Students’ Union
The Students’ Union (SU) is the student representative body at BITS Pilani. It serves as a channel of communication between the students and the administration. All first-degree students are considered de facto members of the SU and are given the title of General Body Members. The GBM is responsible for electing the President and the General Secretary for the Students’ Union.
Meanwhile, the Union Council (UC) functions as the governing body of the SU and consists of the SU President, General Secretary, Hostel Representatives, Day Scholar Representative, and an ex-officio member. The Hostel Representatives are elected by the residents of each hostel.
The UC holds the authority to make decisions pertaining to welfare, academic awareness, festivals, and other student-related activities. It collaborates with the Students’ Council for Cultural Activities (StuCCA) and the Committee of Students for Academic Activities (CoStAA) to oversee the management of Oasis and APOGEE, respectively. Additionally, the UC’s jurisdiction extends to most student-led departments and clubs within the institution.
The campus also bears witness to the presence of various other committees, each boasting a distinctive mandate and significance. The Sports Council (SC) hold the responsibility of being the governing body of the Sports Union Council (SUC), adroitly supported by the Sports Financial Committee (SFC). In addition, the Corroboration and Review Committee (CRC), the Placement Unit (PU), the Students’ Academic Cell (SAC), the Society for Student Mess Services (SSMS), and the Election Commission (EC) are counted among the array of other committees present on campus.
Clubs and Chapters
There are a huge variety of clubs, each with their own methods of recruitment, ranging from personal interviews to written tests, and group discussions to “interactions”. Through these recruitments, one can join clubs dedicated to the performing arts, such as dancing and singing, or clubs geared towards dissecting current affairs.
Associations
Associations—generally called assocs—are of two kinds. There are the departmental associations, which serve as a platform for students to interact with their departmental faculty. These associations, There are clubs that focus on popular culture and literature and clubs that discuss the latest happenings in the world of finance. Some clubs strive to report on the latest happenings on campus, while others seek to make society better through social work. There are clubs for debating, quizzing, film-making, and photography, just to name a few. Clubs geared towards science and technology, often called “tech-teams”, are not out of place on campus, and these often have the most rigorous recruitment processes. The existence of these clubs is also complemented by the presence of chapters of various national and international organisations and societies.
while largely student-run, are also overseen by the respective department faculty. It is not obligatory for one to join the association of their respective discipline. One can also join associations for disciplines different from their own. Given below is an exhaustive list of departmental associations:
- Civil Engineering Association
- EEE Association
- Mechanical Engineering Association
- Chemical Engineering Association
- Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Pharmacy Association
- Computer Science Association
- Instrumentation Forum
- Manufacturing Engineering Association
- Biological Association
- Chemistry Association
- Economics and Finance Association
- Mathematics Association
- Physics Association
- Humanities and Social Sciences
BITS Pilani boasts an ethnically diverse student population, and the existence of various state “cultural associations” mirrors this diversity. These associations organise cultural nights and grubs, along with dances and plays, as part of the Republic Day festivities. Given below is an exhaustive list of cultural associations on campus:
- Maharashtra Mandal (Maharashtra)
- Kannada Vedike (Karnataka)
- Pilani Tamil Mandram (Tamil Nadu)
- Madhyansh (Madhya Pradesh)
- Marudhara (Rajasthan)
- Delhi Capitol (NCR)
- Punjab Cultural Association (Punjab)
- Haryana Cultural Association (Haryana)
- Maurya Vihar (Bihar, Jharkhand)
- Moruchhaya (West Bengal)
- Arunoday (North-East India)
- Sangam (Uttar Pradesh)
- Gurjari (Gujarat)
- Andhra Samiti (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh)
- Kairali (Kerala)
- Udgam (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand)
Sports Teams
The sports facilities on campus are well-complemented by the presence of multiple sports teams. While there are teams for the more mainstream sports like cricket, football, badminton, et cetera, there are also teams for lesser-known sports such as Ultimate Frisbee and Rollball. These teams participate in the two sports fests organised on campus, BOSM and Inter-BITS (for more information on those, check out the article ‘Fests at BITS Pilani’), as well as inter-collegiate sporting events organised in different colleges throughout the country. Given below is a comprehensive list of sports teams on campus:
- Lawn Tennis Team
- Taekwondo Team
- Ultimate Frisbee Team
- Athletics Team
- Badminton Team
- Hockey Team
- Cricket Team
- Basketball Team
- Powerlifting Team
- Skating Team
- Rollball Team
- Snooker Team
- Squash Team
- Volleyball Team
- Football Team
- Carrom Team
- Table Tennis Team
- Chess Team
Please note that while all the above sports have a team for boys, not all have a team for girls.
Recruitments to these teams generally take place every semester and tend to be highly competitive.
Departments
Student groups responsible for managing specific functions during fests are known as departments (it is of utmost importance not to confuse them with the academic departments that exclusively pertain to scholastic pursuits). The major departments, along with the President and the General Secretary of the Student’s Union, constitute the Students’ Council for Cultural Activities (StuCCA) and the Committee of Students for Academic Activities (CoStAA). These bodies, in turn, bear the responsibility for the organisation of Oasis and APOGEE, respectively.
Additionally, some departments organise events during fests. Distinctly from clubs, most departments recruit informally through interactions at the Rotunda, Temple Lawns, Sky Lawns, and even within the abodes of department seniors.