Critique — Garvit Anand — VP Candidate 2019–20

Disclaimer: The content below is the work of The Scholars’ Avenue as a team and is wholly our opinion as of the campus media body on a campus issue. Voters are encouraged to go through this and then make up their mind. We do not promote any one candidate over the other and have tried to stay as unbiased as possible in critiquing their proposals

Proposal 1: Career and Entrepreneurship

1.1 CDC Skill Development Workshops

Need: Many final year students find themselves without the requisite skills to explore the job market and most may not be aware of how to intelligently approach skill development and discover their interests. It is no secret that the industrial job market these days require a host of modern computer programming skills as a basic requirement. Several departments also do not have many opportunities to pursue core internships and jobs through the CDC and there is no direct link of communication between the CDC and these departments. An alternative career group and a system for pursuing independent entrepreneurial ideas during summers seem unnecessary at this stage.

Feasibility: Given what we have seen during the past several years, it is safe to say that this proposal in its entirety is ambitious to say the least. This has the look of multiple proposals under the banner of a single proposal, and the student body would be lucky if even one part were implemented entirely.

Impact: A skill development workshop would go a long way in easing the psychological as well as the professional burden on the final year students. An alternative career group would probably not have much impact as the interest of students off late has been wavering towards more academic pursuits. The responsibility shouldered by society governors is also immense at present, and it is highly unlikely they would find the time to organize such ambitious workshops despite being amateurs themselves

1.2 Departmental Academic Committees

Need: Lack of a comprehensive system to convey the grievances of each department to the CDC.

Impact: A Departmental Academic Committee would help bring companies and universities that cater to the needs of specific departments under the ambit of the CDC. However, one must consider the fact that the CDC already works on this specific aspect and already has a database for the same. The proposal hints at the possibility of integrating research and industry during CDC roundups, but all references to the same are subtle. Also, we’re unsure as to how this is different from initiatives already undertaken by the IR cell.

Feasibility: The candidate mentions speaking to Department, UG and PG Representatives as part of the groundwork, but the feasibility of the proposal depends entirely on how well it could work in tandem with the CDC. One must also question the feasibility of the CDC contacting various universities specifically for each department, especially because of how the candidate fails to explicitly mention the steps he will take to ensure the same. Additionally, it’s also unclear how candidates are to be evaluated for these research internships. Unlike, companies that can conduct tests and interviews, we don’t think professors or research groups abroad have the bandwidth the review a large number of candidates and convincing them to do the same might be hard.

1.3 Entrepreneurial Summers

Need: An opportunity to pursue entrepreneurial plans is, currently, not afforded to the students.

Impact: Would help students with such aspirations get the exposure and guidance they need as well as the time to work on their ideas. Would definitely help promote the start-up ecosystem in campus. However, we are unsure as to whether spending 2 months at an incubator during the summer will amount to much. Working on your start-up ideas is almost definitely a full-time job and it’s very hard to make significant progress during the summer alone. It is also unclear as to what kind of support would be extended to the students after the summer as the absence of additional support would definitely undo most of what such a proposal plans to achieve

Feasibility: The candidate has allegedly already spoken to an incubator that has expressed willingness to cooperate. Placement committee support also makes this proposal likely to succeed

1.4 Alternate Career Group

Need: Lack of comprehensive guides for people looking to pursue an alternate career

Impact: The proposal seeks to offer relevant opportunities and training programmes to people looking to pursue alternate careers. However, the body proposed for such an initiative is primarily composed of student heads’ of various cultural societies of campus, thus defeating the purpose of a getting a bunch of like-minded people with people with similar interests together. Moreover, we are apprehensive about the additional prospects a completely student-run body like this can offer, given that there are designated student run societies for the same.

Feasibility: The proposal should be implemented without much hassle, given the minimal involvement of the administration required.

Proposal 2: Empower KGP

2.1 Grievance Portal

Summary: A centralised grievance portal that seeks to increase accountability of office bearers

Need: There are different complaint portals for different bodies in the campus and a central complaint redressal forum would make it easier for the students to voice their grievances.

Impact: If implemented, this would be a welcome platform as students currently don’t know the proper channels to raise issues and even if they do, they have no easy way of tracking the response. This would also have implications for office bearers putting them under the direct scrutiny of the student community.

Feasibility: Since most of the current portals and platforms don’t have APIs and aren’t developer friendly, this would mean re-implementing everything again without being able to work with the current setup. Maintaining such a forum would also be a mammoth task. It is also highly likely to face opposition from office bearers, who’d prefer not to be subject to such scrutiny. But from a technological standpoint alone, building such an app is definitely feasible but it’s efficiency can’t be commented on.

2.2 Proposition Recommendation Form

Summary :An ERP form that allows people to suggest measures aimed at the betterment of KGP . If accepted, the proposal seeks to involve them in the implementation of said proposals

Need: There are very few feedback measures that actively request feedback from student throughout the year. An ERP forms of sorts will help matters.

Impact : The proposal requires the idea to be accompanied by a report and a comprehensive time deck if accepted. We are unsure about the impact this will have, given the large amount of effort required to be put in in order for the suggestion to be considered. A simpler portal may go a long way in attracting feedback from the students.

Feasibility :The candidate claims to have obtained the approval of the President, TSG, who has also promised a certificate of appreciation to students completing the project. There shouldn’t be too much of a hassle in implementing this.

2.3 Revamping Internal Complaints Committee

Need: The ICC, in its current form isn’t too active and is reeling due to the apathy of its members. Revamping it so as to make the elected student GSecs accountable may help matters

Impact: Following recent events, it becomes imperative to have a designated complaints portal that people will be comfortable reaching out to. The inclusion of two additional student members, along with promises of increased outreach measures will surely work in favour of the student community.

