracy in academics, academic interaction and academic decision-making undermines excellence and independent thinking, and would lead to disastrous actions such as the hasty introduction of the four-year undergraduate degree course, without the due debate, scrutiny and preparation which should precede any such drastic change, seems to suggest.

-Sanjaya Kumar Bohidar
Associate Professor
Shri Ram College of Commerce
<[email protected]>

Views expressed by the writer are personal. 

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Campus Central

Teachers anxious over restructured 4-year course

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Delhi University does it again. From delay in examination results to admissions, they have now failed to restructure the to-be introduced 4-year undergraduate programme within time. Sources at DU reveal that a select group of teachers from each department had been asked to prepare the curriculum for the new course, which was to be submitted to the Vice Chancellor by the 11th of March, or as some sources say the 20th. Either way the deadline has been overshot by most departments, and with just 3 months left for the university to start enrolling students, this delay has received much flak.

The teachers have criticized the proposed reforms citing issues like shoddy infrastructure, undemocratic representation of college teachers in syllabus making, hasty and unplanned manner of increasing student workload. As a result many senior teachers have been kept in the dark and have been asked to only work on the design and their opinion has definitely not been taken into consideration as to how and why a 3 year honours programme can be diluted and converted into a 4 year course. According to a senior teacher from Miranda House, ‘DU is still trying to cope up with the changes made with the introduction of the semester system. Asking us to convert the syllabus of a rigorous 3 years honours programme, into one of 4 years that too within 15 days is something close to impossible’.

The deadline is yet to be met, and many teachers have actually opted out of the process while questioning the validity of the entire idea.

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Campus Central

Merger Of BFIA, BBE And BBS

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University of Delhi has planned on merging three courses, BFIA (Bachelor of Finance and Investment Analysis), BBE (Bachelor of Business Economics) and BBS (Bachelor of Business Studies), amidst much protest from the students of the three courses. The plan is to create a course that can be pursued as a four-year undergraduate degree.

Incidentally, the four-year undergraduate plan is already protested against by students and teachers alike. The three courses might collectively be called Bachelor of Business and Management. Total intake of the three courses is 891 divided as: BBE (554), BBS (274) and BFIA (62), and the number of seats will remain the same.

Cause of the merger, as the University has stated, is that all three courses have similar curriculum. However, the only similarity is the entrance test that is common for the courses. Also, 10 to 11 papers are unique to the courses. BFIA is a financial course, BBE is an economics-based course and BBS is a management-based one. New selection process is not likely to have GD/PIs. Foreign universities only have a roster for the current courses being offered, that is, BFIA, BBE and BBS.

Devika Chaddha, a student of SSCBS, pursuing BBS, feels that the current students of these three courses would face an “identity crisis” during placements, as the validity of the courses would be questioned. Students don’t mind a new, generalised course to be introduced, but not at the cost of BFIA, BBE and BBS. Some students don’t mind the increment of the duration by one year, as it will reduce the pressure to an extent. Instead of the merger, students are asking for enrichment of the courses by introducing new papers to the courses.

The students of these individual courses are provided with an edge over others because there is specialization at the undergraduate level, which lands them jobs, right after their graduation. A protest was held by students on Sunday, 24th March, 2013 at the Central Park to show their displeasure towards the decision.

No final decision has been taken yet, but is likely to be taken as soon as the admission process begins in the first week of April.

 

Shreya Mudgil
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Nexus 2013: The Good and The Bad

