CoSSAc, StuCCA, CoSTAA and Departments
Every academic year, BITS Pilani, Pilani campus, hosts three major fests that bring the entire college to life. These fests are BITS Open Sports Meet (BOSM), Oasis, and APOGEE. BOSM is a sports fest. Oasis is a cultural fest celebrating creativity and diversity. Finally, APOGEE is a tech fest that showcases the technical innovations and prowess of the students.

Each of these fests is completely student-run. The organising, planning, and execution are all handled completely by the students. The organising bodies responsible for these fests for BOSM, Oasis, and APOGEE respectively are the Council of Students for Sports Activities (CoSSAc), Students Council for Cultural Activities (StuCCA), and Council of Students for Academic Activities (CoStAA). 

These three councils are composed of the President and General Secretary of the Student Union and the elected heads of the major departments of the fest.  

Departments are the essential components behind the functioning of each fest. Some departments are responsible for scheduling the events and arranging accommodations while others decorate the campus in preparation for the fest.

Clubs
Apart from the departments running these fests, the true vibrance and the assortment of events at the fests truly arise from all the clubs, tech teams, and academic associations taking part in the fest. These student organisations are notable as they work all year round. Find below a list of all the clubs and tech teams you will find on campus:

(A) Volunteer Groups

• Anchor
• Nirmaan
• NSS
• Pilani Atmanirbhar Resource Center – PARC

(B) Tech Teams

• Team Anant
• Inspired Karters – Gravity (IKRG)
• Inspired Karters Electric (IKE)
• Robocon
• TEAM BITS 
• CRISS
• BITS Pilani x Postman Innovation Lab
• Kalipatnapu Research Lab
• Sally Robotics

(C) Chapters

• Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
• Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE)
• Association for Computing Machinery’s Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W)
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Enactus 
• Toastmasters

(D) Growth and Skill development

• Centre for Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CEL)
• 180 Degrees Consulting
• Consulting Club
• Embryo
• Coding Club
• Wall Street Club
• Communo
• DebSoc
• Film Making Club (FMAC)
• Google Developer Student Club (GDSC)
• Photog
• English Press Club
• Hindi Press Club
• Product Management Club
• Renewable Energy Club (REC) 
• Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS)
• Students Alumni Relations Cell (SARC) 
• Operations and Strategy Club
• Quant Club

(E) Hobby Clubs

• Astro Club
• BITSMUN
• Creative Activities Club (CrAC)
• Cubing Club
• Dance Club
• Eastern Outlook
• English Language Activities Society
• Fashion Club
• FitBits
• Gurukul
• Association of Rock, BITS Pilani (ARBITS)
• Ragamalika
• Music Club
• Karaoke Club
• KalamVansh
• Gaming Club
• Mountaineering and Adventuring Club (MAC)
• Comedy Hub
• Mime Club
• Poetry Club 
• Matrix
• Hindi Drama Club (HDC)
• Public Policy Club
• Radioaktiv
• Sovesa

(F) Department Associations

• IFSA
• Chemical Engineering Association (CheA)
• Civil Engineering Association (A2)
• EEE Association (A3)
• Computer Science Association (A7)
• Manufacturing Engineering Assoc (AB)
• Biological Association (B1)
• Chemistry Association (B2)
• Economics and Finance Association (B3)
• Physics Association (B5)
• Mathematics Association (B4)
• Bits Pharmaceutical Society (A5)
• Instrumentation Forum (A8)

(G) Cultural Associations
BITS Pilani is the melting pot of a potpourri of culture, with the presence of people from every part of the country. To help overwhelmed freshers and those seeking familiar connections in new environments, cultural associations offer a way to meet people from the same cultural background.

These cultural associations provide familiarity within Pilani and help in navigating the ups and downs of college life as people band together with those who share the same language, food habits, and more. 

The on-campus calendars of each association are marked by three important events: a grub, the Founder’s Day performance, and a cultural night. Grubs are meals organized by cultural associations to celebrate their food culture by exhibiting the cuisine of their culture To organize these, chefs from Delhi or Jaipur are often invited. 

The Founder’s Day performance is a chance for these groups to portray their culture as they wish, whether it be through invigorating dance performances or classical compositions of music and plays. 

Find below a list of all the cultural associations on campus:

• Andhra Samithi (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)
• Arunodoi (North-East India)
• Delhi Capitol (Delhi and Delhi NCR)
• Gurjari (Gujarat)
• Haryana Cultural Association (Haryana)
• Kairali (Kerala)
• Kannada Vedike (Karnataka)
• Madhyansh (Madhya Pradesh)
• Maharashtra Mandal (Maharashtra)
• Marudhara (Rajasthan)
• Maurya Vihar (Bihar, Jharkhand)
• Moruchhaya (West Bengal)
• Pilani Tamizh Mandalam (Tamil Nadu)
• Punjab Cultural Association (Punjab)
• Sangam (Uttar Pradesh)
• Udgam (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh)
• Utkal Samaj (Odisha)

SU, UC, and the Committees 

SU/UC
The Students’ Union (SU) is a student body led by the President and General Secretary, who are elected from the General Body of Members (GBM). The SU is governed by the Union Council (UC). The SU President, General Secretary, Hostel Representatives, Day Scholar Representative, and an ex-officio member comprise the UC. The GBM includes all students except for higher-degree students like PhD candidates.

