Recently, after Christ College sacked one of its professors, he came out and called the institution ‘autocratic’. He personally believed that the University had too many rules. He disagreed with the dress code and the 85% attendance requirement for humanities students.
The professor in question supported a student when his blog “Dear Christ College, I cannot fly”, went viral. This support was seen as defiance of management, and the teacher was sacked.
Autocratic or Idiotic? You Decide
1. Students say the dress code is discriminatory – the rules are heavily biased against girls. In the main campus, it’s shirts and trousers with belt for men and cotton churidhar or salwar and knee-length kurtas for women. Wearing a dupatta is compulsory.
After leggings and lycra were banned some years ago, security guards were asked to check for the material used by students.
They would stare at us, touch the fabric. You can’t touch girls’ legs.A former student
2. No clapping, hooting and cheering in auditoriums. If caught, identity cards are taken away and the student is asked to meet the Dean.
3. There can be a bandh in the whole state, but Christ University will conduct classes. Thankfully, attendance is not compulsory for all, only students living within a 3km radius have to attend.
4. Christ University has its own penal code. Students who are late for sports practice – which starts at 6:30 am – are fined Rs 20. If students, including girls, don’t attend a session, they are fined between Rs 30-40.
Fine for attendance shortage (per subject) is imposed. Students and lecturers allege that the university collects lakhs of rupees in fines.
5. Security guards decide whether a late comer can enter the campus, while rules suggest that students will be allowed to attend class without attendance.
6. Earlier, students were not allowed to remain in the hostel if they were sick. Now the rule has been removed, but if students are to stay out, their parents have to fax a permission letter a week in advance to the hostel in-charge.
7. For some years, the college management called students’ parents for “ridiculous” reasons. So, even parents from the north-east who sent their kids to Bengaluru had to travel for several days to get to the college.
8. Students who live in the college hostel are told to leave the hostel if their attendance in a semester is less than 85%.
9. Hostelers are allowed one hour for dinner as food is not served in the hostel. They are asked to report to hostel between 8:15 pm to 9:15 pm. If you’re late by even a minute, you’re slapped with a fine of Rs 200. Students sometimes end up paying thousands of rupees in fines every semester.
10. You can stay out only one night in a single semester, with parents’ permission. It doesn’t matter how many more permission letters you produce.
(With inputs from TNM, The Financial Express)
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