U OHDISPATCH A LAB PUBLICATION OF DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION, UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD
Volume 8, Issue 11, Pages 8
March 2015, For internal circulation only
CRIPPLED FACILITIES
PAGE 4
EACH ONE TEACH ONE
PAGE 5
RETURN OF ZOPA
PAGE 8
Revamp placements beyond ‘Professional courses’ Khadeeja Amenda C.P. With the academic year drawing to a close, final semester students of the University of Hyderabad eagerly looking forward to campus recruitment programmes. The recruitment process initiated by the University placement cell has benefitted 62 students. Cavium Networks made the highest offer with a salary package of Rs.7.20 lakhs. Teradata, HSBC, TCS, IBM, Mu Sigma are a few
Fond farewell for former VC
Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy
Akbarkhan It was a fond farewell for former Vice Chancellor Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy with representatives of various departments and associations hailing his contribution to the University at a function held on February 18. Vice Chancellor Prof. E. Haribabu, who led the gathering comprising members of the faculty, non-teaching staff and students of the University, highlighted the qualities of his predecessor. “Prof. Ramaswamy is a very accessible person and working with him was a great experience,” he said. The present VC appreciated the efforts of Prof. Ramaswamy in getting grants immediately from University Grants Commission and Department of Science and Technology. The function, held at the DST Auditorium, began with the screening of a short film on the University and video of Visitor’s award presentation ceremony. Prof. Ramaswamy, who laid down office on January 28, 2015, said: “Much remains to be done to raise the university to the next level and to make a place for it in the world rankings”. Winning the Visitor’s Award, he added, was a great achievement for the university. Various associations and departments of the university felicitated him.
major companies that have recruited students so far this year. Students of M. Tech, MBA and MCA, 28, 16 and 10 in numbers respectively, were the main beneficiaries. To some extent, those of Statistics, Economics, Chemistry and Communication departments also benefitted from the exercise. Many departments and schools, however, lag behind in the placement process. Proper implementation of XI plan guidelines of University Grants Commission
(UGC) is not ensured. Chances of students of other departments are mostly confined to that of UPSC trainers. “Given the different socio-eco‘‘Teachers must identify the skills that need to be improved among students. Programmes must be planned on a monthly basis for improving communication skills’’
nomic backgrounds of students in various disciplines, proper orientation must be given”, said Vincent Benny, Students’ Union President. There is a demand from student community to provide proper information regarding higher education, including foreign universities. They also underscore the need for companies, NGOs and institutes, other than software and marketing firms to be invited in large numbers for campus recruitment.
Campus gets First International Film Fest Ram Narayan M. & Mehjabeen Finu K. T. University of Hyderabad hosted its first International Film Festival - Heteroglossia. The Students’ Union organized the fest in the campus from February 19 - 21. The best of current cinemas from around the world were screened. Tributes and open forums featuring noted filmmakers and critics also formed part of the fest. Heteroglossia, organized to celebrate Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin, was inaugurated by prominent Telugu filmmaker N. Shankar. “It is very important to make good choices of movies. The skill
to choose films should be inculcated in every child from the age of 12 years itself,” says Shankar. The theme of the festival was introduced by Dr. Sowmya Dechamma, Assistant Professor at the Department of Comparative
Literature and the Faculty Coordinator of the festival. “The idea behind the fest is to get several films from across the world that talk about issues crucial to the contemporary world,” she said. The festival comprised three packages – one featuring Turkish master director Nuri Bilge Ceylan and others biopics consisting of the lives of Malcolm X and Rubin Carter. Eighteen films and seven open forums were part of the fest. The movies were screened at the DST auditorium, Ambedkar Auditorium and South Shop Com. Heteroglossia, one of its kind film festival, offered a great experience for cinephiles and movie buffs in the campus.
Panic grip students as swine flu claims a victim Jayasree C.
University of Hyderabad student Dr. Sudha Nirmala, a research associate of Advanced Centre for Research in High Energy Materials (ACRHEM), succumbed to swine flu on February 6. She had developed symptoms associated with the flu 10 days prior to her death. Dr.Nirmala, who resided outside, had initially consulted a private doctor, who in turn referred her to a hospital near Serilingampally where she was undergoing treatment. Soon after the news of her death broke, the Students Union in association with Ayush Care, a private hospital, organized a two day medical camp in the University. “The students response was overwhelming for preventive homeopathy medicines for swine flu which were given on two days. We distributed close to 3,000 packets of medicine and 5,000 masks to the students and faculty and also distributed pamphlets on preventive measures to create more awareness”, says Vincent
Distributed close to 3,000 packets of medicine and 5,000 masks to the students and faculty Benny, President, Students’ Union. “Vaccines are imported and hence expensive but KIMS Hospital agreed to provide them at a concessional rate of Rs. 500. Even though the effectiveness of such vaccines was much speculated, it did not stop panic-stricken students from enrolling." says Nehla, a first year student of M.A. Anthropology.
The University conducted a vaccine camp and awareness talk in association with KIMS Hospital for students and employees. Around 1,500 students registered for the flu vaccination. Doctors admit that the fear among public is not unfounded. However, they assure that with the rise in temperature, the swine flu virus will not be as virulent as earlier.
There is a need for proper soft skills training to be imparted to the students so that they do well in the placement interviews. “Teachers must identify the skills that need to be improved among students. Programmes must be planned on a monthly basis for improving communication skills”, University Public Relation Officer Ashish Jacob Thomas said. Career guidance programmes and job fairs are the upcoming priorities of the cell, he added.
Travel travail of day scholars Harsha Sai Day scholars residing in areas that are a good distance from the University often end up spending more time on daily commute than in the classes. “I travel from Secunderabad to Gachibowli on MMTS, arguably the fastest mode of transport in the city. Yet it takes a minimum of 90 minutes for me to reach the nearest station and from there hop into an autorickshaw and arrive at the campus. On an average, I spend more time travelling than sitting in a lecture,” laments Anupama, M.A. Communication student. Several others echo her sentiments in support of their demand for the University to operate more college buses for the benefit of day scholars. This could make a big difference for those staying in different parts of the city, they say, pointing out that 15 per cent of the students are day scholars. For day scholars, the University runs two college buses but both are operated on the same Mehdipatnam – Gachibowli route. Hence, students residing in other localities are compelled to make their own arrangement. Invariably, it is multi-modal – suburban train, buses and share autorickshaws. “We raised an issue asking for three new buses for the campus at a transport committee meeting held in November, 2014. Though the university appealed to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for new buses, the request is pending,” says Vincent Benny, President, Students’ Union. As per the university norms, students residing in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are not eligible to avail campus hostel facility. So it leaves them with little choice but endure the travails of daily commute until the new buses arrive.