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6 demands to new students union

If you have been following our past posts on the Students’ Union, then student inactiveness would have probably figured itself as the biggest roadblock to the creation of a better functioning Union.

Click on these links to read the previous articles:

As our team functions solely via the digital platform, we have decided to do what is the bare minimum in our power to play the part of active students. In this post, we list out six demands that we think are the most important issues requiring urgent attention from the Students' Union. There is only one panel this year, winning unopposed, so these demands are directed towards them.We want to congratulate the new Union on coming to power. Every time a new team is formed, it is an opportunity to feel optimistic. We hope this team proves to be a strong one that works for the welfare of the students.

However, we cannot help but express our disappointment at the lack of proper elections. Leave alone having a strong leader of opposition vested with effective powers (as envisioned in our previous article), our college does not even have an opposing panel this year. Even though we were unhappy with the opposing panel having no potent or constructive role after the elections, the sort of political vacuum that gets created because of no opposing panel existing at all is of another level. It takes away even the potential of elections to stimulate debates and discussions on student welfare.

Moving on, we would like to point out that while in the previous writeup we have suggested some radical institutional and structural changes for the Union, we feel the demands we are going to put forward now can be met without a change in its overall framework also. This can obviously only be possible if they are prioritized above or kept at par with Crossroads or Conclave.

We now come to what our demands are:

Opening of new hostel:

A new girls’ hostel which is under construction has been in the same condition for almost 6 years now . Accommodation is an important problem faced by every DU student. As mentioned in our very first article on this blog, the PG costs in a city like Delhi are especially unaffordable for non-elite students, and high even otherwise. In SRCC especially, the proportion of outstation students is much higher. Still, only 50 girls enjoy residential stay in this college. The fact that due to bureaucratic or other delays, a hostel building which can house more students is left hanging at the stage of near completion of its construction is completely unacceptable. The Students’ Union can take steps towards putting pressure on the management and authorities for early completion of construction and opening of the new hostel for students, and also make the reasons for the delay public.

Improving the condition of existing girls’ hostel and ending discriminatory practices carried out in the name of security:

The girls’ hostel building is locked from outside (this is not the college main gate, but the front door of the building) from 8.30 PM onwards. From 11.00 PM onwards, even the back grill door is locked, caging the students inside the building. This not only restrict residents from using the limited free space available in the hostel premises, but also , because there is no emergency exit in case of any accidents, endangers their very life in the event of any mishap taking place. Availing the services of a full time guard (preferably a lady) instead of locking the students inside is a possible simple solution which can prevent these issues without compromising on security. Even after repeated requests from residents, neither college authorities nor the SU appears to take this issue seriously.

The next most important and basic change required is ending the discriminatory curfew timing and keeping it at 10.30 PM, which is the same as boys’ hostel. Stifling her freedom of movement has never protected any girl from the ills of society. This arrangement in fact promotes the culture of a sick trade off where women have to give up their liberties in exchange for a probability of protection from misadventures. No parent should be encouraged to impose a travel restriction on their own kids let alone other kids. Discrimination in curfew timings has to cease under any circumstance.

The SU can organize the hostellers and put pressure on the management for the same.

Extending library timings:


Our college has a richly stocked and a properly functioning library. But except during the exam time, the library is open for use by the students only till 5:30 PM. This is in no way reasonable for a college always boasting about its superior infrastructure and resources for the students. Ideally the library should be accessible 24/7 as a quiet and comfortable space for studying, something which is not otherwise accessible to most students who live in crowded PGs or flats. This facility will also be tremendously useful for hostel students, provided their curfew timing is also extended.This was part of the Union agenda last year. While the library timings did get extended during exams, the library was never open 24/7, and the timings remained unchanged during the non exam time. The SU should pressurize the authorities bring about the proposed changes in the library timings, and if the authorities refuse, the reasons for the same should be publicized for further debate and action.

Scholarships

SRCC charges a fee almost three times that of other DU colleges. Along with it the cost of living for an outstation student is hefty for a family with a lower economic background. The higher fees should be accompanied by more scholarships and fee concessions. The SU can take two-fold action towards achieving this:

Finding sponsorship for scholarships from the corporates. Pitching to them to contribute for scholarships from their CSR fund will be effective, and to doubt the ability of Students’ Union to find sponsorship for anything will be a crime. This is mainly a factor of priority.

Spread awareness and familiarize students about already available scholarships and fee concessions.

Setting up bridge classes for non-economic/commerce background students at the beginning of first year.