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The three day cultural fest of Sri Venkateswara College, christened Nexus, was part of the last batch of fests in DU. Having had a bad run for the past few years except maybe last year, Venky faced the daunting task of restoring its image. Nexus kicked off on the 7th of this month with Member of Parliament, Mr. Shashi Tharoor gracing the inaugural ceremony as the Chief Guest. As he addressed the gathering, he reminisced about his time in college and spoke about how times had changed. The first day of the fest undoubtedly belonged to the talented actors of DU. The day saw the best of acting talent come forth onto the stage with not just the street play but also the theatre competition setting the tone for the day. Eventually, the Street Play competition saw SRCC grab the top prize, with Hansraj College and Hindu College standing second and third respectively. The theatre competition was a fresh break from the usual competitions held during such fests for the actors managed to effortlessly touch the hearts of their audience. The second day of the fest saw a wide variety of events ranging from choreography to debating to the crowd favourite, the Battle of the Bands. Members of the band The Barefaced Liars, which was set to perform later on during the day, judged the Battle of the Bands contest. However, the sound system was quite a dampner during the performances. With Pentagram set to perform on the last day, Venkites pinned their hopes on the last day to turn out better than the second. The morning of 9th March saw The Nizami Brothers put up a show in the Seminar Hall. After that performance, students waited impatiently for Pentagram to take the stage, which they did after a delay of almost three hours at around 7 in the evening. The crowd response after their show, however, was mixed. While some felt that they put up a great show, others were disappointed by the lack of Bollywood music. All in all, there seemed to be no show stealer at this fest. A lot could possibly be done to make it more interesting. The OC should probably jot that down for reference next year. Surya Rajappan [email protected] Image credits: Sonam Satija ]]>

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News

DU Marksheets go MIA

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They are calling it the case of the missing marksheets. Well, not quite literally. But certain administrative lapses in Delhi University and its colleges are surely jeopardizing some students’ prospects. These lapses involve marksheets, which still haven’t been received by enrolled students of the annual mode and re-evaluation results, both of which have dampened the future prospects of third year students in several colleges.

Take the case of Shanti Kapoor*, a History Honours student at a prominent college on campus. Her ordeal began with her second year result’s announcement, and continued until last week. Due to a discrepancy in her marks on the first marsheet she received, she was made to forfeit almost half of her third year.

She was disallowed to attend classes in the third year until she officially passed her second year, due to a re-evaluation result that refused to come out until mid-December. And even then, she was lucky to have found out through a friend who happened to chance upon a list on her college notice board. The authorities did not bother to inform her directly.
She says, “It was terrible. I was lucky that my friend saw my name on the list of re-evaluation results that were out. But that wasn’t the end; I had to complete so many more administrative formalities until I was finally granted re-admission. I had to waste more than half of my third year for no fault of my own, and the laxity of the University. I hope no one else is made to go through this.”

While hers is one of the exceptional tragic cases, an acute problem being faced by students since time immemorial is the late issuance of marksheets. While the results are declared by late July-early August, the marksheets come much later. This derails the aspirations of numerous students keen on applying for further studies abroad, as they don’t have the relevant academic credentials to demonstrate to universities for the process.

Says Vandana Sharma* of another well-known college, “We only received our marksheets for second year in December, by which time several deadlines were over. We had to get unofficial transcripts made from the college, and explain our plight to universities abroad. It was not pleasant.”
This issue seems to be another one of the several glitches that the University needs to fix before the start of the ambitious revamp of a 4-year degree next academic year onward.

*Names have been changed on request

Tanya Dua
[email protected]

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News

DU Students on hunger strike due to lack of hostels

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Hunger strikes seem to be a promising method to attract the attention of the authorities in India. Six students of University of Delhi went on an indefinite hunger strike on 23rd January, 2013. The strike was held to raise the demand for better accommodation for students outstation students complained of not having proper places to live in.

Students do find rooms outside the University in neighbouring areas, but the cost is not feasible for everyone. Many of them work part-time to arrange for the money. The monthly cost in these rooms comes to about Rs.5000 to Rs.7000, and that is excluding the cost for food. Including food, students pay anywhere between Rs.10,000 and Rs.15,000 monthly.

Students who are residents of Delhi also support the cause, saying that it is a basic necessity for students that come from outside Delhi. Girls complain that living in areas like Mukherjee Nagar and Vijay Nagar is a compromise on their safety. Out of around 1.8 lakh students, only 6,000 students are able to live in hostels. Questions have also arisen regarding the Students’ Union that it is not supporting and raising students’ issues, but is busy with its parties.

There is demand for healthy, nutritious and affordable food in the University. According to a senior DU official, the University has tied up with Indian Railways so that affordable food is available to the students in the canteens. There is also a demand for providing stipends to those students to whom the facility of hostels has not been provided.

About 400 signatures have been collected by the demand till now.

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