Maybe I should rephrase that to ‘Why don’t the majority of engineering colleges affiliated to Anna University have a student union?’. This has been bothering me for one very good reason. Every Arts and Science College I see has one and they seem to do some pretty good stuff. Even with a 3 year course schedule they manage to find time for student unions and week long culturals while engineering colleges despite their 4 year course can just about find time for a one day symposium. I just don’t get it.
Lack of time due to a cluttered course schedule isn’t an excuse. Technically, we’ve got a whole extra year to work things into the schedule. No one in their right senses would say that there isn’t a need for a student union. On an average, Engineering colleges charge more than Arts and Science colleges so funding shouldn’t be a problem. So there, they’ve got the need, the time, the money and the students. Whats their problem then?
Another sad observation is that its becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish a symposium from a carnival. Nobody ever discusses anything worthwhile and half the time the food is what is most interesting. Its heartening though, to see IITM get it right. They seem to know exactly what they’re doing when organising Saarang and Shaastra. Why can’t their model be replicated? They’ve shown it can be done.
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The college administration will not be in favour of it. It’s a simple truth, they won’t encourage any creative stuff.
I’m sure the prospect of talking to a single unit rather than a whole bunch of students should appeal to them. Students in my college are constantly waiting in front of the principal’s room to talk about stuff like bus routes, bus fares, canteen food etc…
A lot of information will need to be repeated and a lot of time wasted in the process. Even a pseudo student union like in NIT Trichy is better than none at all.
Why don’t engineering colleges have a student union? Because engineering students don’t want one. If they did, they’d put in the effort. However, they weigh the benefits vs. the risks and decide that it’s not worth the effort so they give up. No pain no gain, you know, but those who take engineering just for the heck of it aren’t those who believe in that principle anyway. The majority is students trying to get out of actually thinking and choosing what they want to do. These aren’t the people who’ll stand up for something like that.
People lining up to talk to the Princi about canteen food, that is hilarious. Ha ha, that’s crazy.
As always, prefix every statement with IMHO.
Do you think they will set it up without drafting a bunch of ridiculous conditions that might well defeat the purpose of a union? I have never heard of a considerate administration that actually listens to students in engineering colleges so far.
But why Engineering colleges alone? How come Arts and Science colleges (I’ll call them A&S colleges from now on) can convince their administration of the need for a union and not Engineering colleges?
Tough luck is not a good enough reason.
(I dug out George’s comment from the spam comments section)
George, I can’t really deny that there aren’t too many in my college who’d stand up for creating a union but the fact that there isn’t even one Engineering college out there thats got a union is disturbing. From what I remember, about 75% of my classmates in school got in to engineering colleges and the others got in to A&S colleges. I can’t see how this 75% could conclude that a union is not worth it while the other 25% decided it was worth it.
BTW, anyone know if IIT has a student union?
How can you even compare IIT with the rest of the affiliated colleges.Even if we did have the funds we can get nowhere near Shastra or Saarang.For us,even the basic essentials are denied-bad mess food,for one.There is no motivation.At the end of the day, we are too tired to even complain.
I’m not comparing. All I’m saying is that they know the difference between their culturals and technical events. Why not follow their model? Other AU affiliated colleges just smash the whole thing in to one silly single day funfair. The whole thing feels like a bothersome assignment badly put together just to show that something’s done.
I’m ranting, I know. The whole futility of a 4 year education gets to you after a while.
There is no use in it. Even if we form some union the college wont listen to the students. Its natural.
Natural? Haha… I guess so.
Well, at least Engg. colleges affiliated to AU can say that they’ve been around for a lot lesser time than the other A&S colleges. A&S students don’t have to demand for a union, it’s already been done for them.
Precisely, we don’t have to fight for it because someone did ages ago. The Scrub Society college environmental group (now admittedly in ruins) was once started with rebellion. Dude, Loyola was known for rebelling to prevent hoardings from being set up on college land. People put in the effort.
However, look at it this way. You pay 2 lakhs and get expelled for rebelling, is it worth it? We pay 12,000 over 3 years. For all the people who go to engineering colleges, that’s the way they look at it. It’s an investment, you pay, stay there for 4 years, they’ve sold you a degree, it’s over.
One more thing, engineering students can die and the colleges won’t give a damn, there’s a huge pool to choose from.
Gruesome way to put it but unfortunately true.