InsIghT Issue 13.25

the third eye Volume XIV Issue I| April 2011

Students’ Gymkhana, IIT Bombay

Major Merger: Institute Media Bodies Unite

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n perhaps one of the most landmark decisions made on the independent bodies within the institute, Prof.

Gopalan, our Dean of Student Affairs, in the previous SAC General Body Meeting has decided to combine the institute media bodies, namely Aawaaz, Insight and Raintree into a single media forum.

The DoSA believed that certain media bodies have shown gross irresponsibility in covering and handling sensitive issues in the institute in the recent past. On being asked why the sudden change in policy, the DoSA mentioned “Media bodies need to be more relevant and cater to the needs of the institute. This office cannot perennially handle complaints from students of bias, and accountability of institute funds used for these purposes must be sought.” He also felt that the plethora of activities in the institute causes students to spend disproportionate time on extracurricular activities and he felt the balance can be maintained with suitable collaboration towards a greater goal of rejuvenated focus on academics.

This news however has not gone down well with the new Aawaaz editors. They felt that the individuality and identity of a Hindi newspaper will be compromised.

Furthermore, they felt this decision should have been made earlier so that the new editors could have incorporated this in their own vision for Aawaaz in the coming year. They also expressed concern on

DC++

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working dynamics of students and institute authorities in the PRO office and felt it would be difficult to cover student issues with PRO intervention.

The Insight Editors felt this was a move was a step in the positive direction. Ayush Baheti, Chief Editor for Insight this year felt that much needed professionalism and liability would be introduced in the new media body system. Added Archit Kejriwal, Co-Editor of Insight, “Over the years, the student newsletters have had dwindling outreach and readership issues.

We focus on more sensationalist stories and miss the big picture of covering issues across the spectrum of the institute demographic. Seeking professional help from the institute and working closely with them on core institute issues will prove fruitful in the long run.”

Undoubtedly, Raintree has had a fabulous year. They won the prestigious Association of Commonwealth Universities’ (ACU) PR, Marketing and Communications Awards, 2010 in the Corporate Publications category..

Over the years, the student newsletters have had dwindling outreach and readership issues. We focus on more sensationalist stories and miss the big picture of covering issues across the spectrum of the institute demographic.

- Archit Kejriwal

Banned:

n what seems to be the worst crackdown on our IIT LAN since LAN Ban back in 2007, the Institute CC in consultation with the Middle Layer Committee have decided on a comprehensive ban on DC++ with effect from Monday, April 14th 2011. In a statement made to Insight, the CC Head, Prof. Abhay Karandikar said that the CC has received numerous complaints from the PG students regarding the sharing of pirated software and multimedia on the LAN. We have also received complaints from a few female students of sexual harassment.

Talking to Jaya Joshi, she felt that too many publications within the institute make it difficult to achieve focused readership. She said that she looks forward to being more involved with student issues and concerns.

Combining the institute sanctioned funds of the 3 independent bodies, a monthly magazine is planned to be published. To cater to a greater section of the institute audience, the magazine will have articles in both English and Hindi. The design will also focus more on pictures. Articles from both professors as well as alumni will be sought to increase the appeal of the magazine. To address the specific concerns of the Aawaaz editors, the DoSA assured them that this new move is on a one year trial run. “I am sure the enthusiasm shown by students and the PRO towards this move will yield a more balanced newspaper. If this is successful, we may look forward to combine other independent bodies like MI and Techfest in the future too”, mentioned a rather optimistic Prof Gopalan.

Insight has had a rich 13 year legacy of reportage, investigative journalism and an agent of change in the institute. However, this change would also mean that this is officially the last issue of Insight, under the banner of InsIghT – the Third Eye. We would heartily like to thank all our readers for showing faith in us and hope you will too in the future. But as they say, the show must go on.

The

This is an excellent move by the CC. Undergraduate students watching movies in the lab angered me and In light of these complaints, it has become obligatory on the part of CC to ban any form of peer-topeer sharing on the LAN. All DC++ hub owners have already been contacted, and asked to shut down their hubs. All hubs found in operation post 14th April 2011 will be liable to strict disciplinary action not only

to the hub owners, but even other users sharing content on the hub.

