An information seminar for the Students’ Union (SU) elections was held on July 12 at 5 PM by the Election Commission (EC) to explain the functioning of the SU and for the candidates running for President and General Secretary to present their manifestos.
The seminar began with a speech by Prof. Srikanta Routroy—Associate Dean, SWD—and Prof. Navin Singh—Chief Warden. They congratulated the EC for organising the SU elections online and asked the students to carefully consider the manifestos of all candidates while selecting representatives.
A member of the EC gave an overview of how the SU functions. Since the upcoming semester might be online, the electorate would be divided based on batches. This year, the SU would consist of the President, the General Secretary, and the batch representatives. The EC member listed some initiatives of the Union Council such as the introduction of vending machines and gym equipment in hostels, extension of the 24/7 library service during exams, installation of the Amul booth near GymG, and the establishment of the Jawed Habib hair salon. She then asked Harsh Shukla, the Presidential candidate, to present his manifesto.
Harsh Shukla—Candidate for President:
Harsh Shukla was elected as a hostel representative of SR Bhavan in his first year and a batch representative in the Acting Council in his second year. The introduction of the Clear grade, leading the protest against the fee hike in PS-I, and getting a tender for 400 whiteboards in SR Bhavan were the initiatives listed by him. He said that his entire manifesto revolves around the biggest stakeholders of BITS—the students.
He proposed a tie-up with major hospital chains in Delhi to open a clinic with a 24/7 ambulance service to tackle any COVID-19 cases. He expressed his wish to counter the fee hike in PS-I by making it possible for the students to opt out of PS-I and still be eligible for PS-II. He added that he intends to introduce minors like Robotics; Politics, Economics, and Philosophy; and ML and AI. He further said that he hopes to establish a disciplinary committee and student wings within PSD and AUGSD. He also advocated for an e-rickshaw shuttle service and e-cycles on campus to reduce transportation-related issues.
He put forth his plan to introduce a food delivery service for hostels to avoid crowds at eateries when campus reopens. He stated that to improve the research culture on campus, he aims to introduce a ‘BITS research journal’. Next, he talked about adding a formal complaint portal and an announcement system on the SU website and app. His final point was to introduce a free or subsidised skill development program where all students would be provided opportunities in fields such as music, and fine arts and skills like soft skills, and career-specific skills.
Harsh Lamba—Candidate for General Secretary:
Harsh Lamba said that being a part of various clubs and a department has enabled him to understand the affairs on campus better. He was a batch representative in the Acting Council and the initiatives listed by him included the introduction of the Clear grade, an academic scholarship for PS-I fees, e-Rotunda for juniors to interact with seniors, “Revisit Classes” to provide guidance to the 2020 batch for their mid-semester examinations, and an “Insider Session” for the 2019 batch to understand how the electives system works.
He then began talking about his manifesto. He voiced his hope to reopen the campus as early as possible by forming a campus reopening team that would work with the SU. He aims on installing sanitiser dispensing machines, ensuring proper ambulance services, and other ‘anti-COVID measures’. He conveyed his plan to introduce an Alumni Student Mentorship Program (ASMP), under which ‘sophomore batches and all batches of them’ will be connected to alumni mentors in their fields.
He expressed his intention to set up a cycle rental service to avoid the wastage of old cycles left by graduates and a food-ordering app to reduce queues outside the eateries. He then put forth a Deferred Placement Program which would allow graduating batches to opt out of conventional placements and appear for the placement season within two years of graduation.
He then spoke about giving girls the option to have food in boys’ messes and constructing a Laundromat outside their hostel to reduce travel time. Next, he proposed the introduction of ungraded lab courses for the 2020 batch who missed practical work in the online semester. He further discussed improving hostel facilities—coolers, microwave ovens, and foosball tables in common rooms, and Chromecast in the TVs. The information seminar ended with him promising to ‘listen to every problem’.