The first Union Council (UC) meet this semester was a quiet affair, attended largely by UC members, along with an EC representative, and the English Press Club. The President began with a review of the performance of the Hostel representatives, and addressed a few issues which included internet woes in Vyas and hot water problems in Vishwakarma Bhawan.

The General Secretary gave an account of last semester’s SU budget. Out of a total of 2.5 lakh allotted last semester around 35 thousand was left unused. This semester, owing to the lower number of club activities, the budget allotted was 1.5 lakh.

Bhagwati Tours and Travels, whose contract had been cancelled last semester, was awarded the contract again this semester. They had earlier submitted with a written apology letter and promised to reduce charges by half, in case of complaints. The General Secretary reminded the GBM that the onus of ensuring a fair transaction lies on the students as well and appealed to them to be vigilant while using the service.

The SU commended a few recent initiatives – Magnus Prep and the Passport Camp. Magnus Prep, along with the SU, have started a Student Development Initiative, whereby a few dedicated WhatsApp groups have been created, which provide study material as well as advice for higher education exam preparation. The Passport Camp, organised by the SU, with the assistance of the SWD, saw 315 successful applications.

A few announcements were also made. Oasis bills, which were not included last semester will be added to the January or February bills. The Oasis financial statement will also be generated in a few weeks. The SU was proud to announce that this was the first time prize money had been awarded on time.

After APOGEE, all clubs and associations on campus, except the seven technical teams and TEDx, will come under the SU banner. The primary implication of the move will be that all funding will be handled by the SU and these groups will no longer need to generate money through T-shirt and sweatshirt signings.

Another important announcement was that of the cycle rental service which is expected to start by 15th February. Students will have three options – buy a cycle, rent it on an hourly basis, or use public sharing cycles (in collaboration with Ola Pedal). All the 250-300 cycles will be GPS enabled and usable via a mobile app. An investor for a Javed Habib salon has also been finalised, with a MoU for its construction behind old SAC having already been signed.

Due to an increase in the number of cases of depression on campus, the SU proposed the appointment of a permanent counsellor. However, Pilani’s remote location is proving to be a problem in this endeavour.

The President addressed the gathering about APOGEE, making special mention of a new event, the Indian Drone Racing League. He proceeded to answer a few queries regarding the funding of technical teams, department culture, and the internship setup on campus. The President concluded the meet after addressing a query on the state of research opportunities on campus.