Prof Karandikar also mentioned that owing to the recently upgraded LAN switches in every hostel, the CC can now track individual LAN ports and identify room numbers of students accessing DC++ on the hubs.

Insight has been actively monitoring DC++ activity over the past week, and noticed a drastic drop in the number of hub owners and shared material.

Speaking to a hub owner (who wished to not be named), he felt

> InsIghT is the students’ newsletter of IIT Bombay. The views expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Students’ Gymkhana, IIT Bombay. Any reproduction of these contents must include proper attribution and a link back to the InsIghT website.

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InsIghT | April 2011

http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/~insight

CSO: Complete Shawshank Operation

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ver the past few months, there have been lots of concerns raised on the ways of the Chief Security Officer towards institute security policies. While students have raised a lot of hue and cry on the moral policing incident and were about to stage a protest a couple of months ago, the CSO’s opinions still remain unheard. Insight felt an interview with the CSO was in order.

On being asked about the wisdom of dictating the morals of students in the institute, the CSO emphasized, “You are students who have been entrusted to us by your guardians and the Indian Government to mould into, not only good engineers but also moral citizens. The culture of our country does not permit members of the opposite sex to roam around at unearthly hours in dark and isolated places. Further, let me say that even after you graduate from here, people will always say that you are from IIT. Your behaviour outside the institute is a reflection of your education here.”

You have no respect for the freedoms given to you and it is the opinion of the Security Office and the Dean of Student Affairs that students need to be taught discipline.

- CSO

The CSO felt that as IIT students, we assume more freedoms than the rest of the world and that is why we take advantage of it. In most hostels in India, the opposite sex is not even permitted to enter. Here in IIT we allow it in a certain time frame and students say that there should be no restriction at all. Conventionally institutes impose a curfew during the night but here in IIT we have a lot of freedom here. Still students regularly fight with the Main Gate security guards when they are asked for their IDs upon entering or exiting.

The CSO added that, “You have no respect for the freedoms given to you and it is the opinion of the Security Office and the Dean of Student Affairs that students need to be taught discipline. In consultation with the Dean, the Security Office has come up with a list of stringent rules that will soon come into effect. We are also in the process of hiring 50 new security guards with military background to ensure effective and problem-free implementation of these rules.”

In light of the new tightened security directives by the Government of India, the CSO plans to disallow students to enter or leave campus post midnight. The CSO is also considering a complete ban on entry of members of the opposite sex in hostels.

Special permission for entry of parents can be taken from the Hall Manager.

Random searches of hostel rooms will be done. Students found in possession of any contrabands (like alcohol, drugs, cigarettes etc.) will be heavily fined.

Said the CSO, “We have received a lot of complaints of immoral incidents during institute festivals and felt such measures were necessary to curb these actions.”

What most caught Insight by surprise was the contemplation of not permitting female students to leave their hostels after 10 p.m.

“Many concerned parents have raised issues regarding the security of their female wards on campus. Some are also found walking unaccompanied around campus late in the night and this could be very dangerous for them” felt the CSO. To further monitor and curb the alcohol menace, breath analyzers will be kept at the Main Gate and students suspected of being drunk will be given a breathalyser test. Students who have been found to have consumed alcohol will be heavily fined and perhaps be held liable for disciplinary action. Random searches of hostel rooms will be done. Students found in possession of any contrabands (like alcohol, drugs, cigarettes etc.) will be heavily fined.

Do you think these restrictions are justified?

Mail in your opinions to insight@iitb.ac.in

News Digest DoSA Farewell

After two successful tenures, the outgoing GSes are organizing a farewell function to honour our Dean of Student Affairs, Prof Gopalan. The function will be held at the PC Saxena Auditorium on April 14th 2011. It shall include a commemorative message by the GSes, and a parting message by the DoSA.

