Arul starts his manifesto by rightly acknowledging the successes of the previous Secretary in organizing Department events. He stated that he planned to continue the previously devised strategy of forming temporary subcommittees with volunteers working under a member of the secretary’s council. Among the minor issues, he pointed to include the lack of access for differently abled students to the differently abled restroom, and the lack of collaborative working spaces available past office hours. (This, however, was addressed by the Branch Councillor for the year 2020-21 in her manifesto).
Key among the initiatives he had proposed for implementing during his tenure was the establishment of an Alumni Relations team, falling under a larger, more robust Alumni Relations Committee. This team would be responsible for maintaining an alumni database and connecting alumni to students through various events. Suggestions to revamp the Buddy Mentor System were also made, in an attempt to encourage more proactive behaviour from Mentors. A set of minimum requirements were put forth, taking care not to make the system too rigid. Buddies were allocated upon considering the interests of the students and mentors. Other proposed initiatives included conducting a Department Mixer Event, where members of the department could interact informally, a Film Week conducted in collaboration with the Department Film Club, and an Intra-Department Mobile Photography/Mobile Short Film Making Competition.
It must be said that the challenges of online learning brought about by the pandemic have made it impossible to implement a large part of these measures. The Department Secretary displayed foresight by giving a disclaimer to that end in his manifesto. Nevertheless, he must be lauded for attempting to make the most of our virtual confinement. Graduating in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, HS15 did not have the luxury of attending their own farewell party. This was compensated, to some measure, by hosting a farewell blog where people could share fond memories from their life in the Institute. Another significant initiative that was implemented during the online semester was the setting up of a Discord Server for the department with several channels to simulate the atmosphere of the department. A brief starter pack was also made for making it easier for those unfamiliar with the application. The mixer event was also conducted online, and the enthusiastic participation, both from freshers as well as from old-timers, attests to the success of the event.
We hope that Arul will be able to implement soon those initiatives that cannot be hosted online.
Article 19 