Arts and science colleges affiliated to Bharathiar University reopened here on Monday with various activities filling the first day of the new academic session. However, for most of the colleges, the focus was on anti-ragging orientation.
Second and third-year students of the undergraduate courses and in some colleges the second year students of postgraduate courses too went back to college after the summer vacation.
Each college had charted out the day differently for the students. But what was common among all these colleges was the orientation on anti-ragging measures. Colleges have already constituted fresh anti-ragging committees or are in the process of constituting one with representatives from the second and third-year students. The boards and complaint boxes are already put up or are in the process of being readied with names and numbers of new members from the college and also that of the Police Department.
Circulars of the University Grants Commission on ragging, rulings of the High Court and Supreme Court in ragging cases, and other related literature, are being circulated among the students. They are also briefed on how to interact with juniors.
Besides this, some had senior faculty and the college principal orienting the second year students and third year students separately, and others had invited external experts to deliver motivating speeches to the students.
Some had reopened during the first or second week of June to devote more time before starting lessons on placement-oriented training for the third-year students. The reopening for the first-year students was fixed on dates based on the completion of the admission process of each college.
There were a few colleges that decided to go about it differently. Sri Krishna College of Arts and Science that reopened in the second week for the seniors had the freshers come in on last Friday. The customary welcome with chocolates and roses was made, besides a few cultural programmes. There were even some small mementoes to remember their entry into college life. Students, along with parents, spent the whole day in college familiarising themselves.
The faculty of the college said that from Monday to Friday the first-year students would undergo an orientation. This included sessions by faculty and outside experts and special bridge courses to initiate students who were from other disciplines into degree programmes. It would also orient students towards course curriculum, use of various college infrastructure and library.
G.R. Damodaran College of Science has been following the practice of reopening earlier for the new comers and then for the seniors. This was to ensure that they got accustomed to the new surroundings without having to be in a crowd. Monday saw them receive orientation about the college from alumni, staff and the principal, after which they got to visit the various facilities. There were a few seniors to show them around and brief them. Faculty believe that this ensured them unencumbered space to become familiar with the newness before the seniors arrived on Thursday.