H12, 13 & 14 Goes Co-ed

In light of the recent space crunch and consequent protest

by Hostel 11, HCU Chairman Prof Anindya Dutta has proposed has excess students from H11 be shifted to the ground floor rooms of Hostel 12, 13 and 14. Prof Dutta has assured that appropriate

Letters to the Editor Dear Insight I am a first year student from IIT Bombay. I have been an avid reader and writer all throughout my childhood. I have won lots of awards in writing and debating.

I conducted the Creative Writing event at MI as well the Science Journalism event at Techfest this year, both appreciated by many. When I saw Insight for the

The InsIghT Team measures will be taken to cordon off female areas. Construction of new entrances opposite H12 and 13 are already underway.

McDonalds in IITB soon

The newly elected GSHA, Abishek Agarwal (Monty) has already has his first feather on his cap. He has confirmed that a franchise of McDonald’s will be setup within the campus before next semester. Tentatively, the ground next to H14 has been suggested as a probable site.

Talks are still on with the Estate Office to finalize the venue and initiate construction.

E-Cell Re-election?

Having lost the election marginally, an E-Cell OC hopeful filed a petition with the Deputy

first time, I was spellbound by its content and writing.

I always wanted to write for Insight.

I mailed you to express my enthusiasm and you assured me that you would call me to the next meeting.

Looks like that never happened.

Still enthusiastic, I wrote several entries for the institute Shoutbox, but an issue never came. I felt depressed about my writing aptitude, so I thought I could start

Director. The candidate questioned the legitimacy of the polling process and felt that foul play was involved. An investigation by Election Officers, jointly with the CC, has ensued in this regard.

SCP Scrapped

Due to lack of viable candidates for the posts of Overall Coordinator of the Student Companion Program (SCP), the Associate Dean AP, Prof.

Gadre has decided to keep the SCP in abeyance till next year.

When asked what this would mean for the incoming batch of MTech freshmen, he felt it was sad that competent students do not nominate themselves for the post. He is now considering final year UG students for this post.

with the Bulletin Board. I put up an article on the Bulletin Board, but before anyone could read it, a cow ate it. I gave up.

Chief Executive Editor Rohan Sablay Ayush Baheti

Rohit Kiran Rojers P Joseph

Chief Editor

Sagar Sambrani

Archit Kejriwal

Sailesh M. Satwik Pradhan

The Execution Panel

Seshadri G.

Achin Jindal

Shashwat Shukla

Adwaitvedant M.

Shrayank Gupta

Akhil Srivatsan

Shrey Jain

Anasuya Sharma

Siddharth Shanbhag

Ankit Baraskar

Siddharth Shukla

Ankur Mour

Smeet Bhatt

Ankur Tulsian

Sourabh Biswas

Antariksh Bothale

Sushil Reddy

Anupam C.

Srinath Ranya

Arvind Singh

Tanushree Prasad

Ashwath K.

Tarun Reddy

Himanshu Dixit

Uttam Bhat

Ishank Gupta

Vipul Hirani

Manu Sahay

Vishal Khatri

Mayank Boob Mohit Mandal

Design & Layout

Mubeen Masudi

Mustafa Saifee

Mukul Gupta Neeraj Jain

Illustrations

Neeta Dixit

Jim Mathew

Neha Innanje

Pushkar Pandit

Neha Rambhia

Now I have joined Samvad. They accepted me with open arms and published 4 of my articles in the last 3 issues. My only question is - Why was Insight out of sight?

Sincerely, Ramanjit Jain

Nidhi Shanbhag

Photojournalists

Nikunj Joshi

Abhay Grewal

Nupur Jha

Ankush Agarwal

Poorna Chandra

Rahul Lakhmani

Pranav Jawale Rajat Chakravarty

Web

Ritika Jhaveri

Joyjeet Sarkar

> This is not a publication by InsIghT team. All of the above stories are fictitious. The authors Asgerali Masalawala, Edul Patel, Mustafa Saifee and Rajat Chakravarty would like to apologise to anyone who may feel offended by this issue. Happy April Fools’ Day.