Feasibility: The candidate claims to have talked to a professor in the ICC, who was onboard with the idea. However, we are unsure about the process to be followed for induction of members into the ICC, and can’t really comment on its feasibility

2.5 Inter IIT Alumni Fund

Need: Absence of a designated fund for agnostic events (such as Inter IIT Meets) that the alumni can donate for.

Impact: The preparation and subsequent performance of the contingent is largely influenced by the funds available at their disposal. Measures to introduce a separate fund for this under the purview of TSG and Alumni Cell will provide for a safety cushion that can be taken advantage of. If implemented, this may have a positive impact on the performance in such events

Feasibility: A similar proposal was implemented at IIT Kanpur. While we are unaware of the procedures to be followed for this, the candidate claims to have talked to both President, TSG and Executive Officer, Alumni Affairs, who were both enthusiastic about the proposal. Hence, this should be implemented without too much of a hassle

Proposal 3: Infrastructural Changes

3.1 Bicycle Path Shed

Need: Students do face trouble commuting to classes during the season of rains and raincoats are not very effective. Umbrellas are often troublesome to use and getting wet can lead to falling sick in several cases. A conduit to get to class without getting drenched would be helpful to all students.

Impact: We might see an increase in the number of students utilizing the cycle lanes, which at present they are reluctant to use. Of course an increase in the number of students using cycle lanes especially during rainy season might be counterproductive and lead to accidents and such. On the other hand it might also lead to an increase in attendance as some students may be unwilling to expose themselves to getting wet even at the cost of missing classes.

Feasibility : Installing shades all along the cycling tracks would prove a long and difficult undertaking as it affects the aesthetic of the campus as a whole. Further, during said period of instalment, there would be crowding of bicycles on the roads as well. An additional point to note is that the candidate plans to secure the funding for this project partially from the graduating batch. This is a shaky source to say the least. Implementing this at present seems a bit far along the road.

3.2 Kolkata Bus Service

Need: Students do end up spending a significant amount of money on cab rides to the airport. There is no cheap alternative to this either at present.

Impact: Several students who leave for the holidays by flight would find this useful. However, the fact that each ride depends on so many variables means it may be difficult to actually create an impact. The cheap cost calculated is incumbent on there always being 40 students on the same bus trip, which is unlikely to occur. Flight delays and cancellations are commonplace nowadays.

Feasibility: The candidate has confirmed that resources are available to implement this proposal and bus availability should not be an issue towards the end of the semester. There is no visible obstruction to the successful implementation of this proposal at first glance.

3.3 E-Stand

Need: Students face a lot of problems with transportation on campus and it would be a boon if cheap and fast transport were available all throughout campus.

Impact: This would benefit most students on campus, especially seniors who have given up on cycling. This would save several students a lot of time and money as well.

Feasibility: The candidate has not given sufficient detail on how funding for this proposal is to be secured. The space required for this undertaking at each strategic point is also unlikely to be present. Further, the failure on the part of the administration to set up their proposed coffee stands has set a precedent and the situation in this case is unlikely to be any different. This project presently seems ambitious.

Proposal 4: PG/RS Welfare

4.1 Annual Research Expo

Need: There isn’t an official platform for showcasing the research by the students.

Impact: The expo will help improve the outreach of research. TTG however already has a Patent Drive which helps patent the innovations of PG and RS students, thus the impact of this proposal in this regard seems minimal in the face of work already done by TTG and SRIC. Departments already have their own version of RS day, thus one must question the novelty of the idea.

Feasibility: An annual research expo seems feasible enough. However, the candidate has refrained from going into details of the implementation of the expo and has been very vague about it. The candidate cites the Research Expo at IIT Madras as an example: the link, however, redirects to a website that no longer exists. Thus the groundwork seems spurious at best.

4.2 Research Scholar Representation, Extra-Curricular Activities

Need: The representation of PG/RS students in extra-curricular activities is currently quite disproportionate and needs improvement.

Impact: The Gymkhana constitution clearly mentions that three PG representatives must be present on the executive council, thus there is nothing new that this proposal introduces. As far as information dissemination is concerned, a Google group formed by the PR chair already exists, thus forming a new one seems redundant enough. Practice slots designed to suit individual schedules, if worked out, could greatly benefit interested students.

Feasibility: As mentioned above, most of what the candidate proposes already exists, thus feasibility is obviously not an issue. Groundwork mentioned for changing practice slots is not comprehensive enough in our opinion to ensure that the same can be implemented for all sporting events.

4.3 Inter Department Lab Slots

Need: In the current scenario, it’s difficult to get slots in in the CRF because of high demand and low availability of slots.

Impact: This would be good if implemented but it’s not like the first attempt towards centralised research facility and slot booking.

Feasibility: The candidate has just mentioned that students will be allowed to access other department’s laboratories, but has not mentioned how he will go about implementing it. The implementation explanation is vague and groundwork is insufficient. In the groundwork, the candidate has mentioned that he talked to Head of Dept of Mech Engg dept but then concluded with a comment saying students get permission once the project is approved by the respective dept. A portal is not going to help when there are so many students and so few slots.

4.4 Flexible placement option

Need: Research Scholars are not allowed to sit for placements until they have submitted their thesis by a pre determined deadline

Impact: The candidate has mentioned that it would be helpful for placements for research scholars, which no doubt it would be, but we have our apprehensions about the scope of it.

Feasibility: This issue is not something that can be helped by the Vice President. Groundwork is not enough to show any feasibility as such. A lot of Professors and officials need to be convinced and the candidate has not mentioned any steps towards it. We have no reasons to believe the VP can achieve what he ascribes to do.