Disclaimer: The sole metric used to generate this report card is the manifesto and the mentioned points. The initiatives that do not fall under their respective manifestos have been listed with reference to a document the SU attached in their response to the EC, titled “Initiatives by SU 2021-22 leadership”. These initiatives have not been graded, as earlier mentioned.
The English Press Club annually publishes a report card which reviews the work done by the outgoing President and General Secretary of the Students’ Union (SU). Following this, Harsh Shukla, the ex-President of the SU, and Harsh Lamba, the ex-General Secretary of the SU, were both requested to give an interview, highlighting the work done by them throughout the last academic year. While Harsh Lamba was available and could be interviewed, Harsh Shukla did not respond to the multiple requests seeking an interview. Thus, Harsh Shukla’s report card has been generated after inputs from relevant secondary sources, including but not limited to the CoSSAC, IPCD, and PSD, along with tangible results.
President: Harsh Shukla
- Accelerating Campus Reopening (B-: 4 units)
Points:
- A state-of-the-art ambulance service and vaccination camps would be established on campus.
- Students would form a part of the Campus Reopening Team to formulate policies and make crucial decisions regarding their reopening.
- Tie-ups will be made with major hospitals in Delhi or Jaipur to open clinics on campus with top-end facilities to tackle COVID cases.
Performance:
A Campus Reopening Team (CRT) was initiated by the administration without student representation, which facilitated campus reopening and made important decisions. Vaccination camps were also regularly organised in MedC, along with various hostels. Timely provisions were made for quarantining in hostels like Malviya Studio Apartments (MSA), Meera Bhawan, and Shankar Bhawan. At the same time, there was no tie-up to major hospitals in Delhi and Jaipur, resulting in the medical involvement of only the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on campus and the superintendent or warden of the concerned hostel. No ‘state-of-the-art ambulance service’ was introduced beyond what already existed as part of the services offered by MedC.
2. Practice School Reforms (NC: 3 units)
Points:
- PS-I and PS-II will be unlinked, fees will be reduced, and a proper breakdown of the PS expenses will be made available.
Performance:
In a separate interview, Srinivasa Prakash Regalla, the Dean of the Practice School Division (PSD), informed the EPC that unlinking PS-I and PS-II is not feasible. He added that this is because the PS system has been divided into two, keeping relevant levels of industry exposure in mind. Given that the 2019 batch paid INR 67,900, and the 2020 batch had to pay INR 75,000, there seems to have been no decrease in the PS-I fees. A proper fee breakdown has not been released for either PS-I or PS-II.
3. Academic Initiatives (A-: 3 credits)
Points:
- Impartus would be included in the NAB classrooms to avail recorded lectures.
- Minors in Robotics, PEP (Philosophy, Economics, and Political Science), and AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) would be added to the curriculum.
- Exchange programmes with top universities would be set up to facilitate exchange semesters.
Performance:
Impartus recordings were available for classes conducted in the NAB classrooms. The PEP minor was mentioned in the Bulletin long before the initiative was taken up by the SU. Though it was introduced in the first semester of 2021-22, it has been discontinued due to low enrollment. The Professor-in-Charge of the Robotics minor, Dr B K Rout, was promoted to Registrar, owing to which the Robotics minor could not be introduced. An important thing to note is that the three new minors introduced from Academic Year 2022-23, Computational Economics, Supply Chain Analytics, and Computing and Intelligence, reportedly did not involve the SU. The International Programmes and Collaborations Division (IPCD), responsible for exchange programmes with various institutions of higher education, maintains that they are a wing of the Institute and see no involvement or affiliation with the SU. The open hours of the Library, S9, and different eateries were extended during major examinations to cater to the needs of students. Revisit Classes were organised before the mid-semester and the comprehensive examinations to facilitate the revision process. Various academic resources and a book catalogue were compiled and circulated for the benefit of both the 2020 and 2021 batches.
4. Increasing Student Representation in Decision-making Bodies (NC: 2 credits)
Points:
- Student representation would be increased in the Senate, Disciplinary Committee, PSD, and AUGSD.
Performance:
There has been no student representation altogether in the AUGSD or the PSD. As usual, there is only one representative of First Degree students in the Senate, namely, the Senator, and there are only two representatives of First Degree students in the Disciplinary Committee.
5. Public Transport and Electrical Bicycles Initiatives (C-: 2 credits)
Points:
- Collaborations with startups to introduce e-rickshaws at standardised rates on campus.
