EMERGENCY’ IN JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY ~ CODE OF CONDUCT

CONDUCT

Some of the basic clauses of the 'Code of Conduct' that are to be implemented by the JU authority:

1) Physical demarcation between the three faculties and the hostels (inside the campus) from the rest of the campus. The process of laying
bricks has already started near Sujit Da's Canteen.

2) Students have to show their Identity Cards at the University gates; on failing to do so, they'll be denied entry. However, this practice is
going to be applicable only for the students, but not teachers or the University staff. This implies that our friends from other colleges will be
denied entry inside JU campus, which is utterly unacceptable!

3) Private security guards are to be stationed at each and every gate, while Gate Number 5 is to be permanently closed. Two private security
guards have already been stationed at the construction site of the Gandhi Bhavan. Cars are to enter through Gate 3 and exit through Gate 4,
while Gate 1 and 2 are to be used by the students to enter the University campus, making it extremely inconvenient for students, esp for
those belonging to the Arts Faculty.

4) In the EC meeting to be held on 8th Sept, one of the agendas is the installation of CCTv cameras worth Rs.16 lakh. Amazingly, only
Rs.16,000 is granted by the authority for students' financial support system each year, in the Arts Faculty.

5) Decision to ban street corners, theaters, rallies, putting up posters in different parts of the campus, etc are on a hold (due to FAS'
resistance earlier this year), but have NOT been withdrawn. Though posters, apart from those put up by the SFI, and CPM flags proudly on
display at the Karmochari Sansad, are torn off in order to 'beautify' the campus.

6) The fees hike recommendations that were placed last year by the JU authority last year before the student representatives spoke of an
improbable increment in the fees (example: the UG fees in Arts Faculty was to be increased to about Rs.4,000 per year as opposed to the
Rs.950 a year that we pay now), which would have prevented many financially weak students in JU from continuing their studies. FAS
resisted the move along with DSF and WTI, and the recommendations were sent to the cold storage and are waiting for an opportune
moment in the future for them to be implemented.

7) Proposal of a 3 Star Hotel to be set up within the campus. Reason stated? It will be a source of income for the University authority since it
doesn't have enough funds to sustain itself! This too, at a time when the authority has failed to provide basic things like, an efficient health-
care centre, properly functioning drinking water facilities in each and every department, inter-departmental library card access to the
students.

Resist this undemocratic ‘Code of Conduct’An initiative by Forum For Arts Students (FAS)

It would be naive of us to assess this problem solely, as an isolated one, without any link to the Indian Government's overall policy
regarding the education sector. The de-legalization of students' unions in JNU, Allahabad University, BHU, rustication of students in
Aligarh Muslim University (just because they criticized the Univ authority, while chatting in the University cyber room. The authority used
their chat transcript as an evidence of their 'misdeed'), the Vishwa-Bharati fees hike resistance movement in the month of July, etc are all
results and consequences of undemocratic policies of the State, as espoused in the National Knowledge Commission Report 2006-09. The
NKC has put forward recommendations for the privatization of the education sector, and is pushing all the leading Universities, either under
the Central Govt or the state govts, towards self-financing courses that would require the Universities to open up to the private sector. The
'Code of Conduct' is basically being implemented to snatch away campus democracy and the ability of the independent minded students to
resist the privatization of the University! It is quite apparent that it'll be implemented when the authority is quite sure that the strength of the
vocal, progressive students to resist such undemocratic, anti-student measures is on the wane. It is time that we all wake up and make our
voice heard against the undemocratic policies and measures of the authority, under the directive of the Indian State. For if we fail to
understand the overall framework of which the JU fees hike and Code of Conduct are a part or the incessant attacks on the progressive
students of various politically aware University campuses across India, then we would have failed in our fight to protect our very basic
rights !!!