The President and the General Secretary of the Student Union, Rahul Bubna and Abishek Balaji, sat down to talk to the English Press Club about the work done by them this semester and the progress that has been made on their manifesto points. They worked together on their manifesto points due to several constraints, one of which was the by-elections held for several Union Council positions which resulted in them coming into power later than usual.
The issues pertaining to SWD account payments have worsened during their tenure. Rahul cited the misuse of lost ID cards by students as one of the reasons. There was also one instance of a student duplicating another student’s ID card. Another student lost ₹19,000 through the BOSM app, and their parents threatened legal action against the Institute. Abishek mentioned that the SU Tech Team was working on a solution to prevent such misuse. Further, he added that if a concrete solution isn’t presented to the Institute by the end of this semester, there is a possibility of the Institute reverting to the cash-only system.
Another constraint that the team faced was the growing vandalism to new installations. The gym equipment and vending machines have been damaged in several hostels. They said that this discouraged them from taking upgrades forward and instead forced them to install CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of the existing equipment.
Rahul said that the team faced two major problems at the beginning of their term—the WiFi issue and the ID Card issue. The GBM was unhappy with the 3 GB cap on daily data usage and the team had to negotiate with the Chief Warden to get it increased to the current limit of 5 GB.
Rahul’s manifesto:
Students Union App
The app aimed to make all the on-campus facilities more accessible to the students. Rahul mentioned that there have been several apps in the past which only contained one or two features, released every semester for political gains. The idea was to integrate all these features into one app and release it under the banner of the SU. When asked about why certain mess signings weren’t reflected on the SU app, Rahul clarified that there was no glitch in the app, and explained that it was merely due to delays in the compilation of the Excel sheet by the clubs conducting the signings.
Players’ Pass for healthy food on a subsidized rate
The idea was to provide protein-rich food such as eggs, meat, and paneer at a subsidized rate for sports players representing the college at the food joints on campus. Rahul is presently in talks with the powerlifting and basketball teams and has asked them to come up with a formal diet plan. He is presently dealing with logistical issues. These include coming up with customised plans for different sports teams and preventing misuse by students who are not part of a team. He added that Looters has already given him a green light and that once the specifics are ironed out, it will be implemented.
IoT based Digital Notice Board
A digital display to show notices such as the mess menu, event advertisements, and exam schedules was Rahul’s next manifesto point. Rahul said that these notice boards have already been installed at FDs and at NAB as a trial run. Depending on the response of the GBM, he plans to install them in all the hostels. However, he said that there was a risk of the boards being broken and added that one of the boards at NAB is already broken, despite the presence of a CCTV camera.
BITS Knowledge Centre and Merchandise Store
The Knowledge Centre manifesto point mentioned a pan-university platform for students who require project and academic assistance, and the Merchandise Store was to be an online e-commerce platform exclusively for BITSian clubs, departments and start-ups to sell their merchandise, both on and off campus. Rahul said that since the SU tech team was busy with the SU app and other projects, there has been no work done for it and no deadline can be given.
PICK-E-RICK E-Rickshaws
Rahul has converted this point to a fixed-price shuttle service, mirroring the one in IIT Bombay. Further, the shuttle will be run on electricity, making it eco-friendly. Although little work has been done so far, further progress on the proposal depends on the Chief Warden’s approval.
Common Room Upgrades
Rahul said that the upgrade can only be taken forward once the vandalism issues have been addressed.
Miscellaneous
Rahul said that he hasn’t been able to work on the gaming room. He further cited a lack of safety measures for gaming consoles as a constraint. Rahul said that the introduction of the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) was done in the previous semester and he plans to do it again next year. 93 cards have already been made and at the time of writing, distribution had begun.
Abhishek’s Manifesto
Student Exchange-cum-Internship program
Abhishek’s first manifesto point was to establish the IAESTE (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) on campus to provide student exchange programs and technical internships. His team began communications with IAESTE, but the association had already established connections with the BITS placement unit. It was later decided that IAESTE was not the appropriate body to set-up these programs and the work hit a dead-end. Nevertheless, Abhishek talked to the Institute about the advantages of the program. Currently, his team is still in communication with the association.
Apple Mac Labs
Another point mentioned in the manifesto was the establishment of Apple Mac Labs on campus. This point was made as a joint initiative with Dr. NVM Rao, a professor in the Department of Economics and chief of the Centralized Purchases Unit. Dr. Rao managed to arrange a meeting with a representative of the Apple Mac Labs and many of the formulations for this initiative were completed. However, over the summer they were informed that Microsoft were planning to set up AI Labs in several universities, including BITS Pilani. Since this may lead to a conflict of interest, the discussions for the future of this initiative are still in progress and it remains undecided.
Technical Team Support
One of the main issues faced by the tech teams on campus is the fact that a lot of them receive their external funds only after their participation in competitions, with mess signings being the only other major source of funds prior to the competition. However, this may not always be enough to cover the cost of their equipment. Hence, the SU decided to set up contingency funds for technical teams. Effective next semester, tech teams in need of funds can directly approach the SU, which (after discussion) will provide the required capital. A process has been established where the team and team coordinator will take responsibility for the money allocated, and will be required to ensure that the funds are returned within a stipulated time, depending on when their sponsorship comes in. The funding is dynamic and money will be allotted based on the situation and requirement, with no fixed limit for this contingency fund. The decisions regarding the amount and duration of the funds are up to the discretion of the SU.
Improvement of Sports Facilities and Amenities in Hostels
For sports facilities, a pilot run was carried out, with basic gym equipment being set up in multiple hostels such as VK, Shankar, SR, and Meera. Further, the provision of microwave ovens in the hostels has also been approved. However, the main issue here is the maintenance of these provisions. It has been found that many of the facilities provided have already been damaged and vandalized by students. This has proved to be a huge speed-breaker for the work on this issue and the SU is still looking for a way around it. Abhishek wished to publicly request the GBM to not damage or vandalize the facilities provided, as this is a deterrent to further initiatives that the SU may wish to undertake. With regards to the cemented volleyball courts, the funds have already been approved and work has begun in the hostels.
Miscellaneous
Some of the other manifesto points worked on include the extension of the SAC timings till 3 AM, which will be effective next semester. They have also been working on an initiative to provide insurance for workers on campus in association with the Pilani Athmanirba Resource Center (PARC) student division. Evening snacks have also begun at the messes, and Abhishek hopes to convert the current coupon system for these snacks into an ANC like system of on-spot payment.
Abhishek explained that along with Rahul, he has assigned student teams to work specifically on each manifesto point, to ensure that all issues are dealt with.
Rahul and Abhishek signed off by saying that they faced several challenges that prevented them from working on their manifesto points. However, they said that they looked forward to overcoming these challenges next semester.