This article is part of a series of manifesto reviews of the elected representatives of the elected and nominated members of the Department Council
The HS Department Legislator and Branch Councillor for the year 2019-’20 aimed to promote active student participation and inclusivity, as well as to streamline existing mechanisms to ensure transparency. To this end, his manifesto comprised of 21 proposals, including 5 SLC initiatives. Of the 16 department initiatives, 6 have been completed, 7 are in various stages of progress, and the rest were either not implemented or cannot be completed currently. Many initiatives that involved fifth-year stipend work have come to a halt due to the non-availability of stipend. Two SLC initiatives have been carried out, one is in progress, and the other two were deemed unfeasible. Apart from these, two other initiatives outside of the manifesto have also been taken up by the BC.
The first section of the manifesto, concerning internships and career development, contains three points, of which two have been achieved. The Department Intern Cell has been set up and the Department Charter duly amended to include this, with one head, Savio Daimary, and three coordinators. An alumni webinar was conducted in the previous semester, with alumna Oviya Govindarajan speaking on placements and recruitment. Three alumni talks have also taken place so far. The LinkedIn fundae session, however, could not be conducted as the BC could not get a resource person from the Career Development Cell to conduct it.
The second section consists of proposed initiatives to increase access to resources and academic support. A guide to mapping courses for students interested in taking a semester exchange programme is being compiled by Rathnika and Ramya, but this has been stalled owing to the stoppage of stipend. One study circle is currently being conducted regularly, the History of Ideas Study Circle, by Melwin, Sunaina, and Vimal. Informal resources regarding this as well as other initiatives will be shared to the students via Google Drive. Compilation of a PhD Students’ Research Catalogue also has come to a standstill due to the stipend issue. Sessions of the Academic Reading and Writing Study Circle were conducted by Upasana for students of all years. An informal course feedback book is being compiled, and will be circulated by the end of this semester.
Under the Publicity and Outreach heading, an annual magazine will be released by the department, which the BC has discussed with the HoD. This will be compiled by the Article 19 team, and will include submissions from across the department. A department LinkedIn page was created and is being handled by Melwin and Vignesh. A Facebook page was not created, however, as it was not deemed relevant to the department currently.
Under the Inclusivity heading, the first proposal concerns a department level complaints and redressal committee. As an institute-wide committee was set up in the previous semester by the SLC, the HS department will implement the same here, with Prof Sreekumar as its head, and all decisions taken regarding its operation will be at the SLC level. A mental health town hall was conducted in the previous semester, and one more will be conducted this semester, on accessibility. NVDA software for visually challenged students was installed in 10 computers in the department DCF. A quote for a Braille printer for about 3 lakh rupees was obtained, and it will be funded through the Accessibility Committee’s fund allocated by the Dean of Students. In the eventuality that the Dean is unwilling to fund this, it will be sourced through the Alumni Charitable Trust. An accessibility room in the department was also planned, but this did not materialize.
The Transparency subheading contains two points. Of these, one – a working report of the Department Council members – is being prepared and will be released soon. Three department council meetings have been conducted so far – two in the previous semester, of which one was a meeting of council heads, and one in this semester.
Five SLC proposals have been included in the manifesto. Arbitrary vigilance raids have been stopped altogether, with checks to be conducted only if complaints are reported. With regard to the proposed Disability Access study, the Social Equity committee will first conduct a pilot preliminary audit with a limited number of people, and then bring in an external expert to conduct a fuller study. An NGO, V-shesh, has already been contacted for the same, and they have agreed to conduct this. Of the other proposed initiatives, however, the socio-economic audit will not be conducted as the admin isn’t willing to do so. An initiative for sitting rooms for housekeeping staff in hostels also did not materialize, partly because the BC is not part of the relevant committee for this (he is in the Social Equity committee). It is unclear as to whether a town hall on mental health will be conducted. An expert study on mental health will be conducted, however, as a result of the hunger strike that was conducted at the end of the last year and the beginning of this year, in spite of having been blocked by the admin the previous year. In total, 4 SLC meetings have been conducted so far – three in the previous semester, and one this semester.
Two initiatives that are not part of the manifesto have also been begun by the BC. The first of these is with regard to the department library. Lending and cataloguing software was obtained from the Central Library, and a library policy was framed, but this was another initiative that had to be stalled owing to stoppage of stipend. The second is the formation of an alumni team, the structure for which is being formalised currently.
In conclusion, the BC’s tenure so far has been quite successful, with many of his proposed initiatives coming to fruition, and a few others currently in the pipeline. The Article 19 team wishes him the best for the rest of his tenure.
Article by Abhirami G
Poster by Sanjana Acharya
Article 19 