- Partnering with startups to bring e-cycles and install charging stations on campus.
Performance:
The rates for rickshaws have been standardised across campus. However, there have been no developments regarding e-rickshaws, e-cycles, and charging stations.
6. Food Delivery Service and Digitising Orders and Payment (A-: 3 credits)
Points:
- Hostel delivery service from food outlets would be implemented to prevent the overcrowding of students at eateries.
- Ordering, payment, and tracking of food from campus eateries would be digitised into the SU app.
Performance:
Ordering, payment, and tracking food from campus eateries have been digitised. The SU app can also be used to order from the coffee machine. While displayed on the app, hostel delivery services are not currently functional.
7. Improving research culture on campus (NC: 2 credits)
Points:
- Formation of a BITS-specific research journal to provide publication opportunities to students and professors, causing a jump in research culture, h-indices, and ranking.
Performance:
There has reportedly not been a push for the creation of this journal.
8. Rejuvenating campus culture (C: 3 credits)
Points:
- An Inter-hostel fest would be established to include co-curricular and cultural events to foster bonding between the batches.
- Inter-BITS culture will be developed through collaborative events and competitions.
Performance:
Diwali and Holi celebrations were organised on campus. The inter-hostel sports event, BITS Premier League, and the Inter-BITS sports fest, were conducted under the Sports Union, and not the Student Union.
9. SU Complaints Portal and Public Announcements System (NC: 2 credits)
Points:
- SU app and website would be added with a formal complaints portal for greater administrative accountability and announcements from SU clubs and departments.
Performance:
This has not been implemented on either the SU app or the websites. Announcements from clubs and departments still are communicated via BITS email and WhatsApp forwards.
10. Skill Development Programme (C-: 2 credits)
Points:
- Regular classes and subsidised online courses will be conducted to teach students various career-oriented and soft skills.
Performance:
While regular classes or subsidised online courses were not organised for career development and soft skills, the SU organised PS Talks to benefit students who were to appear for their PS-I or PS-II in the upcoming slot.
Final CGPA: 4.61
General Secretary: Harsh Lamba
1. Accelerating Campus Reopening: (C: 4 units)
Points:
- Campus Reopening Team (CRT) for making an SOP along with SWD, ensuring early and safe campus reopening and updating GBM with the advancements made. CRT will be a student team and will also ensure measures for a safe stay on campus by providing Anti-Covid essentials and implementing an SOP for assisting affected students.
- Extending Mediclaim Insurance policy to include Covid cases.
Lamba explained that the Campus Reopening Team (CRT) consisted of members of the administration. Members of the SU along with student volunteers aided them and acted as points of contact for the GBM. Lamba claimed that the admin CRT wasis in contact with the SU and informed them about their decisions beforehand. Lamba vouched for the admin CRT, claiming that the authorities would take appropriate measures if anything were to happen on campus. This group of SU volunteers was quickly disbanded due to controversy (Read the SAC-king). The SU postholders came under fire for abuse of power and Lamba was temporarily suspended from his post.
COVID-19 cases were included in the Mediclaim Insurance Policy, allowing students impacted by the same to claim medical insurance.
2. Alumni–Student Mentorship Programme (E: 2 units)
Points:
- A properly structured flagship programme for one-on-one student mentorship for career preparation under which interested students will be connected to alumni excelling in their respective fields.
The Alumni Mentorship Program is a pre-existing joint initiative by the Student Alumni Relations Cell (SARC), the BITS Alumni Association (BITSAA), and the Placement Unit (PU). It aims to connect students seeking mentorship with alumni who are pioneers in their respective fields. Members of SARC established that the SU is not affiliated with this program.
Lamba mentioned that he has submitted a proposal wherein a student team would be formed at some later point in time to assist the participants of the program.
3. SU Cycle Rental Service (NC: 3 units)
Points:
● Cycles left on campus by alumni will be repaired and used for yearly rental service.
● Setting up cycle stands of companies like Mybyk and Zoomcar PEDL to provide hourly rental service at around Rs. 2 to 4 per hour.
Lamba claimed that the SU has repaired and painted almost a hundred old cycles as a part of the Green Campus initiative. He stated that these cycles have been kept in the Student Activity Centre (SAC) and will be ready for use within a few days after the campus reopens. He further elaborated that this initiative aimed to keep these cycles in front of various hostels for student and faculty use. However, this plan did not take off during Lamba’s tenure.