As per the University law, it is not mandatory for students to study Economics or Commerce in their 12th standard to get admission in Economics Honours or Bcom Honours. However, the number of students joining these courses without a background is few, and the teachers in general assume that students have some pre-existing knowledge in the subjects. This makes a student without basics distanced from the classroom activities, and his/her further learning is negatively affected. Bridge classes can be provided with the help of volunteers from the second or third year, and can be organized under the supervision of teachers who can provide a general direction to these classes. Making students themselves take these bridge classes ensures that teachers are not burdened more, and disallows for these classes to become intimidating spaces in any sense since they will be conducted by peer groups. The SU should get in touch with interested professors as well as the Principal to kick-start these classes.

Auditorium:

Students union should also press for an early re-opening of the auditorium, which is under construction since what seems like forever for the student community. This severely impacts a number of events in college, and results into huge resource wastage in setting up of temporary auditoriums and spaces for organizing events. Moreover, organizing stage events in the co-op and front lawns also causes a disturbance to normal campus activities and classrooms.


In order to make the Union pay attention to these demands, it is possible that students take certain steps without a formal mechanism even being in place. However, we stand firm on our request for a formalised channel of communication between the students and the Union, in the interests of holding the Union accountable if action is not taken on the demands of students (the demands should be recorded and made public), as well as making sure that each and every student has easy access to the Union. Otherwise, as experience has shown, only those who are friends with the Union members, or those who have the right political aptitude, can get their demands listened to seriously (whether action is taken even on those demands or not is another matter altogether). If the Union really cares about the welfare of the students, it is duty bound to foster an enabling and encouraging climate for students to come forward with their demands. Leaving political apathy of the students aside, it is unwise to imagine that students will have the faith to walk up to the Union members to discuss their demands, as already discussed in our former piece. Thus we absolutely need a formalized system where students are not clueless about how to approach the Union, and where it is easy to do so also (it is pretty obvious that just like the formal system of communication between the Union and authorities, this is not visualized as a taxing, bureaucratic system).

While it is appreciable that 'Legacy of Excellence'has at least put up a form asking for suggestions from the students on what issues of the college they should be working on, we hope those suggestions are made available for public viewership, along with the stand of the candidates regarding the same, so that we are better able to judge the work of the Union. Moreover, we hope that such efforts at taking the opinion of students are done with much more vigour (this form should at least be circulated as much as a Crossroads poster would be), and on a continued and effective basis.

The simple act of Union members being available at a particular venue in the college during the lunch hour every Friday of the week can itself go a long way in making the students confident to go to the Union. This effort should be sustained for at least a semester, before the Union gives up on it, because given the circumstances, it may take time for the students to respond to these initiatives. Moreover, the problem of not having confidence in the Union is quite complex to be solved so simply.However, while we appreciate the challenges involved in mobilizing student communities, is not as if the Union has no power to bring forth the students at all if it wants to. Managing to coordinate the wardrobe colours of students on a specific college day for the purposes of showing the support that a particular panel enjoys, bears testimony to the potential reach of the Union. Thus, while it is abundantly clear from our articles that no particular leader or team is to be blamed, because these problems are systematic, a great leap forward can be taken by the coming on stage of a revolutionary leader who manages to escape the 'do it all for the CV' culture of our college.

Having said all this, we reiterate that it is not as if we as students cannot do anything till the time such a system is put in place, or till the time the Union itself takes efforts . If as a student you are completely clueless on how to go about this, here are a few pointers to help you get started :

As a first step, consolidate your demands so that you have clarity on what issues really matter to you.

Reach to the panel via social media. This method is effective in garnering more support and attention for your demands. You should go and fill the form on the Facebook page of 'Legacy of Excellence at the very least.

Practice collective demanding, especially in cases where the option of organizing yourself is relatively easier, for instance in the case of the hostellers.

Determinedly and openly proclaim that Crossroads will not sway your vote next year, and stick to the decision. Instead, keep a vigilant tab on what the Union has done for you this year and use that as a metric for making your choice.

Next year when the candidates approach you, make sure that you are not a passive receptor of their campaigning efforts and convey your demands to them.

We would like to point out that there are many more things that the Students’ Union can potentially do this year. However, our aim is not to make a super comprehensive list covering all areas of concern, but to prod the student community as well as the Union into action. So even if any set of students come forward to make the SU work for any demand (either out of this list or otherwise), and if the SU starts serious work on even a single demand that involves students’ welfare, then that will be a cause worthy of celebration in itself. For even if the work does not reach its conclusion, students making the efforts to demand and Union making the effort to take steps towards fulfilling those demands will at least start a culture of proactive students’ engagement for responsible representation. Given the apolitical and apathetic state of affairs in our college right now, this will be an achievement of no small feat.

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