The members of the UC are elected. Each hostel elects one Hostel representative (H-Rep). While the entire GBM casts ballots for a President and a General Secretary, only the residents of each hostel can vote in the H-rep elections. 

All decisions about welfare, academic awareness, fests, and other student-related events are made by the UC. Together with the CoStAA and the StuCCA, it oversees APOGEE and Oasis respectively. It oversees all departments and the majority of clubs.

SU has implemented many programs, including the Peer Mentorship Programme (PMP), snack vending machines, and a fast food truck named Looters.

SC
Three Joint Secretaries and one Sports Secretary make up the SC. The SC members are responsible for accounting, stock, marketing, and other duties. In addition, they approve the sports budget, publicise sporting events, and approve all annual transactions about sports.

Joint Secretaries are chosen through interviews with existing members, and candidates must have been members of a BITSian sports team for at least two BOSMs. The criteria for candidates running for the position of Sports Secretary are the same, but they must have participated in three BOSM editions and been chosen by the captains of all teams that are registered. The duties of the Hostel Sports representatives entail managing sports activities and inventory in their hostel, and there are no criteria to be elected to the post.

The SUC comprises of the SC and the sports captains of all teams.

SFC
The primary duties of the Sports Financial Committee (SFC) are managing the finances for BOSM and InterBITS, and enforcing the organization’s charter and constitution. The functions of the various groups and departments involved in the fest are outlined in the charter. The campus’s sports bodies, their roles, and the election or selection process for each are described in the Sports Constitution. In addition to serving as the CoSSAc’s advisory body, the SFC oversees BOSM and InterBITS. In addition, the SFC organizes the BOSM review meetings, chooses the Joint Sports Secretaries, and elects the Sports Secretary. Applications to the committee are open to incoming sophomores. Following numerous iterations of in-person interviews and group discussions, three students are chosen as volunteer candidates. Fourth and fifth-year students may serve as ex-officio members of the core committee, whereas third-year students are selected as members.

CRC
To oversee the Students’ Union’s finances, the independent Corroboration and Review Committee (CRC) collaborates closely with the Institute and other student organizations. It also manages payments for merchandise tenders, bookings, tickets, travel, and lodging for professionals during Oasis and APOGEE. A few other important responsibilities include getting printing tenders for various clubs and departments, recording review meetings, maintaining records of the inventory of all clubs and departments and approving SU-related payments like taxis availed through the SU app. 

The recruitment process often begins with group discussions, followed by a personal interview in which one’s knowledge of the workings of the University, and perspectives on many important topics are evaluated. After that, an interview round based on the candidate’s opinions and morals is held. In their second year, the committee typically chooses three students at least to serve as volunteers. In their third year, the volunteers are designated as members.

JPC/PU
Student placements on campus and internships are handled by the Placement Unit (PU) and the Junior Placement Committee (JPC). The junior team, or JPC, helps the PU with logistics, scheduling training sessions, and communicating with company representatives. 

After submitting their resumes,  students clearing the shortlist participate in two rounds of group discussions and numerous rounds of interviews. A decision is made after an interview with the placement managers. A cover letter and resume are required for PU applications. After that, the procedure is the same as for JPC with the addition of another group discussion round and a final interview with the PU Chief. The Awareness Committee, Consulting Committee, and Finance Committee are the three components that comprise the PU.

The main goals of the Awareness Committee are to educate students about placement specifics and make the PU more approachable, particularly for first and second-year students. Every year, the number of members varies. To recruit students, the Awareness Committee first sends out a root mail explaining the specifics of the recruitment procedure. Interested students then need to complete assignments and interviews to be considered for recruitment. The Consulting Committee’s primary purpose is to inform interested students about consulting and give them a framework to help them prepare. Encouraging a finance culture on campus is the responsibility of the Finance Committee. It plans seminars and informational sessions.

AMC/SSMS
Controlling the mess-related operations on campus falls under the purview of the Society for Student Mess Services (SSMS). It controls operations such as menu planning and mess timings and guarantees that hygiene and quality requirements are fulfilled in the kitchens. The Quality Health Safety Environment (QHSE), Grub, Menu, Human Resources (HR), and Finance committees are the five committees that make up the SSMS. The Advisory and Monitoring Committee (AMC) comprises four third-year students.

The President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the AMC, one Mess Representative for each of the eight messes, and an ex-officio member constitute the SSMS Governing Council. The Mess Representatives of a particular mess are chosen by the members of the hostels to which the mess is attached. Members are elected to the posts of President, Secretary, and Treasurer through internal elections within the SSMS Governing Council. The SSMS also has its own Election Commission, which is responsible for conducting free and fair elections for the posts of the SSMS. Second-year students who wish to be a part of the AMC must not have previously run for the position of the Mess Representative of any mess. Candidates are contacted for individual interviews after rounds of group discussions. In their fourth semester, four individuals are chosen for probation; they become AMC members in their third year.

EC
In addition to overseeing the SU elections, the Election Commission (EC) is in charge of upholding and modifying the charters for APOGEE, Oasis, and the SU Constitution. It is the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that elections are conducted fairly and that each candidate abides by the rules set forth for the elections. Voting at Union Council meetings is likewise handled by the EC.

The EC is open to applications from students. Three students are chosen at the end of the process. The recruitment process typically extends into the fourth semester and involves group discussions and in-person interviews. Students in their second year start as volunteers and are incorporated as core members in their third year. Students are regarded as ex-officio members after conducting the elections in their fourth year.