He said that companies like MyByk are ready to set up cycle stands to facilitate bike-sharing. Their proposals have been sent to the administration and are currently being reviewed. Lamba stated that the SU had already negotiated the prices of these rental services. However, he expressed concerns over the seed funding, which the administration is currently discussing with the SU. This measure was not implemented during his tenure.
4. Pre-booking facilities at Looters, ToTT (B: 3 units)
Points:
● A mobile application will be developed for pre-ordering food items from Looters and ToTT, reducing queue and order waiting time. The application will accept payments from digital wallets as well as SWD accounts.
Update:
Lamba informed us that the pre-booking feature has been developed and added to the SU app. However, it has not yet been implemented because the All Night Canteen (ANC) and Looters employees were not well versed with the latest technology and demanded some time to grow accustomed to such a system. He added that once they get good hands-on experience with it, the SU will implement the pre-ordering system. Lamba stated that Food Ministry(FM) would be accepting payments using the SU application in the coming semester. However, the pre-booking feature was not implemented during Lamba’s tenure.
5. Deferred Placement Programme (A: 3 units)
Points:
● Students will have an option to come back for campus placements within two years of graduation.
● This will benefit students pursuing startups or preparing for civil services.
Performance:
The Deferred Placement Programme allows students to pre-register and return for campus placements within two years of graduation. Lamba claimed that it had been successfully implemented and is available on the placement website. He remarked that there had been requests from the students to apply for the Deferred Placement Programme. All such requests were transferred to the director.
6. Entry of girls in messes near academic blocks (C: 3 units)
Points:
● Allowing girls to enter boys’ messes during breakfast and lunch hours to reduce the inconvenience of travelling to and from Meera Bhawan in between classes.
Update:
Lamba stated that the Meera residents were allowed entry into selective boys’ mess during the examination period. The SR mess permitted the girls’ entry throughout the first-year examinations. This was an ‘initial research project’, which was carried out to assess the Food Suppliers’ (FSP) capability to deal with such a situation. Lamba claimed that the project was successful owing to the positive responses from the students and the FSP’s ability to manage such an event. He is hopeful that the SSMS will efficiently allow girls into more boys’ messes.
However, this initiative was not successfully implemented to its full potential this semester.
7. Laundromat for Meera Bhawan (A: 3 units)
Points:
● Construction of a separate Laundromat for Meera Bhawan residents, accompanied by faster service and more frequent laundry collection from all hostels.
Performance:
The Laundromat station for Meera Bhawan was constructed and inaugurated in the second semester of 2021-22. Lamba claimed that the station is functioning well with adequate water and electricity supply.
8. Ungraded Lab Courses for a first-hand experience (NC: 2 units)
Points:
● An option to attend lab courses will be given to the students who want hands-on experience.
Update:
According to Lamba, the SU spoke with the AUGSD Deans, putting forward their proposal to offer ungraded lab courses. The AUGSD Deans then reached out to the Head of Departments (HODs), yielding no fruitful response. Lamba remarked that the HODs requested evidence showing that the students are interested in registering for such courses, which he failed to produce. This led to the dismissal of this initiative.
9. Betterment in Hostel Facilities (C: 4 units)
Points:
● Coolers and Microwaves in all the common rooms and sinks near water coolers.
● Foosball table and Chromecast devices in all the hostels.
Performance:
Lamba said that new coolers had been installed in at least one common room of all the bhawans, while the previous ones were being repaired. Additionally, a VL setup is installed in the bhawans, allowing the wastewater from the RO purifiers to be used in the coolers. Apart from this, basketball nets, foosball tables, tennis tables, and a few basketball rings have been purchased from the hostel budget and provisioned in select bhawans. The Chromecast devices have not yet been installed; however, the SWD has approved the proposal for its instalment. These devices will be purchased in the next SU budget. Microwaves, which were to be installed this semester, have not been provisioned yet.
Final CGPA: 5.70
Miscellaneous Initiatives Taken by the SU
- Coolers in all hostel common rooms and Foosball tables in most
- e-Rotunda
- Coffee–vending machines in all hostels
- Enabling the booking of cabs and registration of appointments for Jawed Habib on the SU app
- Fundraisers amounting to over INR 20 Lakh for the needy
- SU Cab and Bus Service
- Quilt booking
- Courier service at the end of the semester
- Trunk service
- Formal suit service
- Electric geyser installation in T-wings of multiple hostels
- Revamping and refilling of vending machines and